Australian Jeff Horn's fight with Manny Pacquiao is off, with the boxing great's promoter confirming he will seek a lucrative bout in the United Arab Emirates.
The Filipino legend tweeted on Thursday that he is in talks with Englishman Amir Khan.
"My team and I are in negotiations with Amir Khan for our next fight. Further announcement coming soon," Pacquiao tweeted, accompanied by a picture of he and Khan.
Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum confirmed his camp has reneged on negotiations with Horn.
"The Australian deal is not going to happen now because Manny is trying to get a fight done in the United Arab Emirates," Arum told ESPN.
"The people there favour him fighting Amir Khan."
Welterweight Horn's fight with the Filipino great was slated for April with Brisbane a likely venue but it appears Khan is Pacquiao's preferred opponent.
Duco Events, the organisers of the Horn-Pacquiao fight, remain on standby.
"We have nothing to say and we are just waiting to see what develops because, in this business, things change all the time," a Duco spokesman told AAP.
Arum has some concerns about the 38-year-old's decision to line up a fight with Khan.
"Whether it will happen or not I just don't know because they have to come up with a large amount of money," Arum said.
"Manny seems to believe they will come up with the money. I have some reservations whether it will happen or not. If the money comes up I will aid and abet the fight happening."
Soon after being announced in January, clouds have hovered over Horn's dream fight.
Pacquiao's advisor Michael Koncz fronted media in Abu Dhabi this month to claim his next fight would take place in the UAE.
Koncz even went as far as apologising to the Australian public for the confusion, explaining that the UAE was always the first preference and Brisbane was merely a "back-up plan".
Pacquiao also tweeted, "see you in UAE for my next fight" earlier this month.
The 38-year-old then polled Twitter users on who he should next fight, with Khan the preferred option.
The Horn-Pacquiao fight would have been one of the biggest in Australian boxing history, with the Queensland government backing the push for Suncorp Stadium to host.
Queensland's minister for tourism and major events Kate Jones said they were remaining hopeful but would not enter a bidding war for the fight.
"There's been a lot of scuttlebutt about this but the one thing I've learned about boxing is it ain't over until it's over," Jones told reporters in Brisbane.
"Taxpayers don't want me to throw money up against the wall, what they want us to do is secure a fight that will deliver real economic benefit for this city."
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