BACK IN THE GROOVE

Mir: I’ll be a hit again

AMIR KHAN wants to be on the back pages rather than the front pages as he aims to get his career back on track.

The former light-welterweight world champion will step through the ropes for the first time in almost two years tonight when he faces little-known Canadian Phil Lo Greco at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.

Khan, 31, has been out of the ring since a devastating knockout defeat – the fourth of his career – at the hands of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in May 2016.

The Bolton native has since had two major operations on his right hand to solve a long-standing issue.

Farce

But Khan’s life away from the sport descended into farce amidst family fallouts and allegations of affairs.

He even went into the jungle, appearing on hit TV programme I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here at the end of last year in a bid to show the public his real personality.

Now Khan insists his mind is back on the job having made up with his family and wife Faryal Makhdoom, who is expecting their second child.

“I belong on the back pages. I had a nice time on my break, I was in the gym training, but I am back to what I do best; boxing,” Khan said.

“I am not a celebrity, I do not want to live that life – I always get caught doing silly things.

“Boxing is where I belong, it puts me on the right path in life because, without it, I am lost and do silly things.

“All the family stuff, we all make mistakes. It has only made me a stronger ® person. If I hadn’t gone through that, I don’t think I would have come back at any time.

“But now I’m much smarter, I’m much more of an adult. I’ve put all that behind me. I know I made mistakes. I know I said silly things. It’s about moving forward.

“I want to be remembered for being a fighter, not being in the jungle, not being a celebrity. I can get back there, this is the first and the second will be bigger.”

Khan is expected to easily beat Lo Greco, who has lost three of his 31 bouts, before an August outing and then a big fight in December.

That could be against British rival Kell Brook or one of the world champions in the welterweight division.

But Khan is enjoying the prospect of fighting back in the UK again, five years after his last fight on these shores when he outpointed Julio Diaz in Sheffield.

It’s seven years since he last fought in his native North West with an early stoppage win over Irishman Paul McCloskey in Manchester.

Khan’s new promoter Eddie Hearn was cutting his teeth in the boxing business back then and worked with McCloskey.

The Bolton fighter resumed fighting in the States but with the British boxing scene booming, Khan is ready to return and wants big stadium nights like the ones enjoyed by WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Khan said: “I’ve had the big fights in America, fought in Vegas four times, LA, Madison Square Garden.

“Now it’s time to come back home and finish my career here and have some big fights here.

“It motivates me to be back in Britain. British boxing is on a high now. When I went to America, British boxing wasn’t that big.”