Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA 140 lb champion Amir Khan will face mandatory challenger Lamont Peterson on December 10th in either Washington, Detroit or Montreal in a bout to be televised on HBO.
Peterson does not have a promoter, so Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer said he made a deal with Barry Hunter, Peterson’s manager, trainer and father figure.
“I’ve been talking to Barry for the last couple of weeks and we were going back and forth between what they wanted and what the Khans wanted, trying to bridge the gap and agree on a number,” Schaefer told ESPN.com at the MGM Grand, where he is promoting Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight. “And we were finally able to do that, so as a result we have informed the IBF and called off the purse bid.”
“A dream come true,” Peterson told ESPN.com about the prospect of fighting for a world title in D.C.
“Lamont Peterson is a very skilled fighter with a different skill set than fighters like Maidana or Judah,” Schaefer said. “It’s going to be interesting. Lamont was dropped a couple of times in the fight with Ortiz, but showed the heart, the smarts and the skills to have the fight end up in a draw.”
“Lamont is a credible opponent. He got a draw with Ortiz, who is now fighting Mayweather,” Khan said in an interview with ESPN.com last week, while negotiations were ongoing. “Now he’s my mandatory and it would be a good fight. He wants to fight and I am willing to fight him. That’s probably the best fight for me before I move up to welterweight.
