Mayweather took the ‘easy route’

Floyd Mayweather has taken the ‘easy route’ by choosing Argentina’s Marcos Maidana, according to Amir Khan who was snubbed for the May 3 bout.

Mayweather, 45-0 with 26 knockouts, said he would defend his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council light-middleweight crowns against Maidana, 35-3 with 31 knockouts, and not Khan.

The 27-year-old Englishman Khan – who defeated Maidana in 2010 – made his fury clear in a statement released by his promotions company and linked to a post on his Twitter feed, intimating that Mayweather was running scared.

“Floyd probably wants to take the easy route and he’s taken Maidana,” said the 27-year-old from Bolton. “Despite having signed my part of the agreement to fight Floyd in early December, I’ve been preparing myself for some time that the match-up with him wasn’t going to happen.

“Therefore this announcement did not come as a surprise. I am, however, very disappointed with Floyd and his team for not providing any explanation as to why he delayed the announcement for so long and ultimately avoided the fight with me.”

Khan, 28-3 with 19 knockouts, has not fought since last April 27 and skipped a planned December bout with US southpaw Devon Alexander for the International Boxing Federation title in anticipation of a big-money showdown with Mayweather.

Instead, it has been a major aggravation and the longest layoff of his career, as he attempts to get back on track after two devastating defeats against Lamont Peterson, in 2011, and then Danny Garcia the following year.