Opening Bell: Anthony Peterson & Joan Guzman March 7 at D.C. Armory

Lamont & Anthony Peterson photos by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com

by Gautham Nagesh

After Saturday night’s near-sellout at D.C. Armory, it’s clear that Washington has firmly re-established itself as a fight town. Some of my fellow writers were skeptical about the turnout early, but I was confident the arena would fill up. This was Lamont Peterson (left) headlining on Showtime. For the knowledgeable local fan base, nothing more need be said.

Peterson delivered, as his fans knew he would. As Anna ably noted, Peterson has been the tentpole of D.C.’s emerging boxing franchise, and his rise has helped draw all the major boxing networks back to Washington for the first time in many years. It has also provided a platform for the area’s talented youngsters to ply their craft, and inspiration for them to keep pursuing their dreams in the ring. In short, without Lamont, there is no resurgence in D.C. boxing.

Cheering Lamont through his recent string of high-profile fights has been his brother Anthony (below), a decorated lightweight in his own right. Where Lamont is quiet and reserved, Anthony is boisterous and outgoing. He is a constant presence in the local boxing scene, yet has only fought twice since sustaining his only loss by disqualification against Brandon Rios in September 2010.

Over that time period Peterson has been tentatively scheduled to appear on a number of cards, only for those fights to fall through for a variety of reasons. The inactivity in his prime is an issue in itself, but the bigger questions was whether Peterson’s heart was still in the boxing game. He insisted it was, so we believed him, and have waited for him to make his return in earnest.

Apparently March 7th will be that date, according to Headbangers publicist Andre Johnson. Johnson told us the Peterson has agreed to headline a show from Iron Mike Productions at D.C. Armory on March 7th, against an opponent to be announced. David Greisman of BoxingScene reports the opponent will be Francisco Contreras, who is coming off a loss to Jorge Linares.

Also scheduled to appear are Dominican junior welterweight Joan Guzman & top prospect Erickson Lubin, who recently signed with promoter Mike Tyson. Guzman is expected to fight Javier Castro, while Lubin is slated to fight Angel Martinez.

There is an open date on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights that evening, so it’s possible the show could be televised, but that’s mere speculation. We’re thrilled to see Anthony getting back into the ring, and will be covering his return in-depth. Anthony is still a young man, who won’t turn 29 till a week after the fight. Should he come back successfully against Contreras, it’s not hard to see him building up to a real fight in the weak lightweight division by the end of the year.

Thursday Night Boxing in Brooklyn: This weekend’s boxing action starts a bit early, courtesy of a Super Bowl Week show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn from Golden Boy Promotions. The main event pits Victor Ortiz against Luis Collazo in Collazo’s backyard. It’s the first fight for Ortiz since getting his jaw broken by Josesito Lopez last June. If the reception for Ortiz in December was any indication, it will be a strongly pro-Collazo crowd.

A solid co-feature matches welterweights young Eddie Gomez and Daquan Arnett. Most importantly for our readers, DMV featherweight Gary Russell Jr. will return against Miguel Tamayo on the undercard. Full preview coming tomorrow.

Dusty Harrison on ESPN in West Orange: Craig will be traveling to New Jersey on Friday Night to cover 2012 Stiff Jab Prospect of the Year Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, who will be fighting on the undercard of Friday Night Fights on ESPN2 against Tim Witherspoon Jr. I’ll have more on that fight tomorrow night as well.

UFC 169 on Friday Night: Yours truly will be heading to New Jersey myself on Saturday night, to attend my first-ever mixed martial arts event live. UFC 169 in Newark promises to be an experience, one I’ll be taking in with Doc Octagon himself. Expect some sort of report, though I’m not sure what form that will take.