By John F. McKenna (McJack): WBA/IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s) should not have a major problem defeating mandatory IBF challenger Lamont Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KO’s) when they clash on December 10 in Washington.

In his last bout in July “King” Khan KO’d the overmatched Zab Judah in the 5th round. Judah was filling in for Timothy Bradley who had pulled out of the fight. Prior to the Judah match-up Khan defeated Argentinean power puncher Marcos Maidana in December 2010. Khan proved in the Maidana fight that he has heart and that he could take a punch.

Khan suffered his first defeat in September 2008. Breidis Prescott KO’d the 21 year old Khan in the first round of that fight leading some to speculate that he had a “glass chin”.
After the loss to Prescott, Khan brought on trainer Freddie Roach to help fix some flaws in his defense. Since that time Amir has won eight fights in a row and added the WBA and IBF light welterweight titles to his resume.

Amir went a long way in putting those claims to rest when he defeated the power punching Argentinean Marcos Maidana in December 2010. Amir went on the offensive in that fight and knocked Marcos down in the first round with a series of quick, razor sharp body shots. Later on Khan survived a scare in the 10th round when he was wobbled by Maidana. The Khan – Maidana fight was awarded the Boxing Writers Association of America fight of the year.

Since the Maidana fight Khan has grown both in size and in ability as a fighter. A couple of months ago trainer Roach laid out a timetable in which he predicted that Amir would be the best Pound for Pound fighter in the world within two years. Taking into account that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be 35 years old in February 2012 and Manny Pacquiao will be 33 in December, Roach’s timetable for Khan may not be too far off the mark.

Khan’s match with Peterson will more than likely be his last match before moving up to the welterweight division where he is eagerly anticipating a 2012 match with Floyd Mayweather. In his latest outing in July Peterson knocked out Victor Cayo in the 12th round. Khan has given his assurance that he will not be so driven in his quest to fight Mayweather that he will take Lamont lightly.