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Amir Khan vs Lamont Peterson: A CLOSER LOOK

By Geno McGahee

Saturday night, Amir Khan, 26-1, 18 KO’s, will defend his WBA and IBF light welterweight titles against Lamont Peterson, 29-1-1, 15 KO’s. Khan is quickly gaining ground as one of the top names in the sport and when the dust settles with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, JR., he may just become the face of boxing, if he continues to win.

Khan is trained by Freddie Roach, the trainer for Pacquiao, and has vastly improved under his guidance. He brings a mixture of power and technique, but there is still a question mark regarding his chin that lingers over his head.

In 2008, Khan would lose via first round stoppage to Breidis Prescott. It was a devastating knockout loss that took only 54 seconds. He has rebounded nicely with 8 straight wins, including victories over power-punchers Marcos Maidana and Zab Judah.

Peterson is not known for his crushing knockout power. He beats opponents with technique and grit. The grit he will need to remain on his feet as the big punches of the champion land. This is a huge opportunity for him and should Khan overlook him and he brings his best effort, the fight may become interesting.

Also on the card is heavyweight, Seth Mitchell, 23-0-1, 17 KO’s, taking on veteran Timur Ibragimov, 30-3-1, 16 KO’s, in a 10 round scrap. Mitchell has feasted on the C- level heavyweights and now steps in there with a solid C. Ibragimov has beaten Al Cole, Oliver McCall, and has won 9 out of his last 10 fights. The only defeat was a very questionable decision loss to Jean Marc Mormeck. Mitchell will be in for a real fight on Saturday night.

Canadian superstar, David Lemieux, 25-1, 24 KO’s, will be returning to the ring for the first time since his defeat to Marco Antonio Rubio in April. Lemieux had so many early stoppages that the durable Rubio outlasted him and he wasn’t prepared for it. He is still a rising star and will face off against former WBA Light Middleweight Champion, Joachim Alcine, 32-2-1, 19 KO’s. This is a smart match for Lemieux. Alcine is a name fighter with a suspect chin, stopped in the first round recently by Alfredo Angulo. A draw with journeyman Jose Medina in his next fight proves that Alcine is not what he used to be. Expect Lemieux to easily win this fight and win it early and the hype machine will start up again on this exciting prospect.

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