Peterson new champ as Khan claims unfair treatment

Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15KO’s) is the new WBA/IBF light-welterweight champion after defeating former holder Amir Khan on a split decision over twelve frantic rounds at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The talking point will undoubtably be the two points that referee Joseph Cooper deducted from Khan for pushing but Peterson still fought the fight of his life and deserves credit.

After the fight Khan was furious with the treatment he received from the referee, saying he was fighting two men but in truth it was Peterson who deserved to win. Showing superhuman strength and determination, Peterson got right in Khan’s face and didn’t give him a second to think, winging in hooks and uppercuts that caught Khan flush all night long.

It looked as if Peterson was going to get blown away in the first round when Khan caught him several times before putting him on the deck with a right hand, but the knockdown wasn’t a clean one and Peterson managed to get his senses together.

Summoning up all the hunger and toughness he had acquired through years of living on the streets as a youngster, Peterson stalked Khan persistently, at times even running around the ring after the English champion, and turned the fight into an ugly brawl.

Although Khan had the faster hands he simply couldn’t keep Peterson at bay. Needing to put distance between himself and Peterson to be effective, Khan was just not strong enough to resist Peterson’s onslaughts and found himself running away rather than boxing and moving, which will have impressed nobody.

Peterson, his right eye swollen closed, even finished the fight the better man, and down the home stretch looked like the winner. A second point taken from Khan in the twelfth for pushing kickstarted him into action and had Peterson in trouble in the dying seconds, but it was too late and time ran out.

From the fighters body language you’d have thought Khan was the clear winner, as he smiled and laughed with his corner as Peterson hung his head glumly awaiting the decision, but due to the point deductions, two judges had him winning the fight by scores of 113-112, while the third judge scored it 115-110 for Khan, and as a result he was declared the new champion in front of a delighted 9000 strong hometown crowd.

“It was a long road, and all of the hard work paid off,” said Peterson afterwards. “It couldn’t come any other way. A tough fight, knocked down early again, and I just had to grind it out the whole fight to come back and win. It couldn’t have been a better night.”

Peterson also agreed to the idea of a rematch with Khan, saying he would accommodate him any time. Khan, who fell to 26-2, 18KO’s, was furious at the way he perceived to have been treated and said it was the only fair thing that could happen.

Without the point deductions it’s true he would have won the fight, and it did seem as if he was on the wrong side of the referee’s calls a lot of the time, but Peterson deserves a huge amount of credit for fighting the fight of his career and being strong-minded enough to finally pick up a World title that he has worked so hard for during his life.

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