Opening Bell: Lamont Peterson Vindicated After False Reports

Photo by Anna John for StiffJab.com 

by Gautham Nagesh 

Last week the Internet lit up with rumors of another failed drug test by Washington, D.C. junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson (above).

The smoke turned into fire when Ring Magazine reported Peterson had tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a banned substance used to accelerate weight loss, after his recent win over Kendall Holt. Peterson, who previously admitted to receiving a therapeutic testosterone injection before his win over Amir Khan, was immediately castigated on the Internet as a serial cheat, even though the D.C. Boxing Commission indicated his tests had come back negative.

Eventually the truth came out: it was Holt that had tested positive for HCG returned an atypical test result, not Peterson. The Ring retracted its original report and issued an apology, blogs changed their headlines, and it became Holt’s turn to issue denials via social media. But the damage was already done. Hundreds of commenters had already weighed in, denouncing Peterson and staining his name. Rather than distancing himself from the PED scandal that shelved him for over a year, Peterson was pressed to refute baseless allegations when he should have been preparing for the biggest fight of his career.

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Opening Bell: Lamont Peterson-Lucas Matthysse & More

Photo by Anna John for StiffJab.com

by Gautham Nagesh

This column is where I’m supposed to update you on fight announcements and all the other business of boxing stuff that makes this a professional site. Unfortunately I’ve been slacking, but we’re going to try and make up for that with one marathon inbox dump, which should have you all caught up on the latest happenings in our coverage area. Without further ado:

Lamont Peterson vs. Lucas Matthysse In A.C. May 18 Looks Likely: The chips are starting to fall into place in the junior welterweight division, setting the stage for one of Golden Boy’s four 140-pounder to come out as the undisputed king of the division. First up is a showdown between Lamont Peterson (above)and Lucas Matthysse, which looks likely to take place in Atlantic City on May18th as part of a co-feature on Showtime with Devon Alexander vs. Kell Brook. That fight has already been delayed once, and could produce a future opponent for recent Showtime signing Floyd Mayweather. 

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Lamont Peterson Turns It Around Against Kendall Holt in D.C.

Photo by Anna John for StiffJab.com

by Trey Pollard

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Sure, this fight officially ended in the 8th round, when referee Tony Weeks waved Kendall Holt’s hopes off after a possessed Lamont Peterson rattled his opponent’s head for the sixth or seventh time of the evening.

But the fight effectively over as soon as Peterson landed his first solid punch of the night: a hard left hand up high, landing mid-way through the fourth round - the first glimmer of hope of the night for Peterson. Before it hit, Peterson’s hometown crowd at the D.C. Armory barked nervously, shuffling in their seats, too anxious to even cat-call the absurdly dressed ring card girls.

Once Peterson landed that punch, the tide shifted. It was enough to break through the nervous energy, enough to shake off 14 months of ring rust, enough to stop Kendall Holt from looking like a contender, and evidently enough to give Peterson his confidence back after the failed drug test that sent his career spiraling.

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Preview: Lamont Peterson vs Kendall Holt At D.C. Armory

Photos by Anna John for StiffJab.com

by Gautham Nagesh 

It has been a long time since we’ve seen that smile from D.C. junior welterweight Lamont Peterson (right).Since his last fight, a career-defining win over Amir Khan in December 2011, Peterson has been forced to defend himself against allegations of PED use. He has spent over a year of his prime on the shelf, and has watched his name disappear from the rankings due to inactivity.

On Friday night, Peterson will return to the ring looking to re-establish himself as one of the top fighters in the world at 140 lbs. Peterson hopes to duplicate his previous appearance on ESPN, where he dominated lesser opposition to earn the Khan fight. A win over Kendall Holt at D.C. Armory would put Peterson back in the top-5, setting up a premium cable showdown with one of his Golden Boy stablemates. A loss would be a setback that might take years to overcome.

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Lamont Peterson Signs With Golden Boy

Photo by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com

by Gautham Nagesh

Washington, D.C. junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson didn’t have much reason to smile for most of 2012, but it looks like his luck could be changing in the new year.

Golden Boy Promotions held a press conference this week in Southeast D.C. to announce their signing of Peterson, who will return to the ring for the first time in 14 months to fight the dangerous Kendall Holt on February 22nd. The 12-round fight will be televised by ESPN’s Friday Night Fights and will take place at the D.C. Armory, where Peterson’s meaningless IBF trinket will be on the line. More importantly, a win would put Peterson in line for a big money fight against any of the top three fighters at 140 lbs., who are all signed with Golden Boy.

“I am excited about signing with Golden Boy Promotions and the opportunity to work with them again,” said Peterson. “Being with Golden Boy really gives me the chance to make the best fights available in my weight class. I want to fight the best in the world at 140 [pounds] and I know it can happen as a member of the Golden Boy team. I am optimistic that this is a decision that will help further my career.”

Photo by Juan Marshall

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The House That Barry Hunter Built: New Headbangers Boxing Gym Opens In Ward 8

by Gautham Nagesh

WASHINGTON, D.C.—It started almost 20 years ago in a storage room at Lincoln Multicultural Middle School in Northwest Washington. A friend told Barry Hunter the school had set aside a small space for boxing. Hunter, a carpenter by trade, agreed to pitch in, dug out his old equipment, and headed over to share his lifelong passion: the Sweet Science.

“I didn’t go to stay, I went to help a little bit.” said an emotional Hunter on Thursday at Bald Eagle Recreation Center in Ward 8. But once he met the kids and saw their need, he couldn’t walk away.

“The ride I got on, I couldn’t get off.”

So Hunter stayed to teach the kids boxing, and more than anything, to show them that someone cared. There have been plenty of ups and downs since, from training world champions and amateur stars, to skipping a national tournament and using the funds raised to pay for a kid’s funeral.

But few days could be better than today, when the District of Columbia finally repaid Barry Hunter by opening the new Dr. Arnold McKnight Boxing Annex. The magnificent 6,600-sq. ft. facility is attached to the Bald Eagle Rec Center, one of the original homes of Hunter’s acclaimed Headbangers Boxing Program, which has produced 100 national amateur championships, two professional world titlists, and saved countless young men and women from the wrong path.

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Opening Bell: Lamont Peterson Keeps IBF Belt

Photo by Trey Pollard

by Gautham Nagesh

Local junior welterweight Lamont Peterson is smiling once again after the IBF announced Friday that he will be allowed to keep the 140-lb belt he won from Amir Khan in December, despite a failed drug test. 

The IBF’s decision is vindication for Peterson, who saw his WBA belt returned to Khan last month before the Brit lost a unification bout to Danny Garcia. Peterson’s future has been under a cloud since the failed test cancelled his May rematch with Khan and cast doubt upon his career-defining win. Lamont has already admitted to having a physician inject a testosterone pellet into his hip before that fight. After reviewing Peterson’s medical records and consulting with an independent physician, the IBF concluded that Peterson used the testosterone for therapeutic purposes that wouldn’t have enhanced his training before the Khan fight. 

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Dusty Harrison & Ty Barnett Prop Up DC Boxing

by Gautham Nagesh

WASHINGTON, D.C.—It’s been a rough month for boxing in the nation’s capital.

Most of the momentum gained in recent months appears to have been squandered, after a series of unfortunate events connected to December’s Khan-Peterson fight. That night’s big winner Lamont Peterson is facing intense scrutiny and possible suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, which forced the cancellation of the rematch scheduled for Saturday.

In addition, Amir Khan’s promoter Golden Boy has pulled out of a scheduled June 30th card at the Verizon Center, reportedly still smarting after some hometown officiating helped Peterson upset the British 140-lb titlist. Finally, NoVa junior middleweight and crowd favorite Jimmy Lange injured his leg in training, forcing the postponement of the June 23rd card at the Patriot Center headlined by Lange vs Tony Jeter. 

That means the only action in town this summer will be at the Convention Center, where local welterweight prospect Dusty Harrison (above) and lightweight Ty Barnett are quickly becoming staples of the DMV fight scene. The pair won lop-sided bouts as headliners on May 12th in front of a packed house; fans will have four more chances to catch the duo in action this year at the same venue under the banner of Keystone Boxing.

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Opening Bell: Big-Time Boxing Returns to DC on June 30

by Gautham Nagesh

The big news today from Ring Magazine’s Lem Satterfield: DC fight fans enthralled by December’s slugfest between Lamont Peterson (left) and Amir Khan won’t have to wait another 18 years for championship boxing to return to the DMV. It looks like rising local featherweight Gary Russell Jr. will return to action June 30 at the Verizon Center. The news is music to the ears of local fight aficianados hoping DC would capitalize on momentum from the Khan-Peterson fight.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told Lem they have the Verizon Center on hold and are working with local attorney Jeff Fried to finalize the card. While Lamont is tied up in a May 19th rematch with Khan in Las Vegas, his brother Anthony (right) would appear to be a leading candidate to fight in DC. He told me at last month’s presser that he’s planning to fight on the May 19th show, but an opponent hadn’t been found yet. Seth Mitchell is another possibility, if he’s willing to take a stay-busy fight so soon after his turn against Chazz Witherspoon on the undercard of Chad Dawson-Bernard Hopkins 2 on April 28.

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Lamont Peterson Shocks Amir Khan, Brings Pride Back to DC

by Gautham Nagesh

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Lamont Peterson shocked British junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan here on Saturday night, earning a split decision in front of a raucous crowd at the Convention Center. By edging Khan in a war Peterson not only earned himself two world titles but also firmly put Washington back on the map as a fight town and home of champions.

The final scores were 115-110 Khan and 113-112 (twice) for Peterson. I had the fight scored a draw at 113-113 with Khan winning six rounds, Peterson five and one even. Khan’s fans will blame local judging but the fight was extremely close and none of the cards were out of line. Two questionable point deductions heavily influenced the final outcome, as did a knockdown in the first by Khan.

Most notable was the large and vocal audience at the Convention Center, which was in their seats early and appeared largely satisfied despite less than ideal seating arrangement that had all spectators seated at floor level. Some of the less expensive seats had obstructed views of the ring and there were murmurs of refunds and complaints early, but the venue was positively rocking by the time ring announcer Michael Buffer proclaimed it time to rumble.

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Amir Khan vs Lamont Peterson: Preview and Prediction

by Gautham Nagesh

WASHINGTON, DC—With so much talk about the significance of tonight’s main event to boxing as a whole and in Washington specifically, we should remember there is a fight taking place between two world-class contenders in the prime of their careers. Both have suffered just one defeat and could rightly claim to be the best in the junior welterweight division with a win Saturday night on HBO.

Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson both come with engaging back-stories, but Khan is the moneyman in the division and tabbed by many in the boxing world as the next great superstar. Both men have done the job of rebuilding after their first professional losses and neither will be eager to experience their second, but the winner would instantly become the marquee name at 140 lbs. 

If Khan wins, a move up to welterweight and possible May date against pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather await. For Peterson a win would put a Hollywood ending on a lifetime of struggle and place him among childhood idols Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson and Keith Holmes in the annals of D.C. boxing history. A rematch against his lone conqueror Tim Bradley could follow, or any number of compelling matchups at 140 lbs including Marcos Maidana and Brandon Rios. 

“He’s strong, he’s been in in with some big names. He’s very experienced. A lot of people don’t fight him because they’re afraid of getting beat by him. He’s not really had that big chance. We’ve given him that big chance, now let’s see if he can go and grab that,” Khan said Thursday. “I like to bring the best fights to the fans and this is one of the biggest fights.”

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