Amir Khan will face tough Julio Diaz on this next step of his comeback. Khan, an amateur standout in England, was once one of the sport’s hottest prospects. Questions were raised when, in a bout between two undefeated young contenders, Breidis Prescott flattened Khan in the first round. However, with top trainer Freddie Roach in his corner, Khan would come back to become a dominant fighter among the lower weights.
In three significant title defenses, Amir stopped Paul Malignaggi; decisioned tough Marcus Maidana; and KO Zab Judah. There were rumors that he was beginning to outbox his more famous gym-mate, Manny Pacquiao, in training. It was ever thought that Khan had the style to possibly outbox Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
But then, in December of 2011, Khan lost his title in a disputed 12-round decision to Lamont Peterson. In that bout, Khan complained to the referee many times about what he considered Peterson’s dirty tactics; that raised some more questions, in a sport where looking to the ref for help in a tough fight is viewed as weakness -- indeed, Khan is a capable “dirty” fighter himself, as he showed when knocking Judah out with low blows.
In July of 2012, Khan faced undefeated Danny Garcia. He appeared to have the young contender ready to stop, when he was hit hard -- clearly hurt, Khan would panic in the ring, and was stopped in round four.
This led to his splitting with Roach. Last December, Khan stopped a brave but overmatched Carlos Molina in 10 rounds. The next step on this comeback is veteran Julio Diaz, who has a record of 40-7-1 (29-5).
At 33, Diaz is seven years older than Khan. He has a half-inch in height, but an inch less in reach than Amir. More significant may be that he has had a longer career, and has sustained a lot of damage over the years.
In May, 2011, Kendall Holt -- an explosive puncher -- stopped Diaz in three rounds. However, Julio won two knockouts since, then fought to an 8-round draw with top prospect Shawn Porter last December (in other words, Diaz won the fight in the ring, and was robbed by the judges).
On paper, Khan should win, and be about ready to challenge someone for a “title,” if not the real championship. But, again, anything can happen -- especially with Amir Khan.
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