Lamont Peterson vs. Amir Khan

Stats
Lamont Peterson
Age: 27
Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee
Nickname: "Havoc"
Height: 5'9"
Reach: 74"
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 29-1-1 (15 knockouts)
Ranking: No. 6 junior welterweight
Titles Held: None


Amir Khan
Age: 25
Hometown: Bolton, England
Nickname: "King Khan"
Height: 5'10"
Reach: 71"
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 26-1 (18 knockouts)
Ranking: No. 1 junior welterweight
Titles Held: WBA Junior Welterweight (2009-current); IBF Junior Welterweight (2011-current)
*Rankings from The Ring Magazine

Champion Amir Khan (right) poses with challenger Lamont
Peterson (left) before their Dec. 10 fight.

Aside from final exams, this weekend also signals the return of Amir Khan, as he hopes to further silence his critics by overcoming his toughest test in Lamont Peterson. It's no secret that out of the two fighters Khan is the more recognizable, but Peterson is hoping to use that as a platform to infamy should he defeat the young Brit. Although this isn't the "super-fight" of the division everyone hoped for between Khan and Timothy Bradley (28-0), this is still a solid match-up between two ranked fighters who are on their way to the "big fights" should they defeat their opponent this weekend. As far as drama goes this fight seems to have it all. Khan continually talks about his inevitable move up in weight, as well as trying to entice a fight with boxing's bad boy, Floyd Mayweather (42-0). At this point, it seems Khan is worried more about his potential match-ups instead of the current task at hand. If he is smart, he will not overlook Peterson come December 10. Although Peterson hasn't gotten as much of a promotional push as Khan, there is no denying that he has the potential to make this an extremely hard fight for the Englishman. What Peterson lacks in power, he makes up for in rugged determination and pure heart as he always looks to overwhelm opponents with his seemingly relentless pace. This fight can go so many ways, but one thing is certain, both fighters will come into this fight hungry and determined as they try to silence their opponent as well as their critics.

Amir Khan (left) batters an aging Zab Judah (right)
en-route to earning a stoppage victory.

Olympic gold-medalist, Amir Khan has already had an interesting, albeit young professional boxing career. Upon entering professional boxing, Khan was touted as England's next great boxer, but these hopes were quickly dashed after Khan was stopped by Breidis Prescott (24-4) a minute into their lightweight clash. Since then, Khan has gone undefeated as well as moved up in weight. Unfortunately, it will take far more than an undefeated streak to erase the memory of his fight with Prescott. This is the reason why Khan goes into every fight with a massive ship on his shoulder, hoping to finish his opponents in such a manner that people will have no choice but to praise his performance. In his last two outings, Khan has looked nothing short of dominant as he stopped both Paul McCloskey (23-1) and Zab Judah (41-7) within 6 rounds. Going into this fight with Peterson, Khan must carry the same level of confidence as he did when he fought Judah and McCloskey. Should Khan successfully do this, he will be able to withstand Peterson's heavy pressure style of boxing. Once he finds himself mentally sound as the fight begins, Khan will have to resort to superior technique and his speed advantage to outbox and perhaps stop the tough Peterson. To win the fight Khan must box smart bell-to-bell, and not get into any unnecessary exchanges as he did against Marcos Maidana (31-2). Should he stick to his game plan and rely on his superior technique and speed, Khan will earn a dominant decision win over the tough Washington boxer.

Lamont Peterson (left) overcomes adversity to earn
a hard-fought "Draw" against Victor Ortiz (right)

When a person hears the name Lamont Peterson, they seem to either have a confused look or they think of his younger brother and lightweight standout, Anthony Peterson (30-1) . Once one goes back to this competitive fights against Timothy Bradley (28-0) and Victor Ortiz (29-3), they immediately remember Lamont as the fighter who makes it impossible to ever look good against. Regardless of his seemingly constant underdog status in his fights, one has to respect his sheer determination as well as his fearlessness in how he is always willing to challenge the best fighters in his division. Even if Lamont is lacking in power and overall technique, he more than makes up for it in his toughness and never quit attitude. A perfect example of this came against Victor Ortiz (29-3). Ortiz floored Peterson early, in a fight that was then looking as if it was going to be a slaughter. Instead of sitting out the count, Peterson rallied back from adversity in which he was able to escape the fight with a draw against "Vicious" Victor. Coming into his fight with Khan, it is no surprise that Lamont finds himself as the underdog yet again. Regardless of what the betting lines say however, this fight has potential to be much more competitive than they suggest. With his superior reach, Peterson can frustrate Khan by establishing his range as well as by constantly coming forward. Should Peterson stalk Khan throughout the fight, there is no doubt that he will frustrate the young fighter, even stealing some rounds. If Peterson listens to his corner and defend effectively, he will come away with a split decision victory over the champion, as well as finally reach the level of recognition he so desires.

Prediction
As the first bell rings signaling the start of the fight expect both fighters to come out tentative. The first minute will see both fighters trying to get a feel for each other, while also prevent the other from setting the pace. As the round continues, Khan will begin throwing combos as well as mixing in body shots. Peterson will try to steal the round back by landing a few ineffective jabs, but the bell will sound before he can do much more. As the fight continues to rounds 2 and 3, Peterson will try to smother Khan as the Englishman tries to circle away and set up his punches. As Peterson comes forward, Khan will counter punch the Washington native as he lunges in with his punches. Peterson will begin to get frustrated, but sticks to his normal game plan of applying pressure, while having an answer for every one of Khan's shots. Towards rounds 5 through 7, Khan will have a comfortable lead as he weaves in and out of the pocket effectively landing body shots on Peterson. Before the end of the seventh, Khan will dig a left hook into the side of Peterson, forcing him to take a knee. Peterson immediately answers the refs call, and then goes to his corner for the next round. By rounds 8 through 11, Peterson will know that he is losing the fight on points and is looking to stop Khan. He will come in lunging with every shot, which allows Khan to effectively counter-punch the tough boxer. This will cause fits with Peterson and his corner, and by the twelfth he knows that he must score a knockout. As both fighters answer the final bell Khan is on cruise control, while Peterson is doing everything he can to knock the Brit out.   As Peterson comes charging forward, Khan will continue circling his opponent while landing a few combinations. The cycle continues as the final bell rings, and the two await the results. After a hard-fought twelve rounds, Amir Khan will win the fight by a wide margin on points. Expect Khan to announce his official move to welterweight, as well as his intentions to try and entice a fight between himself and Floyd Mayweather.

Khan (left) and Peterson (right) weigh in before their
Dec. 10 title clash.

Pick: Amir Khan def. Lamont Peterson via Unanimous Decision (UD)