By Ian S Palmer
Washington DC’s Lamont Peterson of will be attempting to defend his IBF Junior Welterweight Title for the third time this Saturday, August 9 when he takes on Edgar Santana of Puerto Rico at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Peterson suffered a knockout at the hands of Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse last year, but it was a non-title affair. He originally won the crown in an upset against Britain’s Amir Khan in 2011. Peterson’s last bout was a 12-round unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Dierry Jean of Haiti in January. The action can be seen liven in the U.S. on Showtime while Canadian fans can catch the action on Super Channel and British fans can tune in on BoxNation.
The 30-year-old Peterson will enter the ring with an impressive 32-2-1 record along with 16 Kos. The 35-year-old Santana carries a mark of 29-4 with 20 Kos to his name. They both stand 5-feet-9-inches tall, but Peterson has a 72-inch reach against Santana’s 68.5 inches for a slight advantage. Even though Santana is five years his senior, Peterson also has the edge in experience as he’s boxed 230 rounds as a pro while Santana has gone 143 rounds. Santana’s last contest came back in November when he stopped Michael Clark in the first round.
Peterson’s hoping to earn a big-money fight later this year, possibly in a title unification bout with WBC and WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Danny Garcia of Philadelphia. A loss to Santana would certainly derail those plans. Peterson’s won four of his last five bouts with the third-round defeat to Matthysse being his only downfall. Santana has a decent record and also carries some telling power in his fists. However, he hasn’t faced any elite boxers up to now. He turned pro back in 1999 and two of his losses were by decision early in his career. Santana’s been stopped once, which was back in 2007 when Harrison Cuello beat him in the third round.
Santana has had some trouble outside of the ring as the New York resident was busted for drug offenses back in 2008. The arrest came just after he had beaten Josesito Lopez and he ended up calling Rikers Island his home for four months after that. Santana didn’t box for three years, but since returning to the ring he’s posted a 6-1 record. Peterson is a step up in class for Santana, but his punching power and the champion’s questionable chin give him a legitimate chance of an upset.
It won’t be easy though since Peterson possesses world-class boxing skills and has decent power of his own. He has a big heart and experience against some good boxers in his division. He has a good jab and works off of it while his legs make him quite mobile inside the ring. He’s beaten the likes of Khan, and Kendall Holt, with his draw coming against Victor Ortiz and his other loss being a decision to Timothy Bradley in 2011. Peterson prefers to fight at distance though as he’s not really a brawler who likes to fight on the inside. Santana, on the other hand, doesn’t mind slugging it out.
Prediction
Peterson’s a slow starter and that could be a problem if Santana can tag him early. The champion’s been knocked down several times before though and has gotten up every time, except against Matthysse. Santana needs to turn this match into a brawl if possible while Peterson should try and stick with his boxing skills. It’s doubtful that Santana will be able to take this fight by a decision unless he rocks Peterson all night long. His best hope would be to go after the champion from the opening bell. However, if he’s not able to take Peterson out early, look for the champion to retain the title by a relatively easy decision.
