Lamont Peterson scores unanimous decision over
Brazilian
Antonio Mesquita
Anthony Peterson stopped Cuba's Jose Izquierdo
Photo Credit: Scott Foster/For SHOWTIME
LAMONT AND ANTHONY PETERSON
WIN EASILY TO REMAIN UNBEATEN
Friday,
Jan. 4, 2008, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi
Brothers Lamont and Anthony Peterson of Washington, D.C., kept
their undefeated records and hopes for a world title shot in
2008 intact with convincing victories Friday in the co-featured
bouts on ShoBox: The New Generation at
the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
A doubleheader promoted by Prize
Fight Boxing aired on SHOWTIME at
11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
Lamont Peterson,
23, and 14 months
older than Anthony, improved to 24-0 with 11 knockouts with a
unanimous 10-round decision over previously undefeated Brazilian
Antonio Mesquita. Peterson out boxed and out punched Mesquita
(34-1, 27 KOs) to triumph by the scores of 100-89, 99-90 and
98-93.
Anthony Peterson upped
his record to 26-0 with 19 knockouts with an eighth-round
stoppage of Cuba’s Jose Izquierdo. He dropped Izquierdo (16-2-1,
13 KOs), a late substitute for Guadalupe Rosales, three times –
once in the seventh and twice in the eighth. The bout was
stopped at 2:54, shortly after the last knockdown.
“I thought I executed
my game plan to perfection and managed to keep my poise and
remain patient even though it was obvious that Mesquita was
doing everything he could to get me to exchange and fight his
fight,’’ said Lamont Peterson, a junior welterweight who is
ranked
No. 3 in the World Boxing
Organization (WBO) and No. 6 in the World Boxing Association
(WBA).
“Honestly, I don’t think I lost a
round. He did a lot of complaining but I think he was frustrated
because he could never catch me.’’
Mesquita, of Las Vegas, Nev., by way of Guaruja, Brazil, had a
point deducted in the final round for hitting after the break.
“He
was faster than I thought and I could never really catch him
like I wanted,’’ said Mesquita, who was unable to connect with
his vaunted right hand with any consistency. “But the scoring
was way out of line. I know I won some more rounds.
“The
ref took a point from me at the end but he should have been
taking points from Peterson for all the head butts. I kept
trying to tell the ref to watch for his head coming in, but he
never did a thing.’’
A lightweight who is ranked No. 1
in the WBO, No. 4 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and No.
12 in the International Boxing Federation,
Anthony Peterson was well ahead on the judges’ scorecards
entering the eighth round of his fight.
Peterson did not appear to be dominating, however, particularly
in the opening four or five frames.
“It
was a good victory for me. I always felt I was in charge,’’
Peterson said. “The guy was determined and a little awkward, but
I made the adjustments I had to make. Fighting a last-minute
sub, I didn’t really know what to expect. But I got the job
done, which is what counts. I am ready to fight next whoever
they put in front of me.’’
Izquierdo, a Cuban who lives in Chihuahua, Mexico, took the
match on a few days’ notice after Rosales became ill. Izquierdo
came out determinedly and was competitive during the first five
rounds.
“I
felt good,’’ he said, “but I am very disappointed. I felt I was
fighting two guys in there – my opponent and the referee. I must
have been hit at least six times in the back of the head, but
the ref never did anything. That is what made me go down. I was
off balance. I was never really hurt by his punches.’’
ShoBox returns Friday, Feb. 1, at
Grand Casino Hinckley, in
Hinckley, Minn. In the main event, undefeated junior
middleweight Alfredo Angulo (11-0, 8 KOs) faces Ricardo Cortes
(22-1, 15 KOs). In a battle of unbeatens in the co-feature of
the Gary Shaw Productions, LLC-promoted event, Mickey Bey Jr.
(9-0, 6 KOs) meets Juan Castaneda (12-0, 9 KOs) in an
eight-round super featherweight bout.
For information on Showtime Sports, including exclusive video,
photos and news links on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and
EliteXC mixed martial arts telecasts, please go
www.SHO.com/sports.
1-4-2008
|
