Lamont Peterson (33-3-1, 17 KOs) returns to the ring this Saturday, October 17, 2015 at EagleBank Arena at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA to take on undefeated contender, Felix Diaz (17-0, 8 KOs) in a 12-round bout.
The afternoon fight headlines a Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC starting at 4:00 pm, EST.
We last saw Peterson in the ring in April of this year, giving a spirited performance against the undefeated Danny Garcia. Many spectators felt Peterson was robbed against Garcia, a fight which he started slow in, but finished in dominant fashion and ended up losing a majority decision.
Diaz presents a different challenge for Peterson, and although the Dominican is relatively untested as a professional, he has a strong amateur background, which includes a gold medal victory in the 2008 Olympics. The 31-year-old defeated Gabriel Bracero in his last outing, which also took place on the Peterson-Garcia card.
Peterson, who is also 31, is just 2-2 in his last four fights, but he’s fought some top names during that span including Lucas Matthysse and the aforementioned Garcia. Although the Garcia decision was frustrating, Peterson knows that he can’t afford to overlook the challenge in front of him, especially if he wants to score bigger fights (and rematches) in the future.
“October 17, I am anxious to show that I still want to get better and show that there are still a lot of things that people haven’t seen me do. I would like to avenge some defeats that I’ve had. I’m better than anyone I’ve ever lost to… I’d like to have the opportunity to go out and prove that I’m better than the people I lost to,” said Peterson during his media workout last week.
Diaz will have his work cut out for him not only because of the professional experience, but also because of the location of the fight. After traveling to Brooklyn for some of his most notable fights, Peterson is returning to the friendly confines of the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia for those who don’t know).
EagleBank Arena is not too far from Peterson’s home base in Southeast Washington, DC at the Headbangers Boxing Gym so a large, pro-Peterson crowd is expected. Peterson helped reignite the big time boxing scene in the DC area back in 2011, something that his father figure and head trainer Barry Hunter is quick to point out.
“People don’t realize that before Lamont fought Amir Khan in DC, there was a 20 year window that we had big time fighting in the DC area. A lot of what you see in this area by way of fighting, you have to give Lamont and this squad a whole lot of credit for bringing boxing back to DC,” said Hunter.
Peterson is looking to put on an impressive performance for his hometown fans, thus giving himself the opportunity to headline more fights in his backyard.
“I love action and my game plan is to go in there and give fans a fun fight and show them some drama. It’s a great night of boxing overall.”
Photos by Wallace Barron
