McCloskey offer still stands: Shah Khan

Hopes a deal on the mouthwatering Ireland England contest in the MEN this spring could be arrived at appeared to have been dashed with McCloskey's promoter Barry Hearn describing Team Khan's offer as "a joke."

"The offer was a joke," said Hearn. "There's no way I'm letting Paul fight for peanuts. They made the offer, I rejected it and as far as I can see the fight is dead. We'll certainly not be going back to them to negotiate."

Shah Khan agrees the negotiations are over but kicked the ball firmly back into the McCloskey camp, telling the Sentinel this morning that the offer still stood: take it ot leave it.

He told the paper they had offered three times what the Dungiven southpaw received for the defence of his EBU title against Barry Morrison in Letterkenny last October.

Both camps it appears are now sticking to their original positions and in an inversion of the old adage it's a matter of "you call us, we're not calling you."

Mr Khan contacted the Sentinel to outline the Bolton camp's position.

"With regards to Paul McCloskey he has been offered more than three times what he got in his last fight," he told the paper.

"As far as we are concerned the offer is on the table and they can take it or leave it."

Asked if the much anticipated fight was still a possibility he said: "Absolutely, of course, it is."

But like McCloskey, Amir Khan has a number of other possible options he is currently considering, said his father.

"We have a number of other options," said Mr Khan. "But as far as Paul McCloskey is concerned the offer is there. The negotiations are over."

A possible scrap betwen the pair was first mooted last week when Khan's first choice opponent Lamont Peterson pulled out due to the latter apparently demanding "too much money."

On Tuesday the McCloskey and Khan camps were still trying to agree terms acceptable to both fighters with the Dungiven man saying it would be a great opportunity but that it was not the only option available to him.

Speaking to the Sentinel on Tuesday McCloskey said talks were still underway and a deal could be sealed on what would prove a massive fight in this part of the world over the next 48 hours. But he stressed that he was not willing to take the Khan fight for nothing.

"It's a fight I want but it's not a fight I'm desperate to have," said McCloskey. "I know that maybe four or five years ago I probably would have fought Khan for nothing but I deserve to be where I am."

He added: "I'm 22 0 undefeated. I have other options. I'm scheduled to defend my European title against Michele di Rocco in March. And at the moment I'm in a good position. My profile has never been better with people in America getting in touch wanting to find out more about me."

The Dungiven boxer admitted, however, that a world title fight against Khan in Manchester would bring in huge support in this part of the world.

But he says it was down to sheer hard work, his EBU title win against Daniel Rasilla in 2009, and his accompanying elevation to number five in the WBA world rankings - that it has now come so close to becoming a reality.

Whether or not he gets the world title crack that would be a natural progression building on his British and European title victories, it's certain McCloskey will be doing it on his terms.

"I don't care if it's Amir Khan or Mickey Mouse I'm fighting - fighting is what I do - and I'll be there either way," he said.

Earlier he told the paper that he'd progressed up the word rankings - WBA (fifth) and WBC (fourth) - in the traditional manner and it was this that had led to his added currency.

"Only for the fact that I'm 22 0 undefeated and number five in the world it might still be falling on deaf ears," he told the paper.

McCloskey also said he rated Khan as a fighter but said he saw chinks in the Bolton fighter's armour.

"He's been regarded as the golden boy of boxing and - don't get me wrong - he's a good fighter, but I don't think he punches as a hard as his record suggests.

"He throws a lot of fast punches but I've got very fast reflexes and he's not going to be able to land six or eight punches on me," he said.

And while McCloskey accepts Khan has clearly improved as a boxer under the guardianship of Freddie Roach who has been his trainer since Colombian Breidis Prescott knocked him out in Manchester in 2008, he reckons there are weaknesses to be worked on.

"That last fight (Marcos Maidana), he could have been stopped in the 10th round, it was a tough, tough fight. And I can cause problems for anyone, it doesn't matter who you are," he said.

Speculation over a possible clash between the pair began after Khan said "he wanted to get it on with McCloskey" via the social networking and broadcasting interface Twitter.

Khan then remarked on BBC radio: "He approached us. He's an undefeated fighter. I'm happy to take the fight on."

The Bolton-fighter has also indicated he wants to unify the light-welterweight division this year by taking on the winner of the January 29 unifcation bout between US fighters Timothy Bradley (WBO) and Devon Alexander (WBC).

If the mouthwatering Ireland England clash takes place it is likely to happen at the MEN Arena in Manchester on April 16, which has already been booked for the now apparently scuppered Peterson fight. Otherwise McCloskey will defend his EBU title against Italian Michele di Rocco on March 5.