Peterson eyes Matthysse, longs for Garcia to reclaim WBA title
Dib defends crown against Gradovich
WASHINGTON, Feb 28, (AFP): Lamont Peterson wants a chance to reclaim the world title that was stripped from him after a positive doping test, but first he probably will have to fight South American standout Lucas Matthysse.
And the co-feature on what is likely to be a May 18 boxing card in Atlantic City will also include Britain’s unbeaten Kell Brook finally having his first world title bout, a twice-delayed showdown with US southpaw Devon Alexander.
Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions has said he wants those fights on a May 18 card after Alexander and Brook were postponed from earlier this month due to a biceps strain suffered by Alexander.
Alexander, 24-1 with 13 knockouts, would defend his IBF welterweight title against Brook, 29-0 with 19 knockouts. It would be the Englishman’s first world title fight and only his second fight outside Britain.
Peterson, who signed with Golden Boy earlier this year, is hopeful he can eventually land a chance against another Golden Boy boxer, Danny Garcia.
Peterson beat England’s Amir Khan in December 2011 to win the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation light-welterweight titles only to test positive for synthetic testosterone ahead of a planned rematch.
The WBA returned its title to Khan, who then lost it to American Garcia, while the IBF granted an appeal from Peterson, saying his low testosterone treatments gave him no unfair advantage, and kept him as the champion.
Peterson defended the crown last weekend, stopping Kendall Holt in the eighth round to end a 14-month layoff and improve to 31-1-1 with 16 knockouts. His once-dismal prospects have suddenly brightened.
“I’m happy and looking forward to the future,” Peterson said. “Hopefully we can get the guys we want to fight — Danny Garcia, Lucas Matthysse or a rematch with Khan. I’m anxious to see what the future holds.
“I would like to fight Danny Garcia. I still think I’m the WBA champion and he has still got that belt. I want to get that fight to show who the real champion is.
“I’ll fight whoever at this point. I want the best fights we can make. Whoever wants to fight me, I want to fight them.”
Garcia will defend the WBA and World Boxing Council crowns against Zab Judah on April 27, three weeks before Argentina’s Matthysse and Peterson would meet. A unification matchup of the winners later in the year could be a top draw.
“I’m all about fighting the top fighters out there and Matthysse is one of the top fighters out there,” Peterson said. “And that’s enough time for me to recover and get ready.
“I don’t think he’s going to pose any problem for me. If I fight Matthysse it will give me a chance to do all the boxing and banging I want.”
Matthysse, 33-2 with 31 knockouts, has won five fights in a row since a 2011 loss to Alexander, a 10-round split decision defeat. His other loss was in 2010 to Judah, also by split decision.
Peterson’s only loss came to Tim Bradley by unanimous decision in 2009.
Also: MASHANTUCKET, Connecticut: Australian Billy Dib defends the International Boxing Federation featherweight crown Friday against Russia’s unbeaten Evgeny Gradovich, a fill-in replacement fighter hoping for an upset.
Dib is 35-1 with 21 knockouts and has won 14 fights in a row, all in Australia, since suffering the only loss of his career in October of 2008, a unanimous 12round decision to US southpaw Steve Luevano in Atlantic City.
In his first American fight since that defeat, Dib comes to Foxwoods Casino to make the third defense of a crown he won in 2011 by unanimous decision over Mexico’s Jorge Lacierva.
The 27-year-old from Sydney won a unanimous 10-round decision last July over Mexico’s Juan Antonio Rodriguez in his most recent start.
Dib was to have originally faced mandatory challenger Mauricio Munoz, but the Argentine fighter withdrew due to injury, giving Cuban-born Luis Franco a chance at the crown before he pulled out, unhappy with the contract terms.
That opened the door to Gradovich, who is 15-0 with eight knockouts and making his third start in five months.
“Now I have just as tough, if not a tougher, test in front of me in Gradovich,” Dib said. “It’s going to be an all-out punch up. The fans can definitely expect to see a great fight.”
Gradovich, 26, comes off a seventhround stoppage of American Willie Villanueva in December.
“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity,” Gradovich said. “Becoming a world champion has been a lifelong dream of mine. This is going to be a very special night for me. I’m already in great shape. I’m going to show the world what I’m capable of.”