By William Mackay: IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) is ready for any trick that Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) has for him next month on May 19th. Peterson is ready, and prepared to adapt with a different strategy depending on what game plan Khan brings to the ring on 5/19 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Peterson told RingTV “I just think I’ll control the fight. He [Khan] can come up with any game plan that he wants, but I’m the better fighter and I’ll make adjustments. I’ll control the fight.”

Peterson’s ability to make adjustments was the key for him last December when he defeated a panicky Khan by a 12 round decision. Peterson struggled early on in the first two rounds with Khan’s speed.

However, once Peterson adapted by taking the fight to Khan, the fight changed in the 4th round, as Peterson began to really pound Khan during their exchanges. The only adjustments that Khan made in the fight was to start running from the 4th round on, and shoving Peterson and pulling down on his head often when he would come inside looking to punch. Khan eventually lost two points for the shoving because it become clear that this was becoming his main defensive strategy rather than looking to block punches or use head movement to get out of the way of the shots like fighters usually do.

In the rematch, Khan will likely stay off the ropes because he took a lot of punishment in the first fight each time he’d go to the ropes. His trainer Freddie Roach wants Khan to stay in the center of the ring and look to throw uppercuts. It sounds like a risky proposition for Khan, because it’ll mean he’ll likely get hit a lot more than he did last time.

Roach is good with coming up with plans, but he’s not the one that will be taking the shots on May 19th. I doubt that Khan will have the chin to take Peterson’s best punches if he stays off the ropes and tries to slug with him.