by David P. Greisman

BoxingScene.com: What are your thoughts on the fight?

Lederman: “I think that, really, from the bottom of my heart, I think that Joe Cooper should’ve given him a hard warning, called time out, said, ‘Look, one more time, I’m going to take a point.’ But he didn’t do that. He just called time, said ‘one point.’ And then he did it again. It’s a minor infraction.

“I always get annoyed when a referee becomes the difference in a decision. Had Amir Khan not lost the two points, he would’ve won a unanimous decision, and that’s all there is to it. He won the fight, and then the referee takes it away from him. And I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t think it’s fair at all. Because there’s no question Lamont Peterson also was using his head, butting, and Joe never said anything about that.

“So it was tough. This was Lamont Peterson’s hometown. He fought his heart out, but I thought that Amir Khan out-boxed him. I had Amir Khan winning the fight by one point. It was a tough call. It was a tough loss, because, really, the fight was won by the referee. That’s what it boils down to. The two points were the difference in the fight.”

BoxingScene.com: What did you think of Peterson’s performance?

Lederman: “Very good. Listen, Amir Khan was a 12 to 1 favorite. Lamont Peterson battled with him. Every time he stood there and punched and he let his hands go, he did terrific. Rounds three and four, he really hammered Amir Khan, throwing shots like sledgehammers. The problem was he was out-boxed.

“Amir Khan was quicker. Amir Khan landed a lot more punches. Amir Khan, with his legs, really won the fight. He just out-boxed him, and that’s all there is to it. But Lamont Peterson hung in there and gave us a great fight tonight. I gotta tell ya, I give him all the credit in the world. I don’t think he won, but I give him all the credit in the world.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com