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29 March 2024

Khan beats Diaz on points to stay in title fray

Amir Khan (left) lands a punch against Julio Diaz at Motorpoint Arena on April 27, 2013 in Sheffield, England. (GETTY)

Published
By AP

Amir Khan came back from a knockdown to unanimously outpoint fast-finishing Julio Diaz on Saturday night in a welterweight fight at Motorpoint Arena.

Khan, trying to rebound after consecutive losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia in the last 16 months, was cruising early against Diaz, the aging former two-time world lightweight champ.

Then Diaz exposed Khan's weakness by dumping him with a left hook in the fourth round, and staggered the former world light-welter champ with hooks in the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds.

Khan (28-3, 19 KO) received winning scores of 115-113, 115-112, 114-113.

Diaz dropped to 40-8-1.

On the undercard, undefeated American heavyweight Deontay Wilder stopped former Olympic champion Audley Harrison in the first round.

Harrison fell in a neutral corner from the first meaningful punch of the bout, and Wilder kept flailing at him before referee Terry O'Connor stepped in and called it off after 1 minute, 10 seconds.

Wilder, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, improved to 28-0, all by knockout.

Harrison, who briefly held a minor world title nine years ago, fell to 31-7. The British fighter admitted it was likely the end of his career.

"I've got to be realistic, I'm 41. It's going to be hard to get opportunities like this on the big stage again," Harrison said.