Out of the shadows: Anthony Peterson eyes world title shot

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Anthony PetersonBig brothers and little brothers, you’ve got to love the dynamic between them. Multiple sets of siblings have made their mark in American sports over the years, and in many instances the older brother has cast a shadow over the younger brother.

Whether it’s Peyton and Eli Manning, Michael and Marcus Vick, or Floyd Mayweather and Adrien Broner (in “Bronerworld”), the little brother often gets overshadowed by big brother’s greatness. Such has been the case with Lamont and Anthony Peterson.

Lamont Peterson (34-3-1, 17 KOs) is just one year older than younger brother Anthony Peterson (37-1, 24 KOs), yet Lamont is the fighter with the greater notoriety despite the pair of brothers having the same number of prizefights in their respective careers.

The Peterson brothers have appeared on the same card a total of 19 times. Lamont headlined six of the cards compared to Anthony’s two. Lamont has won and defended the IBF junior welterweight world title; however, Anthony has yet to compete for a world title.

According to the Petersons’ trainer Barry Hunter, that is about to change in 2016. Hunter told Tha Boxing Voice in a recent interview that he is looking for Anthony to get a title shot in his next bout in 2016.

“The plans are, get this one out the way, and the next fight should be a world title fight,” Hunter said.

Anthony has campaigned at lightweight for quite some time, and Hunter mentioned the plan is to continue in the weight class. For Peterson and Hunter, their feelings about being down in the lightweight division are similar to Mikey, the de facto leader of “The Goonies” when he exclaimed, “Down here it’s our time!

When asked about Peterson’s potential to defend a title at 135 pounds Hunter added, “As it stands today, yes, he can still make it. Yes, he can defend it.”Jay Z and Kanye West

The Peterson brothers won’t be mistaken for the most brazen and outspoken pugilists in the sport, yet parallels to the Jay-Z and Kanye West relationship can be drawn, as referenced by West in his song “Big Brother.”

“Sibling rivalry, only I could see, it was the pride in me, that was driving me.”

Anthony Peterson’s competition with Lamont for boxing acclaim throughout his career has him looking forward to a big year in 2016 by not only becoming the next world titlist in the lightweight division, but also stepping out from under his big brother’s shadow.