Neeraj Goyat suffered injuries in a car accident that has forced him to withdraw from a planned fight against Amir Khan in less than three weeks.
Goyat was supposed to face Khan in the main event of a boxing card in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 12, but now that fight will no longer happen. The accident occurred in India and Goyat is reportedly recovering in the hospital.
As such, officials had to scramble to find a replacement opponent, but one has been found. Khan will now former world champion Billy Dib in the main event of the card. The fight was originally announced to be for the inaugural WBC Pearl belt to commemorate the special event.
This will be Dib’s second fight since unsuccessfully challenging for the IBF super featherweight title back in August 2018 when he lost to Tevin Farmer. The 33-year-old Dib once held the IBF featherweight title from 2011 to 2013 and is coming off a first-round knockout against Surachet Tongmala back in April.
Khan, a former unified junior welterweight champion, has not fought since losing to WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in April at Madison Square Garden. Khan has won two of his last three fights since being out of the ring for 23 months, including a stoppage win against Phil Lo Greco in the first minute of the fight back in April 2018.
The card will also feature former world title challenger Hughie Fury, cousin of former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, face Samuel Peter. The event, or at least the main event, will be televised in the UK live on Channel 5, but no American broadcast plans for the card has been announced. Also on tab for the event is an IBO bantamweight title bout between Prince Patel and Michell Banquez while Lerato Dlamini takes on Dave Penaloza for the vacant WBC Silver featherweight title.
