Khan to Defend Titles in DC
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October 5, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Amir Khan has announced he will defend his WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles together against American Lamont Peterson in December.
The 24-year-old British champion fighter has confirmed the fight to be held in Washington DC on December 10.
Peterson, 27, is the mandatory IBF challenger having won 29 of his 31 professional bouts. His only defeat came against Timothy Bradley in California two years ago.
Khan’s last title defence was his victory over Zab Judah in Las Vegas in July and it will be his last fight at 140lbs after he announced his intentions to step up to the welterweight class and fight the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, the five-division world champion who knocked out Ricky Hatton in Vegas back in 2007.
“There is a bit of pressure on both of us really because, first of all he wants to look good in front of his own crowd, and me, away from home, defending my world titles, I know how hard a fighter trains when he’s a challenger,” Khan said of the upcoming Peterson fight. “I used to work so hard, I was so hungry to win the world title. When [you] do win it it’s a lot harder to keep hold of.
“I have to beat him [Peterson] to get to where I want to be. He is very tricky, he is a box fighter. We just have to be one step ahead of him.”
Washington fighter Peterson believes his upbringing in his hometown will stand him in good stead for the fight.
“My upbringing taught me to be a certain way,” said the man who tied on points with Victor Ortiz in the only other bout he hasn’t won. “A lot of times I might go down early in a fight, might get dropped, things might not be going my way. But you never see me give up…I try to win every second of the round.”
By Leigh Gruffydd Sanders
[Image courtesy of SportsAngle.com]
