By Sean McDaniel: IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is in a high pressure situation in his next fight against Lamont Peterson on December 10th. Khan has to absolutely win that fight for him to stay on the path for a big money world title fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who Khan hopes he can fight next year at some point.
Khan said to AFP, “If I get beat [by Peterson] that will be over and I wait it to last a long time. I can’t afford to lose. I made that mistake before and I learned form it. I have to win this fight and I have to take him out.”
Khan really doesn’t need a knockout win over Peterson to get a Mayweather fight next year. All Khan has to do is get the ‘W’, and it doesn’t matter if he barely wins. Khan’s record and his ability to talk himself up will get him the Mayweather fight. But Khan probably would be better off trying to take Peterson out, because if he leaves him in there for 12 rounds, Peterson can hit hard enough to knock Khan out. He’s faster and arguably a lot more talented than Paul McCloskey, a recent Khan victim. And he won’t just come and do nothing the way that IBF light welterweight champion Zab Judah did in his 5th round TKO loss to Khan. Peterson isn’t old and shot, and he’s going to be bringing it.
Khan isn’t ready Mayweather fight now, he acknowledges. “It’s a bit too soon for Mayweather. Next year I’m looking at Mayweather. These fights are taking me to that level. If I beat Lamont, it will take me closer to being ready for that fight.”
I doubt that beating Peterson will bring Khan any closer to beating Mayweather. I don’t see it as an experience thing. To beat Mayweather you have to be blessed with the talent, and Khan just doesn’t look like he’s got the chin or the skills for the job. Khan could beat Peterson, Marcos Maidana (with a different referee than the one that worked the Khan-Maidana fight), Timothy Bradley and Breidis Prescott, and Khan still likely wouldn’t be ready. Mayweather is on a higher level.
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