All the right words are being said by both men in the build-up to Amir Khan’s WBA/IBF lightweight title defense against Lamont Peterson on Saturday night at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C, with both fighters sounding very confident about getting the victory.

Khan (26-1, 18KO’s), will be taking part in his seventh World title fight and has yet to lose one, but is not looking past Peterson (29-1-1, 15KO’s) and insists it will be a tougher fight than his last one, a fifth-round KO of Zab Judah.

“I definitely think this will be a tougher fight than Judah was,” Khan said. “He’s (Peterson) one of the most dangerous opponents in the division.”

Peterson may have won only two of his last four fights but is a serious contender, and those losses were against elite level fighters, but it does show that he maybe comes up short more often than not when put in with the highest level fighters.

Khan though is not intending to look past Peterson to potential fights with Timothy Bradley or Floyd Mayweather, and is fully focused on the job ahead.

“At the end of the day you have to remember that while Peterson might not be one of the biggest names, he’s one of the most dangerous opponents in the division,” Khan said.

“He’s been in the top 10 for a long, long time. He’s had some big fights and has only lost once.

“He’s the number one contender for my IBF title. It just shows that he’s a tough character, and he’ll be up for this fight because it’s a massive opportunity for him.”

Khan, 24, also seems perfectly comfortable about fighting in Peterson’s hometown, and is convinced he has the situation under control.

“Me and my trainer Freddie Roach know what to do,” he said.

“We’re fighting in his home city which will give him more motivation and more confidence against me, and we know he’s tough so we can’t take this easy.

“I take every fight seriously and that includes this one.”

For his part Peterson, 27, is ready. Having drawn with dangerous Californian brawler Victor Ortiz two fights ago, he won the right to challenge for the IBF portion of Khan’s crown with a twelfth-round KO of Victor Manuel Cayo in an eliminator in July and insists he is finally ready to take home a  World title.

“I’ve been getting more comfortable at that elite level by just fighting in these big fights, in world level fights and by just being more confident about doing what I know I can do,” he said.

“The experience of going into big fights, with people who have already been fighting in big fights, my mind is racing.”

“I want to be perfect. I want to do everything right and I seem to overdo a lot of things instead of just being me. At this point, though, I feel comfortable enough to be me. I think that’ll be a big difference in the fight and I think it’ll be the key to victory.”

Khan’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya is in no doubt about Khan’s ability and predicts big things for the Bolton fighter.

“We know Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are on top at the moment, but Amir is right on their backs. With time, he can catch them. He’s a young fighter and he’s learning at a rapid pace.”

“In every single fight, we have seen him get better. He can become the best.”

“Peterson is very dangerous and fighting in his home town will be an extra motivation for him,” added De La Hoya.

“Amir’s the best out there at 140 pounds. He fought and beat Maidana who everybody thought would knock Amir out, but Amir showed he is the best in the division. He has a tremendous chin and heart to prove he is the best at 140.”

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