By Hassan K: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan is rumored to be looking to fight Lamont Peterson in April and if the fight goes ahead it will probably happen at the MEN arena in Manchester, England. Should Khan take this fight or will he be better off fighting someone else?

Currently it a well known fact that Khans two goals are: Build a name for himself in America and prove that he is the number 1 light Welterweight fighter in the world. Khan plans to do this in his next two fights, the second fight being a big unification showdown with the winner of the Alexander Vs Bradley bout (In which I believe Bradley will win.) In the 1st of these two fights Khan is looking for a stay busy fight, in which he wishes to outclass a respected opponent to increase his value and build an even bigger name for himself. It looks like Peterson will most likely be this opponent. Peterson is currently ranked #8 in the division, however I believe Khan should fight Ortiz next even though he is ranked #9 in the division as it will prove a lot more to the fans about Khans skills. (Ring Magazine rankings)

Recently Ortiz and Peterson fought and it ended in a draw. I thought Ortiz looked the better fighter and won the fight. Analyzing the fight we can see that Peterson is a quick handed counter puncher who lacks power. This is ideal for Khan as he has the quickest hands in the division and so will neutralize Peterson’s speed which leaves Peterson with nothing else in the bag. Khan will slowly break Peterson down with his speed and movement and would then likely stop him in the later rounds. In front of a home crowd Khan has literally no chance of losing and due to this reason I believe the only thing that Khan has to gain from this fight is a nice cheque. Peterson is relatively unknown compared to Ortiz by common fight fans in the UK and so he wont earn much respect from taking this fight.

Ortiz on the other hand has quick hands, good power and can throw decent combinations. He has proven himself to be a warrior in the Maidana fight and has got a decent following & therefore will be a better draw than Peterson in the UK. This fight is a lot more dangerous for Khan however with Khans hand speed, movement and greater reach it wont be too dangerous a low and it will have much greater rewards. Ortiz has the power to knock Khan out at any time during the fight and so the bout will remain interesting right till the end. I personally believe that Khan will beat Ortiz via unanimous decision and would earn much more respect fighting him. It will also be better preparation for him for his unification bout.

Khan Vs Ortiz fight will bring in more money then Peterson, will gain Khan more respect and will also be a better learning curve for the young, talented fighter. However, Khan is most likely to fight Peterson as its an easier fight with less risks. Khan cant be labeled as a “ducker” or someone who always hand picks there opponents as after his next fight he wants to fight either Bradley or Alexander which is a high risk fight for him fight which everyone wants to see him in! Don’t be surprised if the winner of Bradley/Alexander ducks Khan.

Amir Khan to unify the Light Welterweight Division in 2011.

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