by David P. Greisman
Anthony Peterson was at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25 to see his brother, Lamont, take on Dierry Jean.
Anthony was originally supposed to be fighting on the undercard, but will instead be returning in March in the main event of a card promoted by Mike Tyson Productions.
Peterson spoke with reporters about that, as well as his desire to stay a free agent.
Q: You were supposed to be on this card. Rumor is you pulled out because the fight couldn’t be televised. What’s going on?
Peterson: “The truth is I did not fight on this Jan. 25 [Lamont] Peterson card because of this [holds up a flyer]. I’m fighting on another card March 7. It was a better choice for me. My team agreed to it, and that’s what we’re going to do. It was nothing that was broken down in the contract, with my opponent, with my weight, with none of that. That’s why I chose to not fight on the card.”
[ Editor’s note: More info at https://www.boxingscene.com/-peterson-joan-guzman-lubin-fight-3-7-dc--73980 ]
Q: It’s a Mike Tyson Productions card that you’ll be fighting on. How does it feel to be fighting on a Tyson card?
Peterson: “It’s an honor. … Everybody watched Tyson since they was in the Pee-Wees. There’s something about Tyson, it’s like they got this dangerous love affair with him. I don’t care how many times he lose. I don’t care. That’s Tyson. I love him.”
Q: Beyond that, you’ll be in the main event. What’s that going to be like for you, instead of being on the undercard tonight to being in the main event in your hometown?
Peterson: “It means a lot. I’ve been a main event on several cards before, out in Memphis, in Vegas, so it’s not new grounds for me, but I’m just blessed to be back because it could be anything besides this. I’m blessed that this happened.”
Q: What do you hope this fight builds for you down the line?
Peterson: “Championship. I want to definitely dominate the lightweight division. Everybody knows that. I’ve been screaming that since I was 19. Ain’t nothing changed about me. It’s no secret. I want to definitely dominate in the lightweight division, win all the belts.”
Q: Now at 135, who are you looking at?
Peterson: “Everybody. Everybody.”
Q: What do you think it’s going to take for you to get signed to Golden Boy like your brother so fights can be made more easily for you?
Peterson: “It’d take keep winning in KO fashion, but I don’t want to sign with them. I don’t want to sign with nobody. I wanna stay with Headbanger. I just want to get that fight that I’m in destiny for. I’ve been in the game for 10 years. One of these fighters is going to step out there. One of these world champion fighters is going to step out. And eventually that’ll happen. I’ll be self-promoted, and I’ll run with it.”
Q: Not being promoted by Golden Boy, how do you expect to get, say, an Omar Figueroa fight, who’s destined to be the WBC titleholder, or Miguel Vazquez with Top Rank, or Ray Beltran, and now you’ve got Terence Crawford and Ricky Burns. Crawford is Top Rank. Burns is Eddie Hearn, who’s got a good relationship with Golden Boy. Sometimes you need a big promoter to grease the wheels.
Peterson: “This is true, but when you’ve got God on your side, can’t nothing break you. Something’s going to happen for me. I keep my faith in God, stay positive, stay around positive people, it’ll happen. I’m not hurting for money or hurting for things that an average kid like myself would be begging to sign with a promoter for no long-term good reason. Headbanger Promotions, under Barry Hunter, I’ve got a good team.”
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