Peterson's win tainted by actions of referee
Lamont Peterson shocked the world, and turned out to be a very lively underdog in his junior welterweight title showdown against Amir Khan on Saturday night. The fight was highly entertaining, with both fighters giving it their all. The two different styles of the fighters were evidently the reason for all the action in the ring. Amir Khan showcased his boxing ability, Lamont Peterson showcased his inside fighting skills, both fighters showcased their heart. All of these elements combined for spontaneous combustion. In a close fight, Lamont Peterson slid by with a split decision victory, bullying Amir Khan around the ring, assaulting the Brit with over-the-top right hands and body shots. The fight predicted by many to be a showcase for Khan that would give him a tough, yet beatable opponent. It turns out that Lamont Peterson and referee Joe Cooper had other plans.
Peterson’s meal ticket seemed to be the looping right hands that continued to land on Khan’s temple for nearly the entire fight. Although Khan was hurt at times, he continued to push through and execute his game plan. Referee Joe Cooper should be ashamed of himself. His intentions to make the hometown fighter the new junior welterweight champion of the world were evident from the early rounds of the fight. Joe Cooper deducted a point from Khan in the 7thand 12th rounds for excessive pushing. Ironically, throughout the entire fight, Peterson continually pushed Khan into the ropes, head first, and imposed his will on Khan. During these sequences, Amir would look to Cooper for relief, and Cooper would respond by saying “c’mon Amir, fight Amir.” It appeared as if Cooper had forgotten he was the referee, and instead acted as a protective father watching his son engage in a fist fight in the school yard. Despite all of this, Amir continued to fight his fight, by throwing combinations, and moving out of the way. I don’t want to take anything away from Lamont’s performance. I believe he did a great job, considering he was a heavy underdog. Unfortunately, his win was tainted by the actions of referee Joe Cooper.
Tonight boxing gave its fans an unusual paradox. We got an amazingly, entertaining fight from both of the fighters, and at the same time we were given a chance to see what exactly is wrong with the sport. Although geography may have played a minor role in the tonight’s equation, it may affect future major boxing events from occurring outside of Las Vegas. It saddens me that the phrase “hometown decision” even exists. Horrible decisions, unsatisfying premature endings, fights that have to happen that are not happening, pay-per-view fights that don’t belong on pay-per-view, and men that have no business being a referee are all giving boxing a black eye. An immediate rematch should be ordered, but don’t expect it to be in Washington D.C.
Boxing’s bright light was able to shine through the dark cloud, as fans were able to see an amazing fight. If fights looked like this on boxing’s biggest stage, when millions are watching, the problems I mentioned earlier would be forgotten. As far as Amir Khan, when driving down the street, if you continue to look ahead four blocks, you’re bound to crash your car into the car in front of you. Amir should stop calling out Floyd Mayweather, and Shane Mosley, and simply focus on what is in front of him. If Amir does get a rematch with Lamont, and avenges this loss, he may be able to get his career back on track. For now, we have a new junior welterweight champion, and it just a shame that the new champion will now not receive the credit he deserves, due to actions that were beyond his control.
M
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