Former junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson is hoping to make his return to the ring in May following a closely fought majority decision win over Dominican fighter Felix Diaz this past October. However, he will likely do so as a full-fledged welterweight for the first time in his career.
In a recent interview Peterson gave to BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan, who first reported Peterson’s plans, the D.C.-born fighter admitted that he could possibly make 140lbs again one day but only if it is worth the hassle associated with the grind that comes with making a weight you can barely stand to make. Also, it is worth noting that the kind of effort it usually takes a fighter to make a weight he is no longer comfortable at leaves said fighter drained on fight night.
“I don’t want to say I won’t make 140 ever again, but I would have to be a really big fight for me to want to get back down that low,” Peterson told BoxingScene. “I can make the weight, but I know I wouldn’t be as effective as I want to be in the ring.”
Interestingly enough, junior welterweight and welterweight aren’t the only two divisions Peterson is considering. While 147lbs offers Peterson the most confidence in himself as a fighter, he isn’t ruling out a stint at 154lbs, and he believes — given the right fight — that a junior middleweight matchup could be made sooner, regardless of whether or not he decides to campaign at the weight class permanently.
“A lot of what I do in training now is centered around adding muscle. I’m happy at 147. To be honest, I can even fight at 154lbs. But 147 is where I’m most effective. The division is wide open with Floyd stepping down from the throne and I believe I can cause some damage at that weight.”
It is likely that we will see Peterson at 147lbs in his May fight. But despite the fact that he has competed at catch weights in each of his last two fights means that he will still have to get accustomed to the weight class. Don’t be surprised to see Peterson in soft at welterweight because if he hopes to continue his career at welterweight with the same competitiveness he maintained at junior welterweight then he’ll have to be calculating and rely on smart decision making.