Lucas Matthysse Vs Lamont Peterson OFFICIAL BOXING BREAKDOWN: Saturday Night Showdown on Showtime: BOXING NEWS

By Geno McGahee

This Saturday, Lamont Peterson, 31-1-1, 16 KO’s, will be stepping into the ring against one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing, Lucas Matthysse, 33-2, 31 KO’s, in a 12 round bout on Showtime.

Peterson has had his fair share of bumps and bruises both inside and outside of the ring. He was a virtual unknown when he finally had a fight that put him into the spotlight. In 2009, he faced off against Timothy Bradley and was never in the fight. He was dropped and dominated en route to a unanimous decision loss. In his next big outing, he was lucky to escape with a draw against Victor Ortiz. Ortiz won the fight but the decision became a favorable one for Peterson.

In 2011, he got his biggest victory. He upset Amir Khan via split decision, but it could have easily gone to Khan and probably should have. Along the way, Khan had two points deducted and those two points decided the fight. Peterson would test positive for a banned substance and was on the shelf for over a year before he took on a shop-worn Kendall Holt, winning via 8th round TKO. Peterson has heart and fights hard, but he is facing a tall order with Matthysse.

The two defeats on the record of Matthysse should be dismissed or changed from victories to “survived to the end” results. In 2010, Matthysse got his first big showcase fight against Zab Judah and would score a knockdown in round ten and seemingly do enough to win the fight, but would come on short on the scorecards, losing his first professional bout.

After demolishing DeMarcus Corley, he stepped into the ring with Devon Alexander and would get screwed on the cards again. Matthysse clearly won the fight, but would fall victim again to crooked scorecards, and teaching him a valuable lesson. He must win by knockout because if the hometown fighter or more notable foe makes it to the finish line, he will probably have another loss.

With five straight knockout wins in a row, including a first round stoppage of the fringe contender Mike Dallas in his last fight, the time is now for him to make his mark. With the history of Peterson hitting the floor, the likelihood is that we will see Matthysse find the mark along the way and starch him. This could easily be the first big step to superstardom for the Argentinean light welterweight. If he allows it to go 12 rounds, he may have some trouble no matter what transpired in the fight.