Lamont Peterson is prepared to play the weight yo-yo game. Not because the former champ wants to, but because he’s itching to get back in the ring and shed any building ring rust. Peterson, who was last in action against Felix Diaz last October at a career-high 144 pounds, isn’t satisfied with his fight diary right now. It’s blank. And if manager/advisor Al Haymon can’t land his boxer a scrap then there’s a problem.
But is seeking out higher weight classes the right answer? According to Peterson, who is already starting to feel the strain to make the Junior Welterweight limit, it’s an option he may consider.
“I would like [to fight] as soon as possible at this point,” Peterson told The Ring. “I usually stay pretty busy but eight or nine months is a little too long for me … I’m definitely going to try at a higher weight class … Probably a little above welterweight at this point.”
“But if it’s a big fight, a title fight or anything like that, I could do welterweight … When I get down to mid 150s, I start to feel the weight drain and to try and force it to get down to [1]’40 or even [1]’47 is a push. So I think I can max it out at 160.”
You’ve got to hand it to Peterson. His ambitions remain strong. In an ideal world, Peterson, now 32, would remain patient and aim to at least to do some significant damage at Welterweight before bulking up. There’s good fights out there at 147, and it would seem like a more satisfying natural progression to Peterson’s fans. I’m in that boat.
Amir Khan may have taken the plunge by jumping up to tackle a huge ask (literally) in Canelo Alvarez at 155, but we’re yet to see how that underdog story ends. One reason for Peterson to bulk up in the near future could be to chase a rematch with Khan? Mmm…actually, knowing Khan’s capacity to procrastinate and wait for mega fights, Peterson will probably never be on his radar.
Where would you like to see Lamont Peterson next?
