Iceman John Scully is a highly regard boxing trainer, analyst, writer and respected member of the boxing world. I recently was afforded an opportunity to interview John Scully, to discuss some of the most talked about subjects in the boxing world. During this interview I get John’s thoughts on a possible Pacquiao vs. Khan bout and his views on Mayweather’s retirement. Scully also talks about the chances Mayweather comes back and if he would consider fighting Amir Khan in his 50th bout. Additionally Scully gives his views on the next stars of boxing and who he thinks could carry the sport. Here is what John Scully had to say.

(Listen to the full interview here)

Robert Brown: Manny Pacquiao was looking to face Amir Khan in his comeback and while talks slowed down about making this fight, it’s still the most likely for Pacquiao. What are your thoughts on this fight if it does happen?

John Scully: I think it’s a great fight for boxing, mainly because of the national pride that each guy brings in, the fervor of the native countries and what they bring to the table. They have history — we’ve heard the stories about the sparring sessions and Amir saying that they didn’t go as Freddie said they went. I think there’s a lot of different marketing points that are going to be used for this fight. I think it’s a very good fight.

I’ve said it many times, when Mayweather retires — which he apparently has — it’s gonna open the door for a lot of great fights within that division. There’s Timothy Bradley, Shawn Porter, Amir Khan, Keith Thurman and Pacquiao, and they’re all there waiting to have the big fights. They were all kind of waiting on Mayweather, but now that he’s out of the picture, now they’re all free to fight each other. I think this is going to be the beginning of a resurgence in the welterweight division and it’s gonna be great for boxing.

Robert Brown: Floyd Mayweather claims to have retired following his dominate win over Manny Pacquiao. Do you think Mayweather will actually stay retired?

John Scully: To me, as a fighter myself, I find it hard to believe that he’s actually going to stay retired because the lure of the 50-0 — and I actually think that this is generally orchestrated to be this way, I think it’s to give him a break mentally and physically away from boxing and to let things open up in the division.

I think Mayweather is going to come back and he’s gonna say that he couldn’t stay retired, he needed to get that 50th win. They’re going to print up a million hats with the number 50 on the front of it and I think they probably want and hope that Amir Khan wins and that he can fight Amir Khan for his 50th victory.

I think he’ll want to be one of those guys who comes back successfully. Very few men have ever actually come back successfully. I think he feels that would cement his legacy so to speak. I honestly think that this is an orchestrated situation and I think he’ll be back and I think he’s gonna go for number 50.

Robert Brown: So you feel that Amir Khan could be Mayweather’s 50th opponent?

John Scully: That’s my feeling. If he beats Pacquiao, I think it would make the most sense and I think it would be a huge fight. It would be a mega fight, assuming Amir beats Pacquiao.

Robert Brown: Do you think Amir can beat Pacquiao? Do you think the Pacquiao that fought Floyd Mayweather can beat Amir Khan?

John Scully: For the last few years I always would have picked ‘Pac man’ to win, but with all things considered, you gotta realize that Pacquiao has been a professional for a long time, he’s got a lot of fights. He just lost, he got a huge payday, he realizes he’s not gonna have a tremendous amount of time left in the game.

I think if there was a time for Amir to beat him, now would be the time to step in and beat him. I think Amir creates a big problem with his size and his jab and his hand speed. All things considered, my gut instincts would tell me to bet on Amir for this fight.

Robert Brown: Are you questioning whether the hunger is there for Pacquiao?

John Scully: Yeah, it would be unusual for him to maintain that hunger because he lost to Mayweather. Everyone sees what happened, they know he lost convincingly. He’s made a lot of money, he’s had a lot of fights, he’s been a pro for a long time, his career is basically in its final stages anyway.

Even if Manny was to get another fight with Mayweather, I just feel like the thrill is gone, the mystique is gone from that fight. I don’t think there’s anyone who thinks Pacquiao could beat Mayweather, so I wouldn’t be interested in a rematch.

Robert Brown: What fighters do you think will pick up the sport and carry it forward in the future?

John Scully: I think Terence Crawford is obviously in there, he’s definitely in the mix to be one of the future superstars. I think Gennady Golovkin is really gonna break out and I tend to think that if Mayweather contemplates coming back, that Golovkin’s name will be thrown into the mix. He’ll be the one that they’ll say that Mayweather couldn’t beat and that he didn’t move up to fight him.

I think ‘GGG’ is the one that if Mayweather comes back, his name will definitely be in the mix. I think Golovkin is ready to really break out. Kovalev is a little bit older but he just started getting his real fame over the last couple of years. If he gets a fight with Adonis Stevenson, then I think we’re gonna see a nuclear type of fight.

In the light heavyweight division there’s Artur Beterbiev, I think he’s probably the next one in that weight division to really break out in a big way. Once more people get to see Beterbiev, I think they’re going to be really impressed and they’re gonna be really eager to see him again.