Khan beats Lo Greco in 39 seconds on British return
LIVERPOOL: Amir Khan’s first bout in a British ring for five years saw him knock out Canada’s Phil Lo Greco in a mere 39 seconds on Saturday. The 31-year-old British boxer had not fought anywhere for two years since being beaten by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Las Vegas in May 2016. And the 2004 Olympic silver medallist wasted little time in sending Lo Greco tumbling with a quick one-two punch combination inside the opening 30 seconds. Khan then pinned Lo Greco to the ropes before the super-welterweight contest ended moments after it had started.
Victory left Khan on course for his long-awaited showdown with British rival Kell Brook, who was among those watching at ringside on Saturday. “I have been out the ring for two years but I was still in the gym working hard, I have never taken a day off. I wanted to prove a
point coming back-I was trained to fight for 12 rounds, I had to make some changes and Phil lo Greco is a dangerous opponent,” Khan told the BBC. “Enjoy my victory. Khan’s back. I was a little nervous, but I am back with a big bang. I want to become a world champion this year or next year.” Khan, however, added: “I want to fight the best guys. If it means going up a division I will.”
As for a bout with Brook, Khan, most famous recently for his ‘jungle’ appearance in the British television show ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’, said: “That fight is something I am not rushing and not running away from. I will fight Kell Brook and beat Kell Brook. Kell Brook has been living off my name for a long time. I am a stronger fighter, a better fighter.
“I’m not a fighter to run away.” But an unimpressed Brook said: “He doesn’t want the fight, he just ran off. “Amir, all the fans want the fight, I want the fight, he can go in the jungle and chase stars but when he gets in there with me, I’ll make him see stars.”
Meanwhile, Carl Frampton delighted his Belfast home crowd with a unanimous points win over fellow former multiple world champion Nonito Donaire. All that was at stake was the World Boxing Organisation’s interim featherweight belt, not a fully-fledged title. But by coming out on top by a margin of 117-111 on all three judges’ scorecards, the 31-year-old Frampton kept himself on course for a bout with the winner of next month’s International Boxing Federation title fight between Lee Selby and Josh Warrington.
WBO champion Oscar Valdez could also lie in wait for the 31-year-old Frampton, a former world title holder at both super-bantamweight and featherweight. Prior to Saturday’s bout-which just carried on past midnight local time (2300 GMT) — Northern Ireland’s Frampton had rated Donaire, a seven-time world champion across four separate weight classes, as the most “accomplished fighter I have ever faced”.
But the 35-year-old Filipino did not appear to be at his very best in Belfast, although he did rock Frampton with several solid punches in the 11th round of 12. “Nonito Donaire was dangerous from start to finish. I stuck to the game plan and at times my boxing was beautiful,” Frampton told BT Sport as he looked forward to having a world-title shot at Belfast’s Windsor Park-best known as the home ground of Northern Ireland’s football team. “There is only one thing on my mind at the moment-a world title fight at Windsor Park and I can’t wait to get there.” Frampton, who split from promoter Barry McGuigan last year, before ditching Shane McGuigan, Barry’s son, as his trainer, added: “In the 11th round I was definitely hurt but I survived it and that’s what champions do.