Peterson Clashes With Holt For IBF Light Welter Strap

Tonight at the DC Armory in Washington DC, IBF Light Welter titleholder Lamont Peterson will hope to reincarnate his career with a victory over hammering puncher Kendall “Rated R” Holt.

Peterson has been left in the dark for over 14 months since an edgy split decision over British sensation Amir Khan.

His fight against Khan was deluged in controversy as Peterson, fighting in his hometown of Washington DC, scratched out the slim victory against the British icon after hitting the deck in the first round, struggling to chop into the talented champion throughout twelve vicious rounds.

Two points were deducted from Khan for shoving the American off him to gain his range during the heavy waves of pressure. Ironically, this was just enough to rip out the tight Peterson nod on two of the three judge’s scorecards.

And to top in all off, Peterson allegedly failed the post fight drug test, reportedly testing positive for synthetic testosterone, a banned substance. This voided a potential rematch with Khan early last year.

That was then, and this is now. For Peterson, the peculiar title-winning victory over Khan shall hopefully be topped off by a masterful performance against the mandatory challenger Holt.

Holt has a murderous right hand, capable of slashing the plans of any worthy contender. Just ask former world champion Ricardo Torres, or perhaps Julio Diaz, who were both shocked by the talented crusher.

Holt, age 31, is on the downside of his reign, coming down from the high point in 2008 of capturing the WBO world title from Torres in a 1-round shocker. But the aging combatant is confident of going out as an A-list Light Welterweight once again. Can he do so? We must wait and see.

Peterson, age 29, is a highly energetic pressure fighter. His primary advantage against his adversaries is definitely his stamina; Peterson’s unbreakable rushing has drained many top contenders such as Dominican Victor Cayo, who ate frustrating amounts of hooks en route to a 12th round starching.

Maybe Khan and Timothy Bradley, who defeated Peterson in 2009, could withstand that pressure, but can the “R Rated” Holt?

Catch the exhilarating fight bill live on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights on ESPN 2 and the “Watch ESPN” app for IPhone and Android from the DC Arena in Washington, DC.

Corey Quincy’s a boxing writer for Saddoboxing.com, his blog Blboxing.com and more. Follow him on Twitter at Quincyboxingfan and like him on Facebook at Boxing Legends!