MIR “KING” KHAN TRAVELS TO WASHINGTON DC TO FACE LOCAL FAVORITE LAMONT “HAVOC” PETERSON ON DECEMBER 10 UNIFIED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE BOUT TO BE TELEVISED ON HBO’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING IN THE UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON DC, October 6 – With two wins over Paul McCloskey and Zab Judah already in the books this year, Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Amir “King” Khan will look to end 2011 with a bang on Saturday, December 10, when he travels to Washington, DC for “Capital Showdown,” a 12-round unified championship fight against mandatory IBF challenger and hometown hero Lamont “Havoc” Peterson at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which will be televised on HBO’s World Championship Boxing in the United States. In a featured undercard attraction, undefeated heavyweight contender Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell of Brandywine, Maryland will return to the DC-area for the first time since April of 2010 to face an opponent to be determined.
“I’m looking forward to returning to the United States to face a worthy challenger like Lamont Peterson,” said Khan. “I always said that I wanted to be active and a true World Champion and I will prove it again on December 10. I know Lamont is a strong contender but it doesn’t matter that I’m fighting him in his backyard, I’m coming in as the champion and will leave as the champion.”
“I’m very happy for my chance to fight for a world title again,” said Peterson. “I’m sure Khan will train hard to defend his titles, so I will train harder to take his titles. Winning a world title in my home town is a dream come true.”
“We are excited to bring this big night of boxing to our nation’s capital and to feature a young, powerful and hungry world champion like Amir Khan against a top-flight contender such as Lamont Peterson who will have his hometown fans cheering him on towards reaching his championship dreams,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “This is going to be a great fight and a fantastic way to end the 2011 championship boxing season.”
“Amir has always been adamant that he wants to face the very best in his division and in Lamont Peterson, he is doing just that by taking on an extremely dangerous opponent in his own backyard,” said Asif Vali of Khan Promotions. “I have no doubt Amir will be more than ready for this challenge and will put on yet another glittering display for all of his fans.”
“Amir Khan is one of the most spectacular fighters in the world and we’re thrilled to see him return on World Championship Boxing,” said Kery Davis, HBO Sports Senior Vice President of Programming. “This showdown with Lamont Peterson in the nation’s capital will be an exciting night on the network. It’s a thrill for HBO to be back in Washington for the first time since 1993.”
“Capital Showdown: Khan vs. Peterson,” a 12-round Unified Super Lightweight World Title Fight for Khan’s WBA World Super Championship and IBF World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Khan Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T and DeWalt Tools. The HBO World Championship Boxing telecast begins at 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT.
One of boxing’s best, Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Amir “King” Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s) has gone from amateur sensation to approaching the top of boxing’s pound for pound list in the span of just seven years. A Silver Medalist for England at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the pride of Bolton’s began his professional journey in 2005 as one of the most visible athletes in the United Kingdom. He handled the attention and pressure with grace, winning all but one of his first 20 bouts. In March of 2009, he made his first inroads on the international scene with a five round win over Mexico’s future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera and in his next fight just four months later, he became a world champion with a decision victory over Andriy Kotelnik that earned him the WBA Super Lightweight World Title. After stoppages of Dmitriy Salita and former World Champion Paulie Malignaggi, Khan engaged in the 2010 Fight of the Year, when he decisioned Marcos Maidana on December 11. The 24-year-old champion has been just as impressive so far in 2011, defending his title in April with a win over previously unbeaten Paul McCloskey in front of a packed house at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, and then added the IBF crown to his trophy case with a fifth round knockout over former World Champion Zab Judah. Khan knows the only way to stay at the top is to keep facing the top talent out there, and that is exactly what he will get in number one rated contender Peterson on December 10.
Lamont “Havoc” Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KO’s) is a supremely skilled boxer with the fighting heart that allowed him to not only win 29 of 31 professional bouts, but also survive a harrowing childhood that left him and his brother Anthony homeless on the streets of Washington, DC. By the age of 10, the Petersons found refuge in a local boxing gym and Lamont quickly showed the talent that has led him to this championship bout. A 2001 National Golden Gloves champion and a National Amateur Champion in 2003, Peterson turned professional in 2004 and impressively won his first 27 bouts. In April of 2009, he won the WBO Interim Junior Welterweight World Title with a technical knockout over Willy Blain, but eight months later he would lose his only fight when he was decisioned by undefeated Timothy Bradley. In December of 2010, Peterson battled future Welterweight World Champion Victor Ortiz to a 10 round draw, and on July 29 of this year, the 27-year-old earned a shot at Khan with a 12th round knockout over Victor Manuel Cayo in an IBF elimination bout. He is ready for the challenge Khan will bring, but is confident his hometown crowd will give him the extra push to take Khan’s crown.
Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KO’s) is the jolt of energy and excitement that the division has been looking for. Since his last bout in the area in April of 2010 (a third round technical knockout over Ryan Thompson), the 29-year-old former Michigan State college football standout has gone from rising star to top contender, winning seven bouts in a row, all by knockout. In 2011 alone, Charles Davis (second round technical knockout), Evans Quinn (first round knockout) and Hector Ferreyro (third round technical knockout) have all tasted defeat at Mitchell’s hands and he expects to make another statement on December 10 in front of his hometown fans in Washington DC.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
