Amir Khan took aim at Manny Pacquiao after throttling Billy Dib en route to a fourth-round TKO at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday evening.
The event was originally meant to unite India and Pakistan in a quest for peace, but when Khan’s opponent, Neeraj Goyat, was injured in a car crash leading up to the fight, the WBC Pearl belt was scrapped, leaving the 32-year-old Olympic silver medalist in need of a new opponent. Dib (45-6, 26 KOs), who was already scheduled to fight on the undercard, accepted the offer to step up two weight divisions to fight for the vacant WBC International welterweight title.
Unfortunately for "The Kid," the jump up in weight proved to be too much to overcome.
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Khan, the former unified light welterweight world champion, took the center of the ring and dominated the fight from the opening bell. Dib looked to keep his distance, waiting for an opportunity to lunge in and catch Khan on his suspect chin. As he came in during the second round, Dib got caught with a left hook that sent him to the canvas. Khan looked to finish the job in the third, but the fight was halted when both men lost their gum shields. Khan continued to land to the head and the body as the round continued. An assortment of punishment dished out by Khan sent Dib the canvas. Dib's corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.
Khan improved to 34-5 (21 knockouts) with the victory, which served as a bounceback after Khan was stopped by Terence Crawford in April. More important than the result was who Khan wants to fight next.
"Look, we want the Manny Pacquiao fight," Khan said afterward. "Let’s hope he comes to Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, we come back again at the end of the year and bring Manny Pacquiao here.”
Pacquiao is set to face Keith Thurman on July 20. Whether Pacquiao wins or loses won't matter much to Khan, who has been after that fight for many years.
Hughie Fury defeats Samuel Peter via 7th-round TKO after shoulder injury
The 24-year-old Fury won a fight that can only be described as farcical. Fury (23-2, 13 KOs) moved around the ring, keeping out of range from the 38-year-old American's wild lunges. His upper-body movement mirrored the fighting style of his cousin Tyson, while Peter (38-8, 31 KOs) was reminiscent of David Haye against Tony Bellew, swinging, missing and losing his balance.
The fight showed no signs of improving when a low blow by Peter in the third was followed by a big left hand to Fury's head well after the referee had called for them to break in the fourth. The late punch earned Peter a point deduction. Another low blow by Peter in the fifth brought a stern telling off from the ref, but it didn’t stop the former title contender from landing another low blow and a shot to the back of the head in the sixth.
A coming together in the seventh gave Peter the opportunity to land two more low blows. As the referee stepped in, Peter appeared to dislocate his left shoulder while trying to land a looping right hand. After a prolonged period of time consulting with his corner and the medical team, the referee called off the fight.
Also on the card
- Michell Banquez def. Prince Patel for the vacant IBO world bantamweight title.
- Kyle Lomotey def. Abdulfatah Julaidan; middleweights.
- Hemi Ahio def. Ali Kiydin; heavyweights.
- Michael Hennessy Jr. and Abdulfatah Julaidan fight to a majority draw; middleweights.
- Zuhayr Al-Qahtani def. Rakesh Lohchab; lightweights.