Opening Bell: Lamont Peterson Returns August 9th
Lamont Peterson photo by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
Even if featherweight Gary Russell Jr. wins his first belt on Saturday, the reigning pride of D.C. will still be junior welterweight contender Lamont Peterson. Peterson is the man that brought big-time boxing back to D.C. and is the only local fighter that has proven himself again and again in front of his hometown fans. So when we hear Peterson is planning to return on August 9th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, that qualifies as big news.
The news comes to us via Headbangers spokesman Andre Johnson, who had few other details. The fact Lamont is leaving D.C. makes me think this will be against a real opponent; why else would Peterson forego a hometown fight to perform on the undercard of a stinker like Shawn Porter vs. Kell Brook? I’m sure Showtime isn’t eager to televise that fight as a main event, and definitely not with Lamont in a stay-busy fight as the co-feature.
So we are quietly hoping that this will be the moment Lamont finally gets his shot at the division’s top man, Danny Garcia of Philadelphia. Now, I have no inside information on this. The word on the street is that Garcia is lining up to fight Brooklyn’s once-beaten Gabriel “Tito” Bracero after his lack-luster showing against Mauricio Herrera. But little would be gained from that fight for Garcia. Meanwhile, Peterson is a real name, and someone that has earned another shot at the title.[[MORE]]
Sure, Lamont went down hard against Lucas Matthysse, but few haven’t. His only other loss is to Tim Bradley, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Garcia showed against Herrera that he can be vulnerable against a skilled, active boxer with a great chin. Lamont’s beard is good, if not great. If he can take Garcia’s punches, he could find a way to win a decision and earn the top honors at 140 lbs.
Anyone besides Garcia, Matthysse or Chris Algieri would be a disappointment for Peterson, who only has so many fights left in his prime. Why waste one of them against a stay-busy opponent? Peterson has already proven himself worth of the big stage; hopefully Golden Boy Promotions and Al Haymon will find him an opponent to put him back there on August 9th.
Is Chad Dawson Still Bad? In addition to producing our own Doc Octagon and some fine pizza pies, the New Haven region is also home for former light heavyweight champ “Bad” Chad Dawson. Dawson makes his return on Saturday night on the undercard of Robert Guerrero vs. Yoshihiro Kamegai in Carson, Calif. Our main interest on this card is the co-feature, which matches unbeaten DMV featherweight Gary Russell Jr. against Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko, but this is an East Coast site, and that includes Connecticut.
“I’m coming off losses in my last two fights, but nothing’s changed,” said Dawson, who will fight for the first time since he was on the wrong end of 2013’s Knockout of the Year – a one-punch, 76-second KO against current light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson. “I’m just back to being myself. I’m working hard with Eddie and doing the right things. I’ve been training for this fight for about two months.’’
“I’m getting ready for the second chapter of my career,’’ he said. “I’m back to Bad Chad.“
Sadly for Dawson, he will not be part of the Showtime triple-header, which will open with Devon Alexander vs. Jesus Soto Karass at welterweight. No, Dawson’s fight will air on Showtime Extreme alongside Olympic heavyweight Dominic Breazeale, a humbling step down for a fighter that once figured on pound-for pound lists. Dawson’s opponent, George Blades of Indianapolis, has gotten good work lately as a comeback opponent for top light heavies. Anything less than a stoppage will indicate the time has come for Dawson to hang up his gloves.
TBRB Rankings Update: The big news this week came at 140 lbs., where Long Island’s Chris Algieri shocked Ruslan Provodnikov at Barclays. Algieri debuts at #3, Lamont Peterson gets the bump to #2 and Provodnikov falls to #4. Brooklyn’s Zab Judah was the odd man out.
Not a lot of other moves; Alejandro Hernandez cracks the 118-lb rankings at #10 after beating Daniel Rosas, and McJoe Arroyo nabs the same spot at 115 lbs. by stopping Hernan "Tyson” Marquez in the 11th round.