By James Slater – A triumphant (and unmarked) Amir Khan was a studio guest on Sky Sports’ Ringside magazine show last night, and the WBA 140-pound champion confirmed that his next fight will almost certainly be in the UK in April.
Khan, who surprised many people with the may he took Marcos Maidana’s lethal punches and fought back to win on points in Saturday’s great fight in Las Vegas, said he will never forget his home fans..
And although Peterson – who fought to a draw with Victor Ortiz on Saturday night’s under-card – has not yet been officially announced as the April challenger for Khan, Sky Sports and other sources say the 26-year-old is very much the frontrunner to land the fight. There was talk that “King” Khan would face Colombia’s Breidis Prescott next, in a “revenge” match, but it seems the offer made by the only man to have beaten Khan was turned down.
So, what can we expect from a Khan-Peterson fight?
Peterson, 28-1-1(14) has good speed and good boxing skills and while he is no noted puncher he can hit hard enough to get respect. Of course, now that Khan has shown he can take the kind of bombs that troubled him but failed to put him over on Saturday, he will not have to fear Peterson’s power. We can expect a good, fast-paced boxing match in April, as both men have excellent skills. Peterson’s sols loss came at the hands of another possible future foe for Khan, in Timothy Bradley – who handed a wide points loss to Peterson back in December of last year.
Khan says he is looking forward to returning to the ring in his home country; whether it’s against Peterson or someone else.
“My next fight has to be in Britain,” Khan said. “I get lots of requests from fans saying, ‘why don’t you back and fight over here?’ I know every fighter wants to go to Vegas, but you cannot forget your home fans.
“I want to be back in the ring in April time, maybe the first or second week. That gives me time to have a break and then get in training for eight weeks.”
Peterson, one of two talented boxing brothers, will no doubt be immensely pleased to be so close to getting a shot at Khan and his WBA crown. A number of fans thought he deserved the decision against Ortiz on Saturday, and “Havoc” certainly deserves credit for the way he hauled himself off the canvas in that bad 3rd-round he had against the once-beaten banger.
Is Peterson a more attractive upcoming challenger for Khan than Prescott, John Murray, Joan Guzman and the other guys Richard Schaefer mentioned as an opponent for the British star? Maybe, maybe not. But as hot as Khan is right now, he can look ahead to a sold out arena wherever and whoever he fights in April!