By Sean McDaniel: In order to follow the instructions from his trainer Freddie Roach to beat IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1, 15 KO’s) in their rematch on May 19th, Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) will have to be in the best shape of his life.

Roach wants Khan to fight in the center of the ring for as long as it lasts, and not to stay on the ropes, where Khan spent a considerable amount of time last December in his 12 round decision loss to Peterson.

Staying in the center of the ring means Khan will have to be in shape. Being in the center of the ring doesn’t actually mean being in the center of the ring. It means being off of the ropes and running. Khan can fight in the center of the ring, but that’s not his style for prolonged fighting. Khan is more of a circular fighter who moves in wide circles all night long. Khan attacks his opponents early in the fight or if he’s facing someone that is far out of his league in terms of skills. He does good in those situations, but he doesn’t fight well when he’s pressured.

Khan looks bad and starts to come apart bit by bit. We saw Marcos Maidana stagger Khan and batter him from the 10th round until the 12th. Khan had a big advantage in that fight in that the referee let him shove Maidana when he would come close. The referee also was helpful to Khan by breaking up the action in rounds 10 through 12 when Maidana was trying to finish Khan off to get a stoppage.

Khan has to pick his spots if he’s going to stand his ground in the center of the ring because he’ll get nailed and taken out if he stays in one place for too long. Peterson is the more sturdy fighter and he’ll likely KO Khan if he tries to battle him the way he wants to fight. As such, Khan has to be in really good shape for him to be able to run for the full 12.