By James Slater: Former WBO light-welterweight champ Kendal Holt badly needed a win last night, as he faced former lightweight titlist Julio Diaz. He got what he was looking for in style. Sending “The Kidd” to the mat with a peach of a left hook to the chin, the 29-year-old from Paterson let referee Marcos Rosales do the rest.
Now 27-4(15) and free from “all the outside influences that were taking up a lot of my time,” Holt is back on track and looking to get back in the thick of things in a deep division. Immediately after icing Diaz, “Rated R” called out the winner of the now highly unlikely Amir Khan-Tim Bradley fight.
“I want the winner of Khan and Bradley, if that happens,” Holt told ESPN. “I already have one loss to Bradley, and before my career is over, I want a trilogy. One with Ricardo Torres has no chance of happening now.”
With Torres, the man he went 1-1 with, now retired, Bradley is clearly hoping to get a return with Bradley, beat him and then engage in a rubber-match; thus getting the trilogy he wants. Bradley is taking stock of things right now, as his wife gets ready to give birth, but perhaps, when he does come back to the ring, “Desert Storm” will look Holt’s way. Bradley won a wide but entertaining decision over Kendall back in April 2009, but Holt looked a different animal last night. Maybe, just maybe, a fully focused Holt (who, we must not forget, had that money laundering thing firmly on his mind when he faced Bradley) is capable of giving Tim a harder fight?
As for the other guy he called out, in Khan, the WBA champ needs a foe for his July 23rd date now that the fight with Bradley is off (for this year at least). The performance he gave last night, in winning his second in a row since remaining on his stool after six poor rounds with Kaizer Mabuza, surely put Holt in the frame for a shot at Khan. I for one would love to see what would happen if Holt landed his lethal left hook smack on the kisser of “King Khan.”
Fast, almost as fast as Amir, Holt has experience, hunger and the sheer talent needed to at the very least give Khan a real handful. Maybe warrior who turned pro back in March of 2001 has the stuff needed to beat Khan?
According to the latest news, Khan is looking at either Robert Guerrero, Zab Judah and, if he cannot land the fight with Pac-Man, Juan Manuel Marquez for his July fight. If neither of these guys are available (and Zab recently told the examiner.com, how he is far more interested in a shot at Pacquiao himself, seeing as he looks at a fight with Khan as something of a step backwards), Holt would, I’m sure, step up to the plate.
Fighting again in just over two months time would not be an ideal situation for Holt, but then, the man known as “Rated R” has never taken the easy path