-
ESPN staff
Amir Khan will take on Samuel Vargas on Sept. 8 at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena in his second fight since returning to boxing.
Khan (32-4, 20 KOs) took just 39 seconds to dispense Canadian journeyman Phil Lo Greco back in April as he began his quest to return to world title contention.
Before his return, Khan had not fought in almost two years — a brutal knockout defeat to Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas starting a lengthy period of inactivity.
“One of my aims this year was to be as active as possible, so I’m very happy to get back in the ring again so soon against Samuel Vargas,” Khan said.
“Vargas is a tough and well-schooled fighter who has shared the ring with some top welterweights, including Danny Garcia and Errol Spence Jr.
“I have to get past Vargas before looking at the biggest challenges going forward. I’m not going to be taking Vargas lightly because I know he will be coming with everything on Sept. 8.
“I hope to give the fans in Birmingham the same excitement and fireworks as my last fight. It will be one not to miss!”
Vargas (29-3-2, 14 KOs) is currently ranked No. 10 in the WBA, three places below Khan, having drawn to Mauro Maximiliano Godoy earlier this month. He also has previous defeats to Garcia and Spence on his record.