Amir Khan vs Phil Lo Greco – Can Khan Become Boxing’s New Comeback King?

Tomorrow night, Amir Khan’s fans will get the chance to see their hero in action for the first time in two years when he takes on Phil Le Greco at Liverpool’s Echo Arena. The fight, which boasts an undercard including a Commonwealth lightweight title decider between Birkenhead’s Sean Dodd and Hull’s Tommy Coyle, will be broadcast on Sky Sports. So, what’s at stake for Khan and can he win this bout?

Amir Khan’s Comeback Fight – How Important Is It?

There are no boxing trophies on the line on Saturday, but the bout is a significant one for Khan. He hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Saul “Canelo” Álvarez in May 2016. The Mexican floored Khan in the sixth round to retain his WBC, The Ring and linear middleweight belts in the first boxing match to be held at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena.

The result wasn’t exactly a shock for boxing fans, as Alvarez was the pre-bout favourite. Khan, whose previous three fights had been at welterweight, had moved up two divisions in order to take his opponent on – a move that he later admitted was a mistake. The Bolton-born boxer recently stated that desperation to participate in a super-fight caused him to accept the match. This week, he’s also been quoted in the Metro as saying he thinks that Alvarez, who recently failed two drug tests, could have cheated in the fight.

Whatever the truth of the matter, Khan’s loss did his career no favours. Following the fight, he underwent surgery on his right hand to correct an issue which had been affecting him for years, with a view to being back in the ring in early 2017. However, his recovery took longer than expected and he took a further year out – something which could cost him dearly. At the age of 31, despite having signed a three-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, another loss could see any chance of him winning another world championship disappear. He needs to win against Lo Greco this weekend if he wants to reboot his boxing career or his comeback could simply fizzle out. However, if he triumphs, we could be one step closer to seeing an Amir Khan vs Kell Brook showdown later in the year.

Khan v Lo Greco – Which Fighter Is The Favourite?

While Lo Greco, nicknamed The Italian Sensation, insists that he’ll prove that Khan’s career is over on Saturday, the British fighter will be entering the ring as the favourite. The former Olympian, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Games in Athens, has won 31 of his 35 professional fights, with 19 of those being KOs. Lo Greco, who hails from Canada, has 29 wins and 16 KOs to his name after 32 professional bouts.

All three of Lo Greco’s losses have come in his last six fights, although he did win his last bout. Whilst he successfully took the WBC International Welterweight title from Slawomir Ziemlewicz in 2010, he has had plenty of space available in his trophy cabinet over the years. He has also been beaten by both Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter. Khan, on the other hand, is a former unified light welterweight world champion.

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