Amir Khan, Lamont Peterson, Seth Mitchell, Timur Ibragimov, Anthony Peterson And Jamie Kavanagh Held Coast-To-Coast, Same Day Workouts In Los Angeles And Washington, DC Yesterday In Advance Of Their Respective December 10 Fights At The Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC Which Will Be Telecast Live On HBO’s World Championship Boxing
Amir Khan, Unified Super Lightweight World Champion
“I have all the power and speed on my side to beat Lamont Peterson. I think this will be my toughest test, but I think I will win and do it in good style. I’m expecting a big fight to end the year. It’s going to be explosive in the ring on December 10th.
Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
“Lamont Peterson is on the same level as me, but if you ask me if he’s going to beat me, I would say he’s good and he’s strong and on my level, but he won’t beat me. He’s tricky. He’s tall and he’s strong. We all know how good Victor Ortiz is, and to get knocked down and come out with a draw [against Ortiz] is impressive.
“I train hard and I perform. What it really comes down to is winning. As long as I keep winning fights and winning over more fans, I’ll become as well known as Manny [Pacquiao.]
“We are going to be ready for whatever Lamont Peterson brings into the ring. We know exactly what we want to do. If we follow our game plan and don’t make any mistakes, we’ll be fine.
“Alex Ariza and I have been working hard. He’s killing me in the gym, but I enjoy that. I like to leave the gym feeling tired, like I’ve worked out hard.”
Lamont Peterson, Number One Rated Super Lightweight Contender
“I’m much more comfortable at this level. I feel at ease and I know that December 10th I’m going to go out there and it’s going to be another day of boxing. It’s something I’ve been doing for 17 years.
Photo: Hogan Photos
“To me, Khan is similar to Tim Bradley. They are hustle fighters. They just try to outpoint you.
“A taller fighter is always easier for me than a shorter fighter, so overall; I’d say Khan is about the same challenge as Victor Ortiz or Bradley.
“I would say I’m the toughest fighter Khan has faced so far. In a lot of his fights, he’s fought older or much shorter fighters and he had a lot of physical advantages over them. He’s not going to have any of those advantages over me.
“I know I have a lot of people are pulling for me in the DC area and even in the U.K. A lot of people want to see me win this fight. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but it goes right back to the same thing as far as what’s best for me and sticking to my game plan. People might want me to do certain things, but at the end of the day I have to stick to the game plan that my coach and I came up with.
“I understand that fighting at home could be a distraction, but regardless of the situation, if you know what you have to do, then you’ll just do it. You don’t let any distractions come in. You can only get distracted if you allow it to happen.
“I’m pretty comfortable with fighting at home. I wanted to fight here. I know that when I walk into the ring and see those familiar faces, it will help me in the ring. I shouldn’t have any distractions or any added pressure. I think I’ll deal with it pretty well.
“It means a lot to be the first big fight in DC in 18 years. Growing up, I watched the big DC fighters like Sharmba Mitchell, Mark ‘Too Sharp’ [Johnson] and Riddick Bowe. I dreamed of it being me one day. Now this is my chance. It’s a dream come true and I’m just happy right now.”
Seth Mitchell, Undefeated Heavyweight Contender
“I am excited. It is going to be a good feeling to come out and fight in front of my hometown crowd and hopefully put on a good show so HBO can come out to DC again.
“I definitely believe in my heart and in my mind that I am ready. My trainer and I have been working very hard in the gym. I will be prepared December 10th.
“I read a couple of his [Timur Ibragimov] quotes, saying that he is too experienced for me. That remains to be seen. He hasn’t been stopped so it will definitely be a feather in my cap to go out and stop him.
“I don’t necessarily go out looking for knockouts even though I have knocked out 10 of my last 11 opponents.
“I have to keep everything in perspective. I do this for my family. This is a part of the business; having appearances to build the fight, but you have to stay focused.
“I think that the heavyweight division is not in great hands right now. I respect the Klitschko’s, but someone has to go out and beat them. I want to continue to progress. I want to be the man to dethrone the Klitschko’s.
“I am going to be prepared. I have no problem staying off of my phone, staying off of the computer and really focusing on the task at hand and that is December 10th.”
Timur Ibragimov, Heavyweight Contender
“Everything is going well in training camp. I’m here in Los Angeles with my coach and my friends and I’m ready to fight.
“I’ve been to Washington, DC a few times, but I have never fought there before. I know big things are going to happen in my life and there are going to be big things happening in Washington, DC on December 10.
“Seth Mitchell is young and strong, but everyone is strong and that’s why you always have to be 100%. I’m ready. I’m at 100%. Be ready for war on December 10th!
“Thank you to all of the fans for all of their support and for always believing in me.”
Anthony Peterson, Lightweight Contender
“It’s very important to continue that legacy [of great Washington, DC fighters] because we’ve got the ammunition to do it. We’ve got a variety of fighters that are coming up that could well be world champions. We could have 67 champions here in DC.
“It’s very important because I’m tired of going out to Vegas and hearing them say, ‘What’s up with DC?’ We’re waiting, but it’s going to happen. It’s very important that December 10th, we take over boxing.
“I remember talking to my brother and saying that we’re going to host a big fight here one day and coach told us plenty of times that it’ll happen if we stick to what we do.
“That’s the only thing that’s keeping me afloat, is watching my brother.
“We feel worse for each other when we lose.
“That night, I know it’s mandatory for me to spark a fight and get a win.”
Jamie Kavanagh, Undefeated Rising Lightweight Star
“Camp is going well. We have had a lot of good sparring with Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.
“I’m looking forward to the next few weeks. Training will be really tough for the two weeks coming up and then it will calm down right before the fight.
“This is my fourth fight on Amir Khan’s undercards and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s great having all of the British fans in the crowd.
Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions
“Once again, you will witness a global star in the making in Amir Khan. It’s going to be a very exciting fight. I give a lot of credit to Amir Khan for taking on Lamont Peterson in his own backyard.
“Seth Mitchell can be the savior of the heavyweight division. He’s a great young, rising prospect.
“I’m looking forward to the fight between Seth Mitchell and Timur Ibragimov. I think it is a dangerous fight for Mitchell and I think it will be a real test for him.”
Freddie Roach, Khan’s Trainer
“Amir is coming along well; he has been looking very impressive. He’s just getting better and better, especially coming off of a good win.
“Amir has got a tough guy in front of him in Lamont Peterson, but he’s ready. We have had great sparring and he looks very impressive. He has great movement in the gym. You just want him to carry that into the fight.”
# # #
“Capital Showdown: Khan vs. Peterson,” a 12-round Unified Super Lightweight World Title Fight for Khan’s WBA World Super Championship and IBF World Championship taking place on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Khan Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, DeWalt Tools and AT&T. Also featured will be a 10-round heavyweight battle between Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell and Timur Ibragimov. The fights will be telecast live in the United States on HBO’s World Championship Boxing at 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.
Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $75, $50 and $25, are available for purchase through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets for fans traveling from the United Kingdom are available for purchase online at www.sportscorporation.comor by calling +44 (0)845 163 0845.
