The Capital Showdown: A brief review – Peterson beats Khan, More!

By Boxing News - 12/13/2011 - Comments

Image: The Capital Showdown: A brief review - Peterson beats Khan, More!By Paul Jones: On Saturday, DC hosted the Capital Showdown headlined by WBA and IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) and hometown favorite Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs). In front of more than 8,600 fans at the Washington Convention Center, it was the body attack and effective aggression of Peterson that narrowly outpointed the power and movement of Khan.

In the opening round, “King” Khan stunned Peterson with two knockdowns—the first ruled a slip by referee Joe Cooper, while the second, though questionable, was officially scored. It was the latter knockdown, however, that left many in the partisan crowd visibly concerned.

Peterson quickly recovered, relying on intelligent pressure and accurate body punching to keep Khan on the move in the early rounds. Khan reestablished himself in the middle rounds with crisp power- and counter-punching, but suffered a costly point deduction in the seventh round.

The sustained action displayed in championship rounds—that featured both Khan and Peterson having their moments—was the kind of boxing that separates an average fight from a modern classic. However, it was a critical point deduction in the final round (for pushing) that ultimately cost Khan the fight.

After a noticeable delay in announcing the scorecards, Peterson was awarded a split decision victory over Khan (113-112 Peterson [twice]; 115-110 Khan). The win establishes Peterson among the vanguard in the junior welterweight division.

Also in action was American heavyweight hopeful Seth Mitchell (24-0-1, 18 KOs) who easily dispatched of Timur Ibragimov (30-4-1, 16 KOs) by TKO. Mitchell turned in a dominant performance over an aging veteran who has now lost two of his last three fights. In short, it appeared as if “Mayhem” Mitchell could not miss with his concussive punches that were audible even to those in the cheap seats.

Post-fight

Despite a litany of viable opponents for either fighter at junior welterweight, it appears that a Peterson-Khan rematch is imminent. Oscar De La Hoya, the founder of Golden Boy Promotions, emphatically stated, “Golden Boy, Amir Khan, and Peterson want the rematch. There will be a rematch.”

Khan echoed De La Hoya’s sentiment. “A rematch is something that I’m looking at and I want it straight away.” Khan said. “I want it next fight [and] I want my two titles back.”

Peterson also appeared open to a rematch. “If it’s left up to me…I’d fight him tomorrow.” Peterson said. He later indicated that he’d be willing to go the U.K. for a rematch, but qualified his statement by saying, “The deal [would] have to be right. Everything [would] have to be right. And…I’d have no problem with it.”

Based on comments from Khan and De La Hoya, it appears that a rematch would either take place at a neutral site (e.g., Las Vegas) or on Khan’s home turf. If it’s the latter, Peterson can expect to see Khan’s supporters en masse for the event.

Seth Mitchell also spoke at the presser and proclaimed that after three to four more fights, he’d be ready to challenge either Wladimir (56-3, 49 KOs) or Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KOs) for the heavyweight titles in early 2013.

Other news & notes

Other notable winners on the card included Anthony Peterson (31-1, 20 KOs and brother of Lamont) who won by unanimous decision over Daniel Attah (26-8-1, 18 KOs) and Fernando Guerrero (22-1, 17 KOs) who beat Robert Kliewer (11-14-2, 5 KOs) by TKO. Finally, 17 year-old prospect, Dusty Harrison (3-0, 1 KO) remained undefeated stopping Terrell Davis (0-5, 0 KOs) in a single round. Though in against limited opposition, Harrison dropped Davis several times en route to an easy TKO victory. Given his amateur pedigree, pacing, and megawatt smile, Harrison appears to be taking the steps necessary for building a productive pro career.

Note. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect those of Boxingnews24.com or its affiliates.



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