Amir Khan calls for Manny Pacquiao fight after dominating Billy Dib

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 Friday evening.

The event was originally meant to unite the two nations of India and Pakistan together in a quest for peace. However, 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. Billy 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 Dib, the jump up in weight proved to be too much for “The Kid” to overcome.

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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. The corner of Dib had seen enough and threw in the towel.

With the victory, Khan improved to 34-5 with his 21st knockout victory. The win served as a bounce back after Khan was stopped by Terence Crawford back in April. But more important than the win was who he would be targeting 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 as he’s been after that fight for many years.

Hughie Fury defeats Samuel Peter via a 7th round TKO after shoulder injury

24-year-old Hughie Fury defeated Samuel Peter via a seventh-round TKO in a fight that can only be described as farcical. Fury (23-2, 13 KOs) moved around the ring, keeping out of reach from the wild lunges of the 38-year-old American. His upper body movement mirrored his cousin Tyson’s fighting style 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 point deduction in the fourth when Peter’s landed a big left hand to the head of Fury well after the ref had called for them to break. Another low blow from Peter’s in the fifth brought a stern telling off from the ref but it didn’t stop the former title contender from landing yet 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 and as the ref 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 ref called the fight off.

Also on the card

Michell Banquez def. Prince Patel for the vacant IBO World bantamweight titleKyle Lomotey def. Abdulfatah Julaidan; MiddleweightsHemi Ahio def. Ali Kiydin; HeavyweightsMichael Hennessy Jnr vs. Abdulfatah Julaidan – Majority Draw; MiddleweightsZuhayr Al-Qahtani def. Rakesh Lohchab; LightweightsClick Here: afl store