Khan v Peterson: Inside Ring Amir Khan Shows Heart, Outside He Shows Immaturity

There are two things we can take away from the action on Saturday night in Washington DC. For starters I don't think anyone can ever question the heart and the willingness to engage on the part of Amir Khan who further proved that he's not only willing to fight in his opponents backyard but he's willing to go all out for the victory in his opponents hometown, which is no feat to be dismissed even if you're a Khan skeptic like myself. He proved a lot of things on that night and I said this loss will do more to help his career long term than the win would have giving the overwhelming and quite honestly unrealistic odds in his favor. Look, Lamont Peterson is no P4P quality fighter I get that, but he's not Zab Judah, Marco Antonio Barrera, or Paul McCloskey. In the case of Barrera and Judah both fighters were well beyond the point of serious competition, Zab pretty much threw in the towel and Barrera was shotsville. As far as Paul McCloskey is concerned, how many guys in the Junior Welterweight division who are considered world level and household names can he beat? So in the buildup to this fight I found the odds sort of unreasonable given Khan's most recent record and the fact that he had one win over a current top junior welterweight still in his prime and that was the win over Maidana in January.

There was an argument to be made as to why Lamont Peterson could win the fight and certainly some of you on this website and others made that argument. Saturday came and went and with that a lot of controversy, shock, and on the part of Amir Khan a lot of whining. And this is where we have a potential turning point in Khan's career. There's going to be a rematch and I believe Khan will win the rematch, but I must say his behavior after the fight this weekend makes you wonder whether or not he's ready mentally to be a super star in one of the most mentally demanding sports on earth. Boxing requires more than just talent and physical ability, it requires composure and a level of understanding that unfortunately a lot of young fighters just don't have. Amir Khan is a product of entitlement and seems to believe, as he did on Saturday before the fight that he's owed the super star paydays and all the big PPV fights that both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather have enjoyed for many years. He focused more on a potential opponent in another weight class more so than on his current opponent in the same division leading up to the fight. A lot of people were warning him about looking too far ahead in the future. Ultimately Khan's hype robbed him of his IBF and WBA titles, not the referee, not the city of Washington DC, and not the judges. You had a kid, and he's still very much a kid, in Khan chasing the super fights and obsessing over the adulation and praise of the boxing world as though he were under the guide of a spirit of affectation.

He needs to go back and forget about the hype, the talk of a bout with Mayweather next year and just focus on correcting those mistakes that cost him his titles. If the road for Khan leads to super stardom then that's what he'll have waiting for him. But it all depends on whether or not he can mature mentally as much as he has physically. He still comes off as a spoiled brat who blames everyone but himself when he can't deliver, and someone who is as ungracious in defeat as he is gracious during the thrill of victory. One last thing, listen if you want to be the polar opposite of Floyd Mayweather like you said you did after commenting on Floyd's controversial win over Victor Ortiz in September, taking a broad swipe at an entire city, an American city mind you because you're pissed and crabby over the outcome of your fight won't make you more increase your fan base on this side of the pond my friend. I'm just telling you one thing we Americans hate is when people from other countries take shots at us. We especially don't like it when that person comes from the sports world. I'm not some ultra patriot who wears American flag t-shirts or anything like that but for him to say "That's why boxing hasn't been in DC for 20 years" you know he should be a bit more careful about how he runs his mouth.

I'm just saying the kid doesn't know how to accept defeat. People say "oh he changed for the better after the knock out against Breidis Prescott" Well maybe he changed as far as his boxing is concerned but maturity wise he's still got some more growing up to do. And credit to Lamont Peterson for acting more like the champion than the actual champion. No one gave him a snow cone's chance in Hades yet he displayed a level of focus and reflection that won a lot of people over regardless of what they thought of the decision. I don't quite have him as a long term world level guy who can win multiples titles throughout his career because ultimately he's just not quite the same talent as the guys ahead of him like Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley, and even Khan who again like I said will probably win the rematch because he'll be a lot more focused next time around. I think Lamont could beat Maidana because Maidana is one dimensional and has terrible footwork, I think he could beat Erik Morales, but those are probably, um you know could he beat Danny Garcia or even a guy like Ashley Theophane who will probably get a world title shot sometime next year?, who knows. Again I just don't now where to put him even with the win on Saturday, you gotta think Khan will be the heavy favorite in the rematch.

Where do you guys have Lamont Peterson after Saturday? Is he to be taken serious as a long term champion or was this as I suspect a case of a disinterested champion looking past a game contender with nothing to lose?