Washington DC native Lamont Peterson targeted a unification showdown with WBA and WBC king Danny Garcia after the IBF champion successfully defended his world title against mandatory challenger Dierry Jean (25-0-1) in the DC Armory on Saturday night.
Peterson, 30, was back in action for the first time since being brutalised by Argentine puncher Lucas Matthysse in May last year, but showed little signs of ring rust as he comprehensively outfought his unbeaten rival to secure a unanimous decision on the cards.
Going into the fight, many experts predicted that the untested Haitian born Canadian would pose Peterson plenty of problems stylistically, and that seemed to be the case early on. As the first bell rang, both fighters tried to take centre ring and establish the jab. Peterson’s was slower yet seemed to carry more weight, while Jean’s lead left hand was unorthodox, almost piston-like. Peterson was content to circle in an attempt to keep Jean guessing, but it was the challenger who landed the first meaningful blow, a cuffing right hand which caught Peterson on the back of the head as he tried to duck to avoid the blow.
Peterson, perhaps warming up, was more aggressive in the second as he targeted Jean’s body with left and right hooks. Both traded left hands midway through but it was Peterson’s that landed harder. Jean, 31, responded well, blurring out a fast right hand which connected flush. Peterson shook his head but he was hurt. Backing up to the ropes, Peterson was against caught with the right hand, this time on the bell.
Sensing he needed to change tactics, Peterson started the third with intent. After a stiff jab and right hand from Jean, Peterson pushed back the challenger in a bid to show his physical strength. Both were working the body up close, but it was the champion who was landing more now, a left uppercut followed a left hook which seemed to get Jean’s attention, before a right hand crashed over the top.
Peterson continued on the front foot in rounds four and five, but it was the Canadian who landed a left hook after a slow Peterson right hand. But the champion continued to up the pace and snapped home the overhand right while smashing home hooks to the body. Jean was still shooting out the left hook, but one got the impression that Peterson’s body assault was beginning to break his opponent down. Jean’s work was starting to slow in both pace and output, with the DC man blocking much of the challenger’s work. Peterson even had time to showboat, mocking Jean with a bolo punch moments after he hurt his man with a left hook.
Sensing the end was close, Peterson flew from his stall at the start of the sixth looking to keep up the momentum. He hustled his way inside and worked off Jean’s chest. Jean was starting to back away more as Peterson’s body assault was clearly affecting him. Having trapped his man on the ropes, Peterson brought his wide hooks up, causing both swelling and a cut over Jean’s right eye, his fourth cut in his last five fights.
Seeing the cut, Peterson started to bring his jab into play. But Jean was to take one final stand in the eighth. Five unanswered hooks caught the champion before a right hand over the top landed. While the punches didn’t appear to have the same snap in them, it was Jean’s best round in some time as he worked the uppercut on the inside as Peterson, somewhat naively, walked forward without much in the way of head movement.
Round nine was quieter as both men began feeling the pace. Peterson exploded with a left hook, but Jean answered back with a right hand over the top. The challenger landed his own hooks to the body midway through the stanza. Peterson was still coming forward, but it wasn’t as effective, Jean catching him with a right hand at the end of the round.
But it wasn’t long before the champion was back firmly in control. Peterson upped the pace in rounds 10 and 11, backing Jean up with spiteful hooks to the body. Some strayed low, and Jean took advantage as the referee halted the action as one left hook drifted south of the beltline. But Jean was tiring fast. A 1-2 from Peterson opened up the 12th and final round before he danced around the ring to keep out of danger.
As the final bell rang out, there were little doubts as to who has won. Scores of 118-111, 116-112 and a far too close 115-113 were read out by Jimmy Lennon Jr. RingNews24.com scored the contest 117-112, with round one scored even.
“I knew it was his [Jean] first world title fight. I knew he would have nervous so I wanted to smash on the gas early” Peterson, who improved to 32-2-1, told Showtime. Pressed on his next fight, the IBF champion said “I want to be considered the best 140lb fighter before I leave, so if that’s Danny Garcia, that’s what it is.”
On the undercard, one half of the Charlo twins registered his most impressive win to date as Jermell (23-0) out-boxed Philadelphian tough man Gabe Rosado over 10 rounds. Rosado started the faster of the two, bursting forwards in an attempt to unsettle the youngster. But the Ronnie Shields trained Charlo, 23, had an answer at every turn. Popping out a fast left jab, Charlo would lay traps all night before smashing home lead left hooks which simply couldn’t miss. As early as the second round Rosado was showing facial damage, and a jolting right hand opened up a cut over the former world title challenger’s right eye in round four. Charlo would often faint with the jab and wait for a Rosado right hand before crunching home hard left hooks and by the fifth the blood flow had gotten steadily worse.
Rosado would still come forward, attempting to trap his man on the ropes, but the highly touted prospect’s movement troubled Rosado throughout.
Rosado did have success in round seven as he trapped his opponent on the ropes and worked the body more. Charlo, perhaps tiring, was lingering more on the inside, allowing Rosado to fire home a hard left hand which seemed to momentarily trouble Jermell. A big right hand likely won Rosado the 9th as well, but business was resumed in the final round as Charlo’s faster, more accurate blows bounced off the beaten face of Rosado.
Scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93 rang around the arena after the final bell, which reflected the dominance of the younger man, who looks an exciting prospect. Rosado (now 21-8) is winless in his last four, (including a no contest with ‘JLeon Love after the Michigan man failed a drugs test) and it may be time to call it a day.
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