By Keith Idec
Phil Lo Greco has agreed to fight Amir Khan in Khan’s comeback bout April 21 in Liverpool, England.
Canada’s Lo Greco was concerned when the fight was offered to him because Khan wanted it to be contested at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. Lo Greco ultimately agreed to Khan’s terms for their 10-round fight at Echo Arena, which was announced Monday.
Lo Greco weighed in at 163½ pounds for the Toronto-based boxer’s last fight, an eight-round, majority-decision victory over journeyman Jesus Gurrola (24-12-3, 12 KOs) on June 30 in Niagara Falls, Canada.
The 31-year-old Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) recently signed a three-fight promotional contract with onetime rival Eddie Hearn.
The 2004 Olympic silver medalist hopes the deal will rejuvenate his career, particularly in his native England, where boxing has become more popular than ever. His fights will be broadcast by Sky Sports and Sky Sports Box Office as part of his new deal.
Khan-Lo Greco will air live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. It’ll mark Khan’s first fight since Canelo Alvarez knocked him out in the sixth round of their WBC middleweight title fight in May 2016.
The 33-year-old Lo Greco (28-3, 15 KOs) isn’t considered a top opponent, but his only losses have come against IBF welterweight champ Errol Spence Jr. (23-0, 20 KOs), former IBF welterweight champ Shawn Porter (28-2-1, 17 KOs) and Joseph Elegele (16-2, 11 KOs). Spence, who stopped Lo Greco in the third round of their June 2015 fight in Las Vegas, is the only opponent to beat him by knockout.
“Phil Lo Greco will be coming with everything to win this fight and I’m not gonna give him an inch,” Khan told Sky Sports. “He’s an aggressive fighter who is always looking to press the fight and come forward. That makes for a very exciting and action-packed fight for the fans.
“I respect him as a fighter and know he will be coming with big ambitions. But I’m gonna put on a great performance and prove to the boxing world that ‘the King’ is well and truly back.”
2023-10-20 09:27:28
