by David P. Greisman

It was more than 10 years ago that Keith Holmes lost his World Boxing Council middleweight belt in a decision loss to Bernard Hopkins.

Now he wants it back.

Holmes, who was at the weigh-in Friday for Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson, says he’s returning for that title, which is now held by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

He says he’ll be fighting on Bernard Hopkins’ next fight, supposedly in March, potentially in Atlantic City. This being boxing, all of the above could change.

Holmes hasn’t fought much in the past decade, going 5-2 post-Hopkins, those losses coming to Roman Karmazin in 2005 and Tito Mendoza in 2007. He’s not fought since 2009, but the 42-year-old appeared to be in good shape, and he said he’d been in Quebec in the past helping Jean Pascal prepare for his fight with Chad Dawson.

Holmes, who is 41-5 with 25 knockouts, spoke briefly with a group of reporters.

Q: So, you’re coming back?

Holmes: “Where I go? I went up there and got Pascal ready for Chad Dawson. I’m ready. I’m always ready. Pascal can tell you that, how I was looking in there like I was 19.”

Q: You were saying you want Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Why’s that?

Holmes: “I want Chavez because he has my belt. That’s my belt. At 160, that’s mine. For sure. And I’m gonna go get it. But see, I know they’re going to try to protect him. That’s the game. I understand that. But we’re going to work our way there to where they can’t protect him.”

Q: So what do you need to do to get that shot?

Holmes: “Well, we’re on a mission right now to knock out everybody who get in the ring with me from now on. And that should get attention. But it might put it further away. We’re going to make very hard to make that fight happen.”

Q: What else do you want to say?

Holmes: “I love boxing. I’m thanking Golden Boy for bringing boxing back to D.C. But I want to do it again. I want to be with the new generation and become world champion again for the third time.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com