By Ian S Palmer
There’s yet another Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card this week as former world champion Lamont Peterson of America takes on former Olympian Felix Diaz Jr. of the Dominican Republic at the EagleBank Arena at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia. The 12-round bout will be fought at a catch weight of 144 lbs. and can be seen live Saturday afternoon October 17th on NBC in both Canada and the U.S.
The 31-year-old Peterson of Washington D.C. will be climbing through the ropes with a record of 33-3-1 along with 17 Kos while the undefeated 31-year-old Diaz has a perfect mark of 17-0 with 8 Kos. Diaz i8s a southpaw who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, but has a size disadvantage against the former junior welterweight champion. Peterson stands 5-feet-9-inches tall and has a 72-inch reach while Diaz is just 5-foot-5 and has a wingspan of 67 inches. Peterson also has the edge in pro experience with 252 rounds under his belt since 2004. Diaz has gone 87 rounds since turning pro in 2009.
Peterson’s knockout ratio currently stands at 46 per cent while Diaz’s is 47 per cent. Peterson has been in the ring against some top-notch boxers such as Amir Khan, Danny Garcia, Lucas Matthysse, Dierry Jean, Kendall Holt, Timothy Bradley and Victor Ortiz. However, he struggles against elite fighters. He won a very controversial decision against Khan and later failed a drug test. His losses were against Bradley, Matthysse and Garcia, with Matthysse stopping him in three rounds two years ago. His last outing resulted in a majority-decision loss to WBA and WBC Jr. Welterweight Champion Garcia back in April.
Diaz hasn’t fought any top contenders as of yet and will be taking a step up in class against Peterson. This is a big fight for Peterson as he can’t afford many more losses, especially not to a fighter with Diaz’s resume. Peterson doesn’t have the greatest chin in the division and Diaz isn’t the most powerful puncher, but the ex-champion will need to make sure he doesn’t walk into a shot. Diaz obviously has some good boxing skills since they don’t hand out gold medals at the Olympics to just anyone. However, because of the height and reach disadvantages he needs to get on the inside against his opponent.
Peterson is also a good boxer though who has a lot of energy and can produce a high work rate when needed. He isn’t afraid to slug it out either if the occasion calls for it. If both boxers bring their A game the fans should be in for a decent fight on Saturday afternoon.
Prediction
Peterson has the edge in most departments such as experience, height and reach and he’s even when it comes to power and age. If he performs up to his top level he should be able to beat Diaz, but his chin sometimes lets him down. Still, Peterson should be able to do enough to win this fight, likely by a relatively close decision.
