Khan: Peterson can’t fight better than he did last time, but I can

By Boxing News - 03/10/2012 - Comments

Image: Khan: Peterson can't fight better than he did last time, but I canBy William Mackay: Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) gets his chance to try and regain his lost IBF and WBA light welterweight titles against champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) on May 19th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Khan, 25, thinks he can fight better than he did last December in his loss to Peterson in Washington, DC. Khan doesn’t think Peterson can improve his game, though, and he sees having the fight in a neutral venue with neutral judges and referee as being the tipping point for him in getting a victory.

Khan said to thesun.co.uk “Peterson can’t fight better than he did. I can and that is all that matters.”

Khan is still under the impression that he lost the fight to Peterson due to the referee and judges for the fight, saying “The reality is is that it was the judging and the referee who hurt me on the night…he [Peterson] will have to pay for it.”

That sounds like Khan isn’t able to take responsibility for what he couldn’t do in the ring on that night against Peterson. Instead of acknowledging that he didn’t have clue one how to high a pressure fighter on the inside without illegally shoving, pulling down on his head and putting him in headlocks, Khan blames the referee and judges. That’s really sad. If you don’t know how to fight on the inside, you’re supposed to get a trainer that can teach you those tools. If Khan’s current trainer Freddie Roach can’t teach him what he needs to learn how to fight on the inside well enough to compete, then Khan should have either dumped Roach or added a second trainer to the team that does know how to teach inside fighting. But for Khan to blame the referee for him warning Khan about his excessive shoving and pulling down on Peterson’s head, that just seems like a fighter that is failing to acknowledge and area in his game that needs work. Why is Khan so resistant to looking at his game and seeing where needs improvement? Shoving the way Khan was shoving, isn’t legal and he should have listened to the referee when he repeatedly warned him to stop. Khan didn’t stop and eventually lost a point for the shoving. Khan still didn’t stop shoving even after that and ended up losing a second point. Who’s fault is that? The referees? I think not.



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