Lamont Peterson Retains IBF Belt Against Dierry Jean

Lamont Peterson dazzled in front of his hometown crowd on Saturday night scoring a unanimous decision victory over Dierry Jean to retain his IBF Junior Welterweight Championship from the DC Armory in Washington, D.C., live on showtime Championship Boxing.

In the co-main event, 23-year-old top junior middleweight prospect Jermell Charlo remained undefeated in a unanimous decision victory over gutsy veteran Gabriel Rosado. The telecast will replay Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on Showtime and Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime Extreme.

In between the main and co-main event of the evening, world champion Adrien Broner sat down with Showtime host Brian Kenny for an in-depth interview following his December loss to Marcos Maidana.

Peterson (32-2-1, 16 KO’s) and Jean (25-1, 17 KO’s) kicked off the 2014 boxing calendar with an action-packed aggressive showdown. Jean began with a patient approach, looking to test the chin of Peterson after his devastating knockout loss last May against Lucas Matthysse.

By midway through the fight, Peterson made it clear that loss had no affect on him as he became the aggressor, putting on a show for his hometown crowd. As the fight progressed Peterson outworked and outlanded his opponent using combinations, speed and agility.

At the end of the fight, Showtime Sports analyst and former World Champion Paulie Malignaggi emphatically stated, “Lamont clearly proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with at 140 pounds.” The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112 and 118-111.

After the fight, Peterson said, “I knew that this was his [Jean’s] first title fight and this is a big stage. I knew regardless of what he said he would have some type of nerves.

“At the end of the day I was in shape and I was able to hold the rounds. I would like to be considered the best 140-pound fighter in the world before I leave [the division]. If it means Danny Garcia is next, then that’s what it is.”

When asked how long it took to get over his loss against Matthysse, Peterson said, “At the end of that night, I sat and thought all night and I came to an understanding of why I lost. Then I moved on. I was over it in 24 hours.”

Speaking to the crowd of 5,668, Peterson said, “I love my city. My city loves me.”

When asked about the loss, Jean chalked it up to the inexperience of this being his first title fight saying, “I think it is just a matter of experience. Life goes on you know. I am definitely leaving with my head held high. I have all of my fans with me and I fought a hard fight.”

Charlo (23-0, 11 KO’s) of Houston, Tex., who took a step up in opposition with his fight against Philadelphia’s Rosado (21-8, 13 KO’s), maintained his composure despite immediate pressure from his opponent.

In the fifth round, a cut appeared over Rosado’s left eye. Referee Maleek Waleep ruled that a punch did cause the cut, however, the Showtime replay showed it was caused by an accidental headbutt.

While the fight continued, Rosado clearly was bothered by the cut. Charlo smothered Rosado’s offense and kept him off of his game plan. Charlo rose to the occasion and won the fight via unanimous decision. The judges’ score totals were 97-93, 99-91 and 100-90.

After the fight, Charlo acknowledged his opponent saying, “Rosado is a tough fighter. He came to fight. He did exactly what we trained for. He’s my strongest fight to date. He did what he had to do. It’s about being in shape. It’s about being in shape to do what we do.”

Speaking about the cut, Charlo said, “Once I saw the eye leaking, I told myself ‘let’s finish this eye up and see what the doctors do’. I told you if his eye holds up, we are going to get some work in.”

Rosado also addressed the cut saying, “It’s kind of like my Achilles heel. It’s really tender, so it just gets cut early. It is what it is. I am kind of… it’s disappointed. I am forced to fight this way, aggressive.

“Charlo boxed a good fight but it’s a little frustrating that I have to fight a different style. I have to fight aggressively [because of the judges]. It’s crazy because I didn’t get a round.”

Below are excerpts from Adrien Broner’s interview with Brian Kenny:

Regarding his first loss last December to Marcos Maidana:

“That’s not the first time I took defeat. It might not be the last time. But God has got something in store for me. I am set for a major comeback.

“Maidana did what he was supposed to do. He threw big shots. I was in a hell of a fight. It comes with the territory.

“That’s boxing. Sometimes you don’t get hit, but sometimes you do. It’s not about that. It’s about how you get up. And I got up and fought to the last.”

Regarding his corner and team’s concern mid-fight:

“It was the first experience for all of us. It was the first time we were in that situation and we handled it well. At end of day, we are ready to get back in there and, hopefully, we get Maidana again.

“What I need to tell everybody that isn’t inside that circle is that sometimes you get hit with shots you just don’t see. But we are going back to camp and we are ready for a rematch. If we could have fought him on Sunday we would have.

On a rematch with Maidana:

“Of course. I am a fighter. I have to fight him or everyone will say, ‘Oh, but he lost to Maidana.’ I am the closest thing to Floyd Mayweather. So when I lost people thought that Floyd lost.”

On his exit after the fight:

“I have to say I am sorry to my fans for walking out of the ring. I was very emotional. Like I said, it was my first time in that situation. I am sorry to my fans. And I am looking forward to the rematch.

“At the end of the day, I like putting on a show, losing or not. I still like to put on a show. And everyone knows when you watch me, you are going to see me put on a hell of a show.

“This is the best thing that happened in my career because now I see who’s with me and who isn’t. This made me see a lot of things. One thing for sure, I always got family. I always love them and they love me.”

Showtime Extreme results:

Robert Easter Jr. (9-0, 8 KOs) defeated Daniel Attah (28-18-1, 11 KOs) via unanimous decision in an eight round lightweight bout.

Rau’Shee Warren (18-0, 3 KOs) defeated German Meraz (33-27-1, 20 KOs) via unanimous decision in an eight round bantamweight bout.

Peterson vs. Jean, a 12-round fight for Peterson’s IBF Junior Welterweight Championship, took place Saturday, Jan. 25, at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. The event was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T.