Amir Khan: How I'm Getting Ready to Fight Lamont Peterson

This is the reigning WBA and IBF light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan, and I’m writing as a first-time guest columnist for Bleacher Report, ahead of my Dec. 10 Washington showdown with Lamont Peterson.

I hope to keep you all updated in the coming weeks of what I'm up to inside and outside the ring. As most of you know, I come from Bolton, England, and train out of Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles.

I’ve been with Freddie three years now and every session I’ve learned something new or how to do something even better. The man is a genius and I love being in the U.S. for my training camps because it keeps me away from the distractions that I tend to have back home.

I’ve settled in nicely ahead of my fight with Peterson and have been training since the start of October. Alex Ariza, my conditioning coach, has been putting me through my paces and a lot of what we do is cross-training, so I will run, swim, do steps and a host of other things in the morning to make sure that I’m prepared when I get into the ring.

Alex takes that side of my training and he tends to mix it up so that it’s not boring. Freddie handles the boxing side and I usually do this in the afternoon.

We’ve been working on a game plan for this fight. I know that Peterson is a very tricky fighter and will have his hometown crowd backing him, so I need to go in there with the right tactics. I’ve not ducked anyone in the light-welterweight division and only want to face the best. I’ve done that by taking on Peterson.

I’ve been fighting in the U.S. for a while now, but I want to prove to the fans on both sides of the Atlantic that I’m the real deal and can one day get to the status of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world—that’s why I’m in the business.

I’ve settled into L.A. now and have my own apartment and good group of friends that I usually chill out with when I’m not training. I’ve had a load of invites to parties and launches since I’ve been here and have attended a couple, including a recent Burberry event.

Training here also has celebrity perks: I’ve been to Mickey Rourke’s ceremony at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and Mark Wahlberg stopped by the gym and showed off some moves he learned from The Fighter.

At the moment, I’m focusing only on fighting, but I do miss the U.K.  So, while I’m away and I have been keeping an eye out on the results of my local soccer team, the Bolton Wanderers. We’re second from bottom in English Premier League and the last two results haven’t gone our way, but I know Owen Coyle and the boys will begin getting it right soon—he can always give me a call if he’s looking for a player.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report and I’ll be keeping you posted on how I’m getting doing in training camp and what I’m up to ahead of my battle with Peterson. I’m feeling good and ready to show who is the undisputed "King" of the 140-pound division.

Amir Khan is the WBA and IBF light-welterweight world champion.

Tickets for the Khan-Peterson fight, priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25 are available through Ticketmaster by calling [phone] or by purchasing them online at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets for fans travelling from the U.K. are available for purchase online at Sportscorporation.com or by calling 0845 163 0845.