Lamont Peterson wins a close decision against Amir Khan. There will more than likely be a rematch for this bout. Photo by AP
Of the many things that has been said about last Saturday’s match between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan, there is one thing that can really be said. That it was indeed a great fight with two boxers leaving their hearts and souls in the ring, although at the end of the day the decision of the judges was left to question. Peterson was awarded the decision by two of them, though most observers at ringside felt that at the very least it should have been a draw.
Nevertheless the boxing public was thoroughly entertained by several of the sports best athletes, particularly the Peterson brothers (Lamont and Anthony) and rising American heavyweight Seth Mitchell, who now has a ring record of 25-0 after stopping Timur Ibragimov in the second round by way of TKO.
Mitchell is a former standout college linebacker who’s only been fighting as a professional for five years and has had only ten amateur fights to begin with.?But he has been very impressive in spite of what the naysayers have said and continue to say about former football players becoming boxers. This guy has the goods and there may finally be an American who could possibly take on the Khlitschkos.
Looking back at the main event, when asked about the decision of the judges at the post-fight press conference Peterson responded, “I had to keep focus on the fight and not what the judges had to say. Some of Khan’s shots had a sting on them and I could feel them. He certainly deserves a rematch.”
Referee Joseph Cooper warned Khan not to push Peterson or hold his head down throughout the fight, before taking a point away from him early in the bout. And then it happened in the seventh round, and again another point was taken.
Many observers questioned whether that was really necessary. At the end of the bout Khan responded by saying, “I was fighting two people in the ring tonight, Peterson and the referee. If he wants to give me a rematch then why doesn’t he come to the U.K? And if not there, let’s do it in Vegas.”
There is no reason why there should not be a rematch. The fighters deserve it and the public would be excited to see it. If both sides can come together and work out all the issues, terms, and conditions this would be great for the sport. These are two of boxings best and they really put on very competitive display of hand-to-hand combat that left fight fans wanting for more.
In other boxing news, there is a huge event set for this weekend in Atlantic City N.J. It’s the finals of the Super Six Super middleweight championship between Andre Ward and Carl Froch.
This bout was originally set for this past October but had to be rescheduled due an injury suffered by Ward. Look forward to an exciting match between these guys, for this is to determine who will be the champion of this tournament. Lucian Bute is waiting to see who will emerge as the winner, who may be his next opponent.
Bute did not participate in the Super Six Tournament, but there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is a worthy opponent. He is the IBF super middleweight champion with a professional ring record of 30-0 with 24 knockouts. He originally comes from Romania, but currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is currently ranked number eight on the pound per pound list in the world.
The Ward/Froch bout will be telecast live on Showtime pay per view.
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