By James Slater – Will Lamont Peterson choose to fight a return match with Amir Khan next, or will he – as has been suggested in certain quarters – opt to face Mexican modern day legend Juan Manuel Marquez in his next bout? Khan, in speaking with Sky Sports News earlier this evening U.K time, says he is almost sure the man who controversially took his WBA and IBF 140-pound titles back in December of last year will choose to give him his rematch.
Khan didn’t go into specifics, but he did reveal that Peterson has been offered “a massive deal,” and that he believes the return fight is “literally now 99-percent there.”
Fans are well aware of the controversial nature of Peterson’s Dec. 10th points win over “King Khan;” what with the long delay in the reading of the scorecards, the well-documented odd behaviour of the now infamous “man in the hat” at ringside, and Khan’s official post-fight appeal. Hopefully the two will now settle everything by way of a second meeting in the ring.
For although a Peterson-Marquez fight would prove attractive to many fans, a Peterson-Khan II has the potential to not only be a great action fight (the first fight sure was), but it is arguably the most important fight that could be made today at light-welterweight. Now that Tim Bradley has agreed to move up to face Manny Pacquiao at welterweight and will presumably stay there (he sure will if he manages to upset Pac-Man), a fight between Peterson and Khan would decide the best 140-pounder in the world.
Let’s see if the “massive deal” that has been put his way is enough to convince the warrior known as “Havoc” to take the rematch. Khan has warned that he’s “not going to be waiting too long because I want to stay active,” adding that if the contract is not signed by Peterson soon (Khan says he himself has signed on the dotted line) he will likely make the move up to welterweight himself.
The ball is still in the Washington D.C man’s court.