Amir Khan is supposed to get his rematch against Lamont Peterson on May 19; A chance to win back his Light Welterweight belts and to put the division once and for all behind him with a win over an opponent he feels superior to. An opponent he feels he actually beat in their first fight, back in December. An opponent who has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.
If there wasn’t enough controversy surrounding the first fight between the two – Fighting in Washington DC, it felt like the judges and the referee were very pro-Peterson, who landed less good shots during the fight, but prevailed with the split decision. Khan lost two points by the referee for pushing Peterson who used the Bradley tactic and kept lunging forward with his head.
Plus, there was the mystery man – Mustafa Ameen, someone with some position with the IBF, but he wasn’t there at any official capacity. Still, he was seen touching the scorecards and later celebrating in the ring along with the Peterson crew.
Now, it has been revealed that during a random drug test in March, Peterson tested for synthetic testosterone. For some reason, it has only been revealed to everyone now. Ironically, it was Peterson who asked for Khan to undergo random blood and urine testing leading up to their fight.
The Khan crew was stunned about the notification, but hasn’t really created any sensational commenting around the matter, which will be probably resolved and revealed in the coming days – Obviously last night it was a shock when I received the call to say Lamont had failed a drug test. However, the Peterson team seem to think that something’s gone wrong during the very first VADA drug test which Lamont took in March. Their explanation is that it’s something he took earlier on in the year – before the last fight.
The fight’s on. Obviously the Nevada commission will come back to us with their findings. They’ll look at things quite in depth before they make a final decision. That decision’s due to come to us by the end of play on Tuesday.
Lamont Peterson’s attorney, Jeff Fried, had this to say – We have tremendous respect for VADA and its mission. Lamont, Barry and the entire team emphatically support random drug testing in the most comprehensive manner possible.
We are working expeditiously with a team of pathologists and other medical specialists to confirm the origin of the test result and in full compliance with the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Lamont has never had a positive test either before or after this isolated occurrence and we plan to submit the medical findings by close of business Tuesday reflecting the actual facts in support of Lamont’s good faith intentions and the requirements of the commission.