Thanks again to Luke Thomas of MMA Nation.
[ Related: Khan Shocked by Peterson in DC ]
Oscar De La Hoya:
"Both fighters came out swinging, both fighters came out with everything. Put out their heart, and put it all on the line. We are very proud of both fighters, but let me just say something. That Lamont Peterson did a tremendous job. Amir Khan fought with a lot of heart and passion. I just wanna throw this out, OK? That, just so you can have it. That Khan was deducted two points. Now the first point, OK. We can deal with. The second point, now people are asking, scratching their head. 'What happened? What went on? Why was, why the deduction? What happened?' So if that point isn't deducted the fight is a draw. If the two points weren't deducted, then Amir Khan wins. So that's, I just wanted to -- I just wanted to throw that out. I just wanted to throw that out. But. I just wanted to throw that out. But, Golden Boy, Amir Khan, and Lamont Peterson want the rematch. There will be a rematch.
"Both guys are here. Amir Khan is here, and Peterson is here."
"So now let me call up to the podium the new champion of the world, Lamont Peterson."
Lamont Peterson:
"It's a great feeling right now. ... I'm just happy that everyone enjoyed the fight. It must have been a good fight, they're talking about a rematch already. I'm proud of my performance. I'm proud that DC showed up tonight. You were pushing me on in there when things got rough, and I appreciate that. I want to thank my team. This whole team in purple. You pushed me through some hard times in the gym, you told me it was gonna be this way, it'd be rough at times, just keep pushing through. You were right. I think the win couldn't come any other way. It's always gonna be rough in there at this level, I'm realizing that. Things are always rough for me. I never get anything easy. I'm always prepared for a backyard fight, and that's what it was. And I was victorious."
Q: Will you go straight to a rematch?
"If it was left up to me, yup, I'd fight him tomorrow. That's just me. It don't matter who I'm fighting, what I'm fighting, I'm always ready to fight. We'll see what happens."
[ Related: Rematch Probable for 2012 ]
Q: Can you talk about the knockdowns?
"It was something that we went over in the gym several times. Plan A was to come out and box, give him a different look. But I've got a habit of pulling straight back, and we knew that I couldn't do that with Khan. Because he always comes in with straight punches. He caught me on the end of a few punches, and I went down. I wasn't hurt or anything, but I did go down. So from that point on, I knew that, OK, he's on to me pulling back. Plan B time. Plan B was to push him back, use my size and my strength to wear him down, and that's what we did."
Q: What was the effect of your body punching, and what was the explanation you were given for the second point deduction?
"At that point in the fight, I really don't know. I wasn't paying attention to it. I just wanted to go out there and win the fight and throw punches. When he broke the action, I was trying to tell him that he was pulling my head down a lot. I thought he was gonna take a point for that. But he ended up taking it for pushing, I think, again. That's what I heard him say. Like I said, I wasn't really paying attention. As far as the body shots, that's just me. I'm always gonna throw body shots. It's a 12 round fight, I know that if you continuously go to the body, you're gonna wear your opponent down. I know Khan is fast on his feet, and got really fast hands, so I wanted to wear him down."
Q: Can you address his punching power?
"He's got shocking power. It's like, it's got a sting to it. He's not really heavy-handed or anything like that. When he hits you, and hits you cleanly, it stings, but you shake it off fast and keep going."
Q: What were your thoughts on the point deductions?
"I'm a fighter, not a referee. Like I said, I wasn't really caught up into that. I was focused on Khan and winning the fight and executing my game plan. So that's what I was focused on. Maybe if you talk to me in a week from now, and I watch the tape, I can probably give you a better answer."
Q: When did you feel comfortable, and were there any specific adjustments you made?
"To me it wasn't really the hand speed, it was the fact that when I backed straight up, I was moving right into his punching lanes. That's when I made the adjustment to not go back anymore. I wanted to go forward to stay away from his shots. We went over several times, Khan needs distance to fight. I was giving him that distance, and he was catching it. So I changed the game plan and went for it, and it worked."
Q: Would you go to the United Kingdom for a rematch?
"I wouldn't mind doing it. The deal would have to be right. Everything would have to be right. I have no problem with it."