The Second Course

- Elliot Worsell

FEW expect Samuel Vargas to test Amir Khan this weekend in Birmingham, and even fewer anticipate an upset. But with the Khan comeback opponent bar now set at Phil Lo Greco, he of the 39-second defeat in April, there is at least the hope Vargas, unbeaten in his last five fights, is durable enough to hear more than just the one bell – the first – on Saturday evening (September 8).

Four-and-a-half months on, it’s still tough to fathom what happened the night Lo Greco dissolved at the feet of Khan in Liverpool. Wrecked inside a minute, what made Lo Greco’s capitulation all the more shocking was that it followed months of hype and trash talk and social media sparring, the kind which suggested he was not only confident in his ability but confident he’d expose every one of the Khan flaws he claimed to have detected.

Alas, Lo Greco didn’t even come close. Bamboozled by speed, he tasted Khan’s power early, looked lost, felt surrounded, and then crumpled to the canvas, a mess of unsteady limbs and regret. So simple was the victory, in fact, it said less about the Bolton man’s brilliance and more about Lo Greco’s suitability as an opponent. It was quick. It was clinical. It was, above all else, a bit embarrassing.