Amir Khan pays tribute to Willie Limond after his death aged 45… with the former world champion offering his support to his one-time opponent’s family
Amir Khan has paid tribute to Willie Limond after he passed away on Monday at the age of 45.
Limond, who played non-league football in Scotland before picking up the gloves, suffered a seizure in his car and was found unconscious earlier this month.
The 45-year-old had recently returned to the ring and was preparing for a clash with Joe Laws that would take place next month.
As well as holding Commonwealth and European gold during his career, Limond was best known for taking on a young Khan in 2007.
Speaking after Limond’s tragic death, Khan expressed his condolences via social media.
Amir Khan has paid tribute to Willie Limond following the boxer’s death at just 45
The former world champion offered his support to Limond’s family in a post on social media
“Just a short video today about a former opponent I faced for the Commonwealth title in 2007,” Khan said.
“It was my first major title as a professional boxer and it was against a guy named Willie Limond. Willie was driving and had a seizure and was later sent to the hospital and died.
‘My thoughts go out to his family. If I can help or support in any way, please contact me or the team. It’s sad news for boxing, he was a great champion and a great person. We have met numerous times after fighting each other and like I said, my thoughts are with his family.
‘If I can help in any way, please let us know. Our prayers go out to Willie, we will keep him in our prayers and rest in peace.”
Limond became the first fighter to knock down Khan as a professional when the pair faced off for his Commonwealth title in 2007
Khan was just 20 years old and 12 fights into his burgeoning professional career when the pair battled it out for Limond’s Commonwealth lightweight title at the O2 Arena in London.
After the Olympic silver medalist took an early lead on the scorecards, Limond fought back and became the first fighter to drop Khan as a professional when he landed a thunderous combination in the sixth round.
However, Khan recovered well and scored a knockdown himself in the next round before Limond retired after the eighth.