It already looks a near certainty that Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson will fight a rematch following their controversial fight last night in Washington, D.C. A Khan camp member said they wanted the fight to take place in Las Vegas on March 31.

Khan, who lost his WBA & IBF junior-welterweight titles to Peterson after being deducted two points controversially, was far from happy with both the performance of referee Joseph Cooper and the scoring judges, questioning the fairness of those involved at the post-fight press conference, and promoters Golden Boy have released a statement demanding answers.

The statement said: “Following the decision in the fight, Team Khan and Golden Boy Promotions intends to make inquiries with the District of Columbia Boxing and Wrestling Commission, the IBF and the WBA regarding the performance of referee Joseph Cooper and will also be seeking clarification regarding certain ambiguities with respect to the scores of the fight.

“We look forward to an immediate rematch with Lamont as confirmed by Lamont and his manager/trainer Barry Hunter.”

The point deductions did seem harsh, simply because both men were bending the rules all night and Khan seemed to bear the brunt of referee Cooper’s mirth, but the two point deductions were for pushing, which is not allowed and must be punished. Khan had plenty of verbal warnings before the points were deducted so really only has himself to blame.

Peterson, who did absolutely nothing wrong in all this and has every right to feel aggrieved, will probably have to back up his words and take the rematch. Against Khan in Vegas there’s a very good chance he will be on the wrong end of the judges scores as Golden Boy have so much influence on the West Coast, so it may or may not be a wise move, but he has already said he will take the fight on national TV.

“He gave me a shot at his titles in the first place so I will give him a rematch, no problem,” he told HBO’s Larry Merchant immediately after the fight.

Khan may have been looking past Peterson to fights with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Timothy Bradley, even going as far as to say he would retire in three years time, at just 28, but this will be a real wake-up call for the Bolton fighter, if he doesn’t bury his head in the sand and put all the blame on the officials that is.

Related posts:

1. IBF reject Khan appeal but Peterson rematch still likely
2. Peterson new champ as Khan claims unfair treatment
3. Khan and Peterson both confident ahead of Saturday’s title fight
4. Khan hits Washington to announce bout with Peterson