Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson Results: 10 Things We Learned from Peterson's Win

In 1814, a British invasion force touched down in the young national capital of Washtington D.C. and succeeded in burning the White House, putting President Madison and First Lady Dolly to flight. Last night, British champion Amir Khan, 26(18)-2(1), met a much stiffer local resistance as D.C. native Lamont Peterson, 30(15)-1-1, brawled and hustled his way to a controversial split decision victory, capturing Khan's WBA "Super" World and IBF "just regular" World light welterweight titles.

It was another exciting main event on a high-profile card. In the sort of strange twist that can only occur in boxing, many people will bemoan that Khan got screwed while simultaneously feeling glad for Peterson's hard-earned success.

Controversy Is Always Going to Be a Part of Boxing

Unless we return to the pre-Queensbury, "fight to the finish" rules, the scent of controversy is never going to be far away in boxing. Subjective judging will inevitably lead to differences of opinion.

And with six- and seven-figure contracts hanging in the balance, any judging or officiating decisions that seem remotely questionable are always going to raise eyebrows, if not loud vocal objections. 

Immediately following the decision last night, Khan complained to HBO's Max Kellerman that he had been forced to fight two opponents in the ring, a reference to the two points referee Joseph Cooper had penalized him for pushing Peterson. 

While the pushes were technical infractions, it is highly unusual to see points deducted for something like this, at least not without a warning first. 

HBO tried to interview Cooper after the fight but the D.C. commission refused to allow it. I do not feel this officiating was as bad as the job done by Russell Mora during the first Abner Mares-Joseph Agbeko fight last August. But it provided an unfortunate note on an otherwise positive night.

Lamont Peterson Can Sell Tickets in D.C.

The amped-up crowd on hand in the Convention Center last night topped 9000. Lamont Peterson is a hometown draw in the nation's capital. 

With boxing's mainstream popularity always on shaky ground, regional heroes are critical to the sport, whether it's Cotto in New York City, Andre Ward in Oakland or Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal in Montreal. They sell enough tickets to motivate the promoters, and come fight night, they provide that extra level of human electricity that motivates the greatest of fighters to become even greater.

With Peterson's compelling back story, upstanding personality and high-level ability, it's no surprise to see his local community passionate to support him.

Maybe Khan Is Not Ready to Move Up to Welterweight Just Yet

I have heard and read many different people say this was going to be Khan's last fight at 140 lbs., including Khan himself and the HBO broadcast team last night.

But sometimes I'll hear certain things and right away in my mind I'll hear voice of Ella Fitzgerald herself crooning that old Gershwin classic, "It ain't necessarily so..." Hearing Khan was going to jump right up to welterweight after this bout has been one of those times.

There were just too many good fights still on the table at 140 lbs.: the showdown with pound-for-pound top-10 candidate Timothy Bradley for ultimate dominance of the division, the re-match with Marcos Maidana, a potentially very interesting fight against Robert Guerrero, and a possible engagement with Mexican legends Erik Morales or Juan Manuel Marquez.

Any one of these would be the kind of fight that serious fans could get excited about. They are the kinds of fights on which the 25-year-old Khan could potentially start building a very special career.

Khan came into the ring last night at 148 lbs., so clearly it's not killing him to cut to 140. His desire to move up so quickly to welterweight has clearly been driven the possibility of a PPV fight with Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. He's been particularly outspoken about his desire to throw his name into consideration for a bout with Mayweather.

After last night, Khan would seem to still have business at junior welterweight. One would think he would at least want to get his belts back before moving up. 

Khan Is Certainly Not Ready for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

While there is a case to be made for Khan suffering injustice last night, in the larger scheme of things, his close, split decision loss might not be such a bad thing. Because a victory followed by a move up to welterweight would have kept him very much in the race for a fight with Mayweather, should the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations once more fall through.

And there is no way the gifted 25-year-old British champion is ready for that. 

Last night Khan demonstrated that while he is unquestionably an elite fighter, he still makes the kind of mistakes and errors in judgement that a technical wizard like Mayweather would exploit viciously.

Khan Still Looks Like He Could Be One of the Sport's Biggest Stars

All the Khan qualities that inevitably dazzle boxing fans were on display last night: Khan's blazing hand speed, his terrific footwork and impeccable balance. Beyond that he showed great heart and a willingness to mix it up (maybe too much willingness) that will keep fans coming back. 

The hard luck "L" that got hung on him will slow him down for the time being, but it should not stunt his ultimate development as a Hall of Fame-caliber champion.

Khan Is Still Too Willing to Get Drawn into a Brawl

My take on Khan's fight with Marcos Maidana has always been that Khan should have been able to win more convincingly, but that he allowed the much less gifted and technically solid Maidana draw him into a brawl, making things ugly and harder to judge. It seemed like his desire to display his machismo was causing him to make tactical errors that cost him on the cards.

Last night I felt like I was watching him do the same thing all over again. It was obvious early on that Khan had the edge in athleticism and skill and Peterson quickly adjusted by trying to force Khan into a back-and-forth war.

Khan was more than happy to oblige. And it cost him.

Peterson Has a Great Body Attack

One of the oldest and most important truths in boxing is this: the best strategy when confronted with a quicker, more athletic opponent is to attack his body. If you can pound his ribs and torso enough, he will surely slow down. 

Peterson gave a classic demonstration of this on Saturday night. His steadfast commitment to attacking Khan's body was definitely the decisive factor in his upset win.

Both Men Have "Tremendous Bottom"

The 18th-century British boxing fans, or "the Fancy," as they referred to themselves, would speak of particularly great fighters as having "bottom." It was a term that described that crucial combination of both relentless fighting spirit and top-notch physical endurance.

I would suggest that the old school gentlemen of the Fancy would agree that their countryman Khan possesses "bottom," just as worthy sportsmen would further acknowledge that the son of the colonial upstarts, Peterson, possessed it as well, even if they did insist on arguing most strenuously that his win over Khan had not been fairly earned.

Peterson Is a Straight Up Fighter

That's how Max Kellerman summed it up at the end of the broadcast last night: "Lamont Peterson is a fighter." That's a simple truth that says a lot. 

Lamont Peterson was a homeless child on the streets of this nation's capital, in the city of the world's richest and most powerful people. He has been fighting his whole life.

There will be some controversy attached to his special night, but give Peterson credit: every time Khan looked like he was going to start taking control of the match, Peterson dug in and fought that much harder.

Lamont Peterson Is Exactly What American Boxing Needs

I'm not about to go declaring Lamont Peterson top-10 pound-for-pound talent. But I think he has the opportunity to do very good things for the state of professional boxing in America. 

Peterson has the kind of inner-city Horatio Alger back story that so many of the sport's greatest stars have shared. Moreover, he has an engaging but down-to-earth personality, a sort of every-man appeal that stands in sharp contrast to the likes of, say, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It remains to be seen what Peterson will be able to do with the opportunities that being a champion will bring. He was quick to state that he would be willing to give Khan a rematch.

I'm not sure I think he could beat Khan for a second time. But I'd be excited to see him try.