Preview: Lamont Peterson vs Kendall Holt At D.C. Armory
Photos by Anna John for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
It has been a long time since we’ve seen that smile from D.C. junior welterweight Lamont Peterson (right).Since his last fight, a career-defining win over Amir Khan in December 2011, Peterson has been forced to defend himself against allegations of PED use. He has spent over a year of his prime on the shelf, and has watched his name disappear from the rankings due to inactivity.
On Friday night, Peterson will return to the ring looking to re-establish himself as one of the top fighters in the world at 140 lbs. Peterson hopes to duplicate his previous appearance on ESPN, where he dominated lesser opposition to earn the Khan fight. A win over Kendall Holt at D.C. Armory would put Peterson back in the top-5, setting up a premium cable showdown with one of his Golden Boy stablemates. A loss would be a setback that might take years to overcome.[[MORE]]
And make no mistake, Kendall Holt is no Victor Cayo. Unlike most of Peterson’s recent opponents, Holt can punch, and do so with authority. The veteran banger from Newark floored Peterson conquerer Tim Bradley twice in their fight, a feat not even Manny Pacquiao could duplicate. Holt’s biggest enemy has always been himself, but he insists he is more prepared and focused now than ever before. If he’s right, no junior welterweight in the world is more dangerous, save Lucas Matthysse.
Holt said this was his first true training camp in a decade, due to the burden of being a single parent to his 9-year-old son. Holt insists he’s planning to go the full 12 rounds, but one wonders if he will stick to his gameplan in the face of Peterson’s constant pressure and body attack. Recent improvements aside, we still expect Holt’s best chance to come by catching Peterson, preferably with that devastating left hook. Holt can score a knockout at any time, but winning a decision will prove challenging in Peterson’s backyard.
Peterson is the name fighter in this matchup, and as such the expectations are that he will come out on top. Doing so will require avoiding Holt’s biggest shots, particularly the double left hook that flattened Julio Diaz last May. Lamont has a good chin, and even if he does taste the canvas early, he has shown the resiliency to get up and adjust. But Holt is dangerous, and his power has to be respected.
Holt has looked unusually relaxed this week, smiling and joking at the pre-fight media events and generally look at ease. Whether that means he’s confident or not all there remains to be seen. Lamont’s focus is beyond question; the mental part of the game is definitely his strength, in contrast to Holt. Holt’s best chance may be an early onslaught, because over 12 Lamont’s greater skill and conditioning will give him the edge.
We expect Lamont to start out cautiously, out-boxing Holt and using movement while going downstairs. He should begin walking Holt down more in the middle rounds, which is also when we expect Holt to be the most dangerous. But Lamont’s body attack should pay dividends late, and we expect Holt to fade down the stretch. The pick is for Lamont to win a close but unanimous decision, with at least one knockdown by Holt not out of the question.
The undercard on this Headbangers Promotions card is short on competitive matchups but long on up-and-coming talent. We’ve been following many of these fighters for years, and expect at least one to open some eyes among the national fight press. Lamont’s brother Anthony was supposed to be on the card, but apparently trainer and manager Barry Hunter has bigger things planned for him. Instead, ESPN has imported unbeaten super bantamweights Roman Morales and Jesus Hernandez for the co-feature. I’ve never seen either, but any matchup of young undefeated prospects works for me.
The televised opener will feature Stiff Jab favorite David “Day Day” Grayton, who is the subject of a feature story I’m working on at the moment. Grayton won the National Golden Gloves title at 152 lbs. in 2010 and is already one of the most popular young fighters in the DMV. His aggressive, all-action style will probably earn him a few fans tonight during his first turn under the bright lights of national TV.
Also on the card is Grayton’s Headbangers stablemate Danny Kelly, a young but promising heavyweight with power to spare. Kelly has a solid amateur background, and is being brought along slowly by Barry Hunter and Co. Hunter is very high on Kelly, and has touted him as the next big thing in the heavyweight division. Unbeaten local super middleweight prospect Dominic Wade will also fight on the undercard, as will unbeaten cruiserweight and aspiring promoter Venroy July.
Finally, Baltimore featherweight and former National Golden Gloves champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis will make his professional debut against Desi Williams. Davis might be one of the most promising prospects in the entire country, having just turned 18 with over 200 amateur fights to his name. The southpaw is a slick counterpuncher whose style should translate nicely to the professional fight game; we’ll have more on him later today.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday, first bell scheduled for 6. We’ll be ringside as always with the full contingent, but don’t sleep on the early fights because at least one of these kids will be a star someday. For those who can’t make it out, follow @StiffJab on Twitter for updates, and tune in to ESPN2 at 9 p.m. to catch the show.