Boxing Betting / Alex Steedman / 04 December 2011 /

Spoty-nominated Amir Khan has another beatable opponent lined up in the shape of Lamont Peterson, and beat him is what Khan will do, says Alex Steedman

It is likely Amir Khan was more nervous meeting Hilary Clinton recently than his ring date with Lamont Peterson in Washington this weekend. The likelihood is that Khan will rather more enjoy being inside the ropes of debate as he continues to spark discussion about big fight opponents down the road.

Certainly 2011 has been strangely light on danger if big on the bank for Khan. The Bolton boy wonder has skirted controversy along the way and he's pained the sports' fanatics with the opponents served up but not all of that has been his fault and he keeps winning regardless.

In fact, Khan continues to improve while developing the pound-for-pound appeal that many believe him to possess. Mini-furore wins over Paul McCloskey and ageing Zab Judah might not tick all the right boxes in that regard but Khan was threatening to look very good against Judah and he has the chance to exclamation mark where he is headed with a statement win over a recognised though beatable opponent in Peterson.

That Khan ([1.1] to win) is prepared to travel into Peterson's Washington backyard to make the point is praiseworthy though drawing power may have something to do with that and Peterson actually lives in Memphis now anyway. The challenger has the resume of a top-five fighter in this division and only Timothy Bradley has beaten him in 31 fights.

Peterson ([11.0]) shared a majority draw with Victor Ortiz previously before Ortiz went on to win a world title up at welterweight so he has pedigree and showed in both bouts that he can deal with adversity. Ortiz had Peterson down twice in the third while he visited the canvass in the same round against Bradley. The reality is though that Bradley dominated that fight putting Peterson's pretensions here is clear perspective and if they got to him then Khan, with his blinding speed, certainly can.

Physically, Peterson matches up on favourable terms to Khan with just an inch deficit in height but the American has particularly long arms giving him a three inch reach advantage.

However, there is a real doubt though whether Peterson has the speed to make that tell, particularly given how fast and effective Khan is at distance. You sense that to win this fight Peterson has to close the gap on his British opponent but that counters very much against his style and skill set. It is true to say that he managed just that when fighting aggressively through the closing rounds to stop Victor Cayo in July and the Dominican has only otherwise lost to Marcos Maidana. But Cayo is flat footed and slow next to Khan and was beaten to the punch, particularly the jab throughout the fight. Khan won't be so easily controlled, if at all.

The fact is, I'm struggling to give Peterson much chance of winning this and my feeling is that trade figures have been talking up his prospects as promoters generally do. Even Freddie Roach recently made respectful comments about Peterson's power having handled him on the gloves briefly on a training day but I see that as a desire to talk up the fight on the back of slight PR setbacks earlier in the year. I might be wrong but Peterson looks a solid, championship fighter, no more; the sort of opponent Amir Khan should be beating and in truth, looking good at it.

I was surprised how fallible Peterson looked on the retreat against Ortiz when he was vulnerable and too easy to hit. Khan will apply more precision with speed than Ortiz and he definitely seems to be developing power along the way.

I still don't see Amir as a one punch finisher (though his body shot against Maidana was a cracker) but he uses considerable variety these days, has a terrific work rate and is likely to pressure Peterson like never before. I actually think Khan will find this relatively easy once he's established superiority and I visualize a stoppage coming beyond half way. Even Hilary Clinton might be watching somewhere as the new 'president' of the Amir Khan fan club.

Recommended Bet
Back Khan to win by KO/TKO/DQ 3pts @ 1.75

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