Khan vs. Peterson: Hometown Favorite Peterson Will Fall to Khan's Superior Power

Amir Khan doesn’t appear to be big on long layoffs. The rising star of the junior welterweight division will step into the ring tonight for the third time in 2011, taking on Lamont Peterson in defense of Khan’s WBA/IBF championship.

There’s little doubt which side the crowd will be on for this bout, as the fight is being held in Peterson’s home town of Washington, D.C. Unfortunately for the home fans, though, the challenger has little chance to slow down the King Khan juggernaut.

Peterson is a skillful boxer who can also take a punch. What he doesn’t have is the kind of explosive punching power needed to compete with a slugger like Khan.

Khan’s only defeat in his pro career came on a first-round knockout by Breidis Prescott. Peterson isn’t the kind of fighter who will go right after Khan in the same way, and in a longer fight, Peterson will take too much damage to come out on top.

Khan isn’t just a brawler, but his biggest asset is still his overwhelming power. Eighteen of his 26 wins have come by knockout, and after thrashing Paul McCloskey and Zab Judah in a combined 11 rounds, he’s not likely to need to go the distance against Peterson either.

Peterson is as good as any opponent Khan has yet faced, but even with the crowd on his side, he won’t be able to slow Khan’s meteoric rise. Look for another knockout win by the defending champ as Khan continues to rise toward a future showdown with Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.