Former junior welterweight champion Amir Khan recently received some good news when he came through with a coveted May 19th rematch with Lamont Peterson. This past December, Peterson pulled off one of 2011’s biggest upsets with his split-decision over Khan on HBO’s airwaves but it was uncertain whether or not a return bout was in the works.
The first fight saw Khan storm out of the gates and register a first-round knockdown but he would eventually have serious trouble with Peterson’s aggression and infighting tactics. It was a definite firefight throughout and while odds makers may be tipping Khan to turn the tables in the rematch, not everyone is sold on such redemption.
Outspoken trainer Roger Mayweather has a view of Peterson that very few are able to appreciate, as he was on hand at the Mayweather Boxing Club in the fall of 2009 when the Washington, D.C. native took part in a heated sparring session with Roger’s nephew Floyd Mayweather Jr. The work between the two was said to be raw and uncut, and when the dust had settled Roger couldn’t help but to respect Peterson for showing off his abilities.
It’s one of the reasons he picked Lamont in the first fight and the reason he feels that Khan will fall again come May 19th.
“He’s going to get his a** whooped again,” Roger said of the British star in the midst of another training session with a group of aspiring pugilists. “I told you he was going to get his a** whooped the first time! He’s going to get his a** whipped again.”
Asked how severe of a hit Khan’s reputation would take if he indeed was to lose to Peterson again, Roger suggested that the 25-year old would likely be able to bounce back. Harkening back to the twice-failed attempts by the late Nicaraguan terror Alexis Arguello to defeat the whirlwind attack of Aaron Pryor, Roger pointed out that sometimes some guys just have your number.
“No, because he lost to the same guy twice,” Roger continued. “That’s just a part of boxing. Certain guys you can beat and certain guys you can’t beat. Alexis Arguello couldn’t beat Aaron Pryor but they made the fight because that’s the fight that made money. It’s all about making money but at the same time I don’t think Amir Khan will beat him anyways.”
Another big fight on the horizon involves Khan’s stable mate Manny Pacquiao, who defends his WBO welterweight championship against unbeaten Timothy Bradley on June 9th in Las Vegas.
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Giving his take on the matchup, Roger instantly flashed back to Pacquiao’s recent struggle with Juan Manuel Marquez this past November, a fight in which he was lucky to pull out a majority-decision victory.
“I think Pacquiao’s going to have problems with him,” Roger said of the Bradley fight. “The last fight I seen Pacquiao with, that mother***** looked sorry! When he fought Marquez, he looked sorry. So I know good and well that motherf***** wouldn’t beat my nephew. I’m just saying.”
And while nothing special may stand out about Bradley, the elder Mayweather seems to feel he has a legitimate shot.
“He’s a decent fighter. He’s a well-schooled boxer. People talk about Pacquiao [but] Pacquiao aint nothing but wild. That motherf***** aint no classic boxer, hell no. But that’s a good fight for him so we’ll see where he’s at,” Roger said with obvious anticipation.
Before our conversation came to a close I asked Roger about the recent sighting of featherweight sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa to the gym last week. The undefeated Cuban was in town hanging out with Floyd Jr. and Roger, while not being specific, hinted that he may be working his nephew in another capacity.
“He was with my nephew,” Roger said of Gamboa. “He signed with my nephew. My nephew is going to promote him I guess. All I know is that he said he’s with my nephew.”
Last time we checked Gamboa was co-promoted by Ahmet Öner and Top Rank, however, so Roger’s words were taken with a grain of salt.
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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
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