Hot off a strong showing last weekend against Montreal’s Dierry Jean on Showtime at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C., Lamont Peterson spoke about wanting to meet up with red-hot, undefeated Philadelphian Danny “Swift” Garcia later in the year. This bout would pit two of the best at 140 pounds against each other and seems a natural match-up in the junior welterweight division. Peterson currently has an open dance card as of now having just fought. If Garcia can get past his upcoming fight scheduled for March 15 th against (yet to be confirmed) Mexican fighter Mauricio Herrera, it could happen later in the year. While both fighters know there are some great challenges and accompanying paydays at the 147-pound welterweight limit just a few pounds north, there could be a great fight still on the table at 140.
Peterson turned pro after an excellent amateur career that saw him as a runner-up in the 2004 Olympic box-offs. He started to punch for pay later in the year and rang off 15 straight wins by early 2006. Peterson, who overcame difficult circumstances in his upbringing, at times living on the streets, was starting to emerge as a hot player at 140-pounds. In his 16 th bout in February of 2006, he won the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) United States (USNBC) light welterweight title, beating Jose Moreno over 10 rounds. A little over a year and five wins later, he beat contender John Brown, stopping him in eight rounds in May of 2007. Four months later, Peterson beat Frankie Santos for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) North American Boxing Organization (NABO) light welterweight title. Over a year later, he added the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) interim light welterweight title to his collection, beating Lanardo Tyner over 10 rounds in Las Vegas.
In Peterson’s following fight in April of 2009, he beat Willy Blain via seventh round TKO to capture the WBO interim light welterweight title. This led him to the big show eight months later as he faced off against undefeated Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley for the WBO light welterweight title. Despite getting dropped in round three, Peterson went the distance but lost a unanimous 12-round decision to the fighter now regarded as one the best pound-for-pound fighters in the game. Over the following year-and-a-half, he would go 2-0-1 with the only blemish being a majority draw against then-future world champion Victor Ortiz. Peterson closed off 2011 by beating British star Amir Khan by split decision over 12 rounds to claim the World Boxing Association (WBA) “super” world light welterweight title and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight titles. After being inactive over 2012, he opened 2013 with a stoppage of Kendall Holt in eight rounds in Washington. Peterson then suffered a one-sided drubbing at the hands of power-punching Lucas Matthysse last May in which he was dropped three times and stopped in the third round. However, Saturday night, he rebounded by kicking off 2014 with an impressive 12-round showing over previously undefeated Dierry Jean. And now, he looks to bigger and brighter things at 140 pounds having shown little or no effects from his previous KO loss to Matthysse. The best fighter at 140 pounds is Danny Garcia so Peterson knows before he sets sail seven pounds north to the star-studded welterweight waters, he should try confirming things at 140.
In WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Garcia, you have a major star who has beaten everyone he should and everyone he was told he probably wouldn’t in emerging as one of the game’s best. With a list of victims that include Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Lucas Matthysse among others, he is clearly the best man working at the 140 pound-limit. So, with Peterson poised to test himself against the best at 140 pounds, the time is absolutely right to make this fight.
Garcia has been mentioned in the Floyd Mayweather Jr. sweepstakes and if that offer comes in, then we will probably see the “Broad Street Banger” heading up seven pounds to take that challenge. If not, before Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson decide to start working a few pounds north in the welterweight arena, there is a doozy available in their own backyard. Let’s hope it happens.
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