Amir Khan will have Virgil Hunter back in his corner for Terence Crawford fight just one year after he almost died
Pair will be reunited in Madison Square Garden, New York, on April 20 for a chance at the unbeaten WBO welterweight king
AMIR KHAN will have Virgil Hunter back in his corner for his title shot at Terence Crawford — a year after the trainer almost died.
The mentor to retired ring legend Andre Ward had a life-threatening reaction to medication at his San Francisco home in March 2018 and was convinced, when he miraculously woke up, he was in France.
Khan enjoyed two wins under temporary trainer Joe Goossen while Hunter was recovering.
But the pair will be reunited in Madison Square Garden, New York, on April 20 for a chance at the unbeaten WBO welterweight king.
Hunter is happy to joke about his phantom French adventure now.
But he revealed: “I was in a diabetic coma for about a week, I wasn’t induced.
“My kidneys had shut down, I’d had a mild heart attack.
“I remember when I started coming to, things were so strange to me, I thought I was in France. My doctor said in all his years, he’s never seen anyone recover as quickly. I was back in the gym in nine or ten weeks.”
Khan was five weeks out from his 38-second win over Phil Lo Greco when Hunter, who also trains heavyweights Dominic Breazeale and Tony Yoka, suddenly vanished.
The Brit ace, 32, floored Lo Greco and then Samuel Vargas while praying for Hunter’s recovery.
'COLLAPSED ON THE STAIRS'
Khan said: “It was a crazy time, it was tough.
“I had come to start training for the Lo Greco fight and had seen Virgil a few times and then he vanished out of the blue.
“Three weeks went by and suddenly I was five weeks out from the fight with no real training or sparring.
“Then I found out he had been found on the floor of his apartment.”
A regular blood sugar level is around 180, reaching 250 is dangerous and Hunter, looking incredible for 65, was off the chart when discovered by his heroic wife.
He added: “When I didn’t answer three calls from my wife, something told her, ‘That’s not right’.
“She left her job to come to the house to find me collapsed on the stairs.
“I’d been there for about an hour and a half.
“The drug raised my blood sugar to 1,400, which is stroke zone, heart-attack zone, organ shutdown.
“The good Lord gave my wife the insight to know that something wasn’t right.
“I remember a therapist came to my bedside with a walker.
most read in boxing
“I said, ‘What’s this for?’ and they said I had to start learning how to walk again. I said, ‘You’ve got to be joking, I can walk!’
“I got up to sit on the side of the bed, but I couldn’t stand up.
“That triggered me to really push because I was thinking about the gym. That gave me courage.”
Amir Khan challenges the undefeated Terence Crawford for the WBO world welterweight title, live on BT Sport Box Office, on Saturday, April 20. For more information go to
