Would Floyd 'Money' Mayweather vs Amir Khan even be a good contest?

Floyd Mayweather announced via Twitter just two weeks ago that he would let his fans decide who his next opponent would be. If he sticks to his word, he'll fight Amir Khan on May 3rd at MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas.

Voting ended on Sunday and Khan won the poll comfortably, Mayweather gave the fans a choice between either Khan or Marcos Maidana for his next fight. Khan tallied 20,105 votes to 15,474 for Maidana.

Mayweather is often considered a genius of self promotion and this was indeed a clever publicity stunt, though it didn't pick the best possible fight for fans. That is because, the best opponents weren't on the ballot.

The great TV and promoter divide in boxing that pits Golden Boy and Showtime against Top Rank and HBO, has prevented a number of better fights from happening.

Khan has however shown considerable self belief that he can give Mayweather a good contest. On Sunday he talked up his record and even compared himself to legends such as Mike Tyson, Arturo Gatti and Ricky Hatton, using a dubious knockout-per-fight ratio. 

This doesn't really stand up to scrutiny, Gatti for example, was stopped on cuts several times and fought a massively better level of competition than Khan.

Khans posturing is besides the point, if the only two options on the card are either Khan or Maidana, Amir clearly has the better chance of giving Maywheather a decent fight. Mayweather would decimate Maidana and he would never win a round. Where as Khan is a boxer who has not lived up to his early promise.

The problem with Khan fighting Mayweather is that he's done nothing to deserve his shot. Perhaps Khan would rise to the occasion and make it an entertaining contest. It is a testament to Mayweather's outstanding record and ability that there are so few viable opponenets, he really stands head and shoulders above his class.

Khan is 2-2 in his last four fights, performing badly even in victory. He lost out to Lamont Peterson, got knocked out by Garcia, stopped Molina and then lucked out a win over Julio Diaz when he could easily have lost. Khan has lost two of his last four while not looking particularly good in any of those matches.

Mayweather as one of the greatest fighters of all time, doesn't need to fight anyone to prove himself. Even the fight the fans really want to see, Mayweather-Pacquiao, is unlikely to be the contest that revives the sport or this class.

So if he sticks to his word, the Khan fight will happen and few people will be excited. The British public would undoubtedly like to see one of our own fight the worlds best,  but not if its a devastating loss.

Khan doesn't deserve the fight and it sets a bad precedent, that he gets it on the basis of 20,000 votes and not his performances in the ring.

Kevin Pietersen's England Career Ends...

The biggest story in sport last week was the news that Kevin Pietersen had been told he would play no further part in the future of the England cricket team.

Pietersen, England's all time leading run-scorer across all cricket formats, was told by the ECB that his international career would end at 33 years old.

ECB managing director Paul Downton said: "The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."

Pietersen responded: "I will continue to play but deeply regret that it won't be for England."

In 104 tests he scored 8,181 runs at an average of 47 per game, as well as 4,440 runs in 136 one-day internationals and 1,176 run in 37 Twenty20 games.

"Playing cricket for my country has been an honour," said South Africa-born Pietersen, who made his England debut in 2004.

"Every time I pulled on the England shirt was a moment of huge pride for me and that is something that will live with me forever.

"Although I am obviously very sad the incredible journey has come to an end, I'm also hugely proud of what we, as a team, have achieved over the past nine years. I believe I have a great deal still to give as a cricketer."

The news comes on the back of England 5-0 Ashes white was by Australia, an series in which Pietersen was heavily criticised for his performances.

Pietersen himself said he was "determined to help regain the Ashes" in England in 2015 and was named in the 30-man provisional squad for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh,

However, the ECB have agreed "unanimously" that he no longer has a future with England and he will not be included in the squads for the World Twenty20, the tour of the West Indies that begins at the end of the month or be part of their plans going forward. 

Giles Downton who is part of the England management, said: "Clearly this was a tough decision because Kevin has been such an outstanding player for England, as the fact that he is the country's leading run-scorer in international cricket demonstrates.

"However, everyone was aware that there was a need to begin the long-term planning after the Australia tour. Therefore we have decided the time is right to look to the future."

Pietersen is regarded by most as Englands best player - with 23 Test centuries second only to Test captain Alastair Cook in the all time run scorers list - and only size players have played more Tests for England. His first Test series in 2005, saw England win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years, the first of four Ashes triumphs he inspired.

Pietersen has however been a controversial figure, he was appointed captain in 2008 and resigned five months later. The ECB described an "irretrievable breakdown" with then coach Peter Moores, who was later sacked.

During the World Twenty20 tournament in 2010 he was named best player and led England to their first major limited overs trophy.

Another Pietersen controversy occurred during the 2010 Test series against South Africa, he was dropped from the touring party after sending "provocative" text messages to opposition players, for which he had to apologise profusely. He was ignored for the World Twenty20 defence, but added to the India touring party after a successful "integration period".

Although Pietersen's form appears to have taken a dip, the calamity in the Ashes down under was followed by reports of further dressing room divisions. However, Graeme Swann denied Pieterson was the cause of any problems.

ECB managing director Paul Downton said: "England cricket owes a debt of gratitude to Kevin, who has proved to be one of the most talented and exciting players to ever represent the country and his 13,797 runs are a testimony to his immense skill.

"This decision brings some clarity now for the future of the England teams and we all wish Kevin the very best in the rest of his career."