In 2009 IBF light welterweight champion to be Lamont “Havoc” Peterson won the interim title in order to get a fight with WBO champion Tim Bradley that he lost. In 2011 he won an elimination fight in order to challenge Amir Khan and won the IBF title and WBA titles. It took him 14 months to defend his title.
In 2013 Peterson tried to add the WBC title and was stopped in 3 rounds. Though the WBC champion Lucas Matthysee made 140 Peterson was a pound over and kept his titles. In February of 2014 Peterson defended his title after 11 months.
In August he chose to defend his title against the No. 15 challenger the same month he was to negotiate a fight against his No. 1 challenger Cesar “El Distinto” Cuenca of Argentina who won an elimination match in May. Why did the IBF wait so long to start negotiations for a Cuenca-Peterson title fight and then allow Peterson a title defense weeks before finally starting negotiations with Cuenca the end of August?
Cuenca is 47-0 with only 2 knockouts having won the WBO Latino title but has never fought outside of his country of Argentina. Peterson has asked the IBF for an “exception” per IBF public relations director Jeanette Salazar that must be heard and approved by the IBF board.
An exception? He has NOT been an exceptional champion! He can defend against Cuenca or give up the title and pursue his “exception” request. Cuenca is the No. 1 contender with No. 2 vacant and the “former” WBC champion Matthysee now the WBC Silver champion and No. 3.
So why not a Cuenca-Matthysee bout in Argentina since both are from Argentina?
