Peterson Seeking July Return in D.C., Preferably at 147

by David P. Greisman

Lamont Peterson isn’t that far removed from his majority decision loss to Danny Garcia on April 11, a bout Peterson feels he deserves to win. While he’s hoping for a rematch with Garcia or other top foes, he’s also eyeing a potential return date in July for a fight he hopes will be in his hometown of Washington, D.C.

“Nothing’s set yet. That’s what we’re pushing for,” Peterson told BoxingScene.com on April 19.

Peterson said he rarely fought in D.C. in the early part of his career. There was one bout in 2004 and another in 2007, but then he didn’t return home again until his 2011 win over Amir Khan. Since then, there were his 2013 victory over Kendall Holt and the 2014 decision win over Dierry Jean. Staying at home allows local fans to see him without needing to worry about travel, he said.

Garcia-Peterson was held at a contractual weight limit of 143 pounds. At the post-fight press conference, Peterson spoke of how much better he felt at 143 and of his curiosity as to what being at 147 would feel like.

Dropping back down to junior-welterweight isn’t out of the question, he said later, but only for certain circumstances.

“I’ll do ’40 if it’s worth it, but if it’s not worth it, if it’s not a good name, it’s not worth it. Financially, if there’s nothing on the line. I’d rather do ’47,” Peterson said. “In training camp, I normally start off, I’m pretty heavy. This time I got really heavy quick. Without really eating that much my body just automatically just shot up. I’m talking about 180. So it’s getting tough. I put on a lot of muscle. At the end of training camp, I try to melt it off to try to make 140. If I keep that muscle, I’ll be much stronger and have more energy.”

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