IBF Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson will defend his crown against mandatory contender Kendall Holt on February 22nd in Washington, D.C. on ESPN 2 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“I’ve been talking to (Peterson’s Manager/Trainer) Barry (Hunter) all along trying to work this out. We went to a purse bid so we could protect the fight and make sure we had time to get it all worked out,” said Holt’s promoter Gary Shaw, who won the purse bid to stage the fight. “Barry and I are partners and we’re gonna split up the money and make our own deals with the fighters. Kendall will make more than $12,500 and Lamont will make more than $37,500.”

“I think it’s a wonderful fight for Kendall,” Shaw said. “These are two fighters who are both going to come to win. I don’t think the fight is going to go to a decision. Kendall can really punch. I’ve always believed he was the biggest puncher in the 140-pound division. And I have a lot of respect for Lamont Peterson. Look what he did to Khan. At the end of the day, he won the fight.

“Stylistically, I think it will be a terrific fight. Neither guy will back down from each other.”

Gary Shaw Productions has won the the right to stage a potential IBF Jr. Welterweight title fight between champion Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Shaw grabbed the rights for a mere $50,000. Since his company was the only one that showed up at the IBF offices for the purse bid, he submitted the envelope with the cheaper total. He would have bid a much higher amount had their been competition at the auction.

As the titleholder, Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs) is entitled to 75 percent of the money ($37,500) with Holt (28-5, 16 KOs) getting the remaining 25 percent ($12,500).

“We’re going to do the fight so I want to get with Barry Hunter and see if we can do it in D.C., and if not, then I’ll take the fight somewhere else,” Shaw said. “Kendall Holt wants this fight. Peterson? That will be up to him and Barry if I can make a deal with them.”

“I’ve been spoken to Barry and I thought we’d make a deal before the purse bid,” Shaw said. “He said he would call Lamont and get back to me, but I have not heard back from him.”

“Let’s see if Barry comes around and see what kind of gate we can do,” Shaw said.

Headbangers Promotions which is headed by Lamont Peterson’s manager/trainer Barry Hunter won the purse bid to stage the IBF Jr. Welterweight championship bout between Peterson and former world champion Zab Judah for $50,000 according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“The fight must be done in 90 days, or by Jan. 2, 2013,” said Lindsay Tucker of the IBF.

“My thing is I’ve been around a long time and financially I’m OK in life,” Judah told ESPN.com. “I know that I need that title for the Zab Judah train to stay afloat. So we’re gonna be there. We’re coming to D.C., with a game plan. I’m in top shape right now. You can ask anyone in the gyms in Las Vegas. I’ve been killing guys in the gym.

“We are in. I know the bigger picture. I know what Zab Judah winning means. I said I ain’t doing this only because of the money. I’m fighting because I still love the sport and I love what I do, and I know I’m good at it. I’m doing pretty fine in life. I’m not starving. I ain’t never worked in my life. Boxing is all I ever did and I live great and every time my back is against the wall, like with this here fight, I pull it out.”

“I’m ready for this fight,” said Judah, who turns 35 on Oct. 27. “I don’t know if Peterson is ready. I’m here to show everybody that I’ll still reign. I know what I gotta do even with my last performance (against Paris) being great. I was disappointed with that purse. I was mad. I wasn’t going to do the fight. But it wasn’t about money. I live to do what I do. I know I can fight and I know where my mind is at. I’m doing things right. It’s the same thing with this fight with Peterson.”

Dan Rafael of espn.com reports that Lamont Peterson will be able to keep his IBF Jr. Welterweight belt after a failed test for elevated Testosterone.

“I’m thankful and I’m thrilled with the IBF’s decision,” Peterson said in a statement. “I want to thank my manager, Barry Hunter, for all of his support throughout this ordeal. There were a lot of naysayers out there, but Barry and the rest of my team never doubted me. My team fought non-stop to ensure that I was cleared.”

“After concluding the review of all the documentation provided by Peterson’s camp and the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the physician determined that the testosterone levels noted in the VADA report are consistent with the therapeutic use of the hormone and not for the purpose of performance enhancement.

“Therefore, these levels would not have enhanced Lamont Peterson’s training for or performance during the bout on Dec. 10, 2011, nor for his training for the bout that was scheduled for May 19, 2012, as a specimen collected by VADA on April 13, 2012 tested negative on May 2, 2012.”

“I’ve known Lamont his whole life and always had faith in him,” said Peterson’s manager/trainer/ father figure Barry Hunter. “We were certain that when all of the details were reviewed, Lamont would be cleared and allowed to move on with a title defense and his career. We never stopped training. Lamont looks great and we’re looking forward to a great fight once we work out the details with Judah and his team.”

Lamont Peterson’s camp must not have been reading websites, Twitter or Facebook when ESPN reported just two days after Peterson’s upset on Dec. 10 of Amir Khan that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun had tested positive.

Either that or Peterson’s management was partying on a planet where there is no social media. Braun’s positive test was for elevated levels of testosterone. A second test showed that the testosterone was synthetic, meaning that Braun, the National League’s 2011 MVP, had either injected it or ingested it.

Braun’s positive test was a cautionary tale in what not to do. Peterson went ahead and did it anyway, setting off a fast-moving chain of events that led to the cancellation Wednesday of a May 19 rematch with Khan at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay. Peterson’s test samples also revealed a testosterone that had been injected as pellets into the junior-welterweight’s hip.

Expect lots of legalese in the argument about whether the testosterone in the Peterson sample was synthetic. His Las Vegas physician, Dr. John Thompson, said it was soy-based, calling it “bioidentical testosterone’’ administered after Peterson complained about fatigue brought on by what Thompson said were low levels of the natural stuff.

Even if those pellets were veggie burgers, they had to be injected in a procedure not reported to VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, which conducted the tests in an agreement with both camps. If there was in fact a legitimate medical reason for the testosterone treatment, VADA should have known about it. That it didn’t before a positive test on March 19 raises a red flag.

Peterson, a nice guy with a compelling story, said he was told that soy-based testosterone was not on the banned list. He said he researched on-line and decided it was natural. He said there no reason to worry. If not, why not report it on a VADA form that asked each fighter to disclose medications? Sorry, but to call its absence on the document an inadvertent slip just doesn’t explain it. Even his own camp says the treatment started about a month before his controversial decision over Khan in Washington D.C.

Questions raised by Braun’s positive test should have alerted Peterson to the peril of continuing it without disclosing it. Unlike Braun, the unfortunate Peterson doesn’t have a Player’s Union or an appeal process that can protect him and his livelihood. Braun’s 50-game suspension was overturned in February on an appeal that disputed only the process in which the sample was delivered and not the result itself.

Braun got off on a technicality.

Peterson didn’t.

He already has lost a payday in a cancellation also costly to Khan and Golden Boy Promotions. He’ll lose a few more if he can’t explain to various state commissions why he wasn’t more transparent about his use of a substance long controversial in other sports but just becoming an issue addressed by boxing.

In some ways, Peterson has become the personification what boxing must do: Pay attention, or else there will be cancellations in a business that can’t afford them.

AZ Notes
Phoenix junior-welterweight prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. (14-0, 12 KOs) is expected to test his surgically-repaired right wrist on May 26 at Casino Del Sol in Tucson against Josh Sosa (10-2, 5 KOs), a Leavenworth, Kan., fighter who has lost has last two. The fight will be Benavidez’s first since injuring the wrist during a victory in November on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s controversial decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.

Benavidez is scheduled for an undercard that will feature Mexican welterweight Jesus Soto Karass (24-7-3, 16 KOs) against Said El Harrack (10-1-1, 5 KOs) of Henderson, Nev. Karass-El Harrack replaces the Antonio Margarito-Abel Perry bout, which was moved to July 7, also at Casino Del Sol, because of an Achilles tendon injury suffered by Margarito last week while training in Tijuana for his first bout since a loss in December to Miguel Cotto.

Washington, D.C. (May 10, 2012) – IBF and WBA Light Welterweight Champion Lamont Peterson’s team issued the following statement in response to the cancellation of the Peterson vs. Khan II rematch:
Team Peterson is very disappointed and distraught by the decision to cancel the May 19th rematch against Amir Khan. This is an extremely difficult decision to accept. We have always taken the position of providing factual information rather than responding emotionally to rumors and innuendoes. We did everything that was asked of us in efforts to comply. To support our stance we provided the Nevada State Athletic Commission with a significant amount of factual medical data in response to these allegations. Lamont did a battery of test this week and saw a number of independent board certified physicians. They all had the exact same conclusion as the doctor that initially treated and diagnosed Lamont’s medical condition. It began as a confidential medical matter between a patient and his physician; unfortunately, it has now become a public issue in efforts to clear the name and reputation of this young man.

As a condition for this rematch Lamont demanded that Olympic style random drug testing be implemented. He has been a true advocate for making boxing drug free and fair. In his 18 year career (10 amateur and 8 professional) Lamont Peterson has never failed a drug test and has always complied with the rules beyond this isolated and explainable occurrence. We still stand behind the fact that he did nothing wrong and he was more than ready to go through with the May 19th fight. He is a man of tremendous character and will. His work ethic is second to none and in every sense of the word he is a true Champion, in life, as well as in the ring.

We will vigorously pursue the truth with regards to this matter and continue to fight to protect this young man’s character, credibility and all he has accomplished. Once all the facts have been reviewed we have no doubt that he will be vindicated.

LOS ANGELES, May 9 – A failed pre-fight drug test administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), coupled with the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s (NSAC) legal inability to hold a formal hearing on the matter of licensing Lamont Peterson for his Saturday, May 19 rematch against Amir Khan until Tuesday, May 15, has forced the cancellation of the event.

Ticket refunds for “Peterson vs. Khan II” will be available at your point of purchase. Ticketmaster may be reached at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Event ticket refunds for fans traveling from the United Kingdom are available at www.sportscorporation.comor by calling +44 (0)845 163 0845.

On a Tuesday conference call, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer updated the media on the situation regarding Lamont Peterson testing positive for a banned substance which puts in doubt his May 19th IBF/WBA 140 lb title defense with Amir Khan in Las Vegas.

Schafer said it was Nevada Commission head Keith Kizer who informed him the commission had just received the letter from VADA outlining the issues, including the revelation that Peterson’s “A” sample and “B” sample both had tested positive for a banned substance.

Schaefer claimed neither he nor anyone from team Khan was notified until this week and the “A” Sample was reported dirty on April 12th and the “B” sample came back April 30.

There was no news on what the status of the bout is at this time

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA Jr. Welterweight champion Lamont Peterson has tested positive for a banned substance which now puts into question weather he will be able to fight his May 19th rematch with Amir Khan in Las Vegas.

Jeff Fried, Peterson’s attorney, acknowledged the positive test on Monday night.

“We have tremendous respect for VADA and its mission,” Fried said in a statement to ESPN.com. “Lamont, (trainer/manager) Barry (Hunter) 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.”

Ironically, it was Peterson who asked for Khan to undergo random blood and urine testing leading up to their HBO-televised main event.

They contracted with the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, whose president is Dr. Margaret Goodman, a former Nevada State Athletic Commission ringside physician

“At this point in the process, I think it would be inappropriate for me to discuss the matter with the media,” Goodman said.

WBO Super Featherweight champion Adrien Broner will face unknown Gary Sykes on May 19th as the co-feature to the Lamont Peterson – Amir Khan rematch in Las Vegas according to espn.com’s Dan Rafael

“Man, no matter who it was, I am still going to make all work look like easy work,” Broner said. “I’m taking over boxing. I’m the missing puzzle piece, flat out.”

“The fight has been approved and we’re all confirmed. We are ready to go,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “The visa attorneys are working on the visa. Obviously, they don’t see any issues. He should get it in about 15 days. We informed HBO of the visa situation and they are aware the visa has to be processed and that it takes some time.”

“We are bringing Adrien back quickly from the February fight and we were looking at different opponents, but some were not available and we zeroed in on Gary Sykes,” Schaefer said. “You need to realize that when you call to ask people if they want to fight Adrien Broner, the other side doesn’t say, ‘Oh, great.’ There is a hesitation. So it’s becoming more and more difficult to find an opponent from a field that is already skim pickings to start with because the 130-pound division is not a deep division. You have guys like (Yuriorkis) Gamboa and (Robert) Guerrero who are top fighters but who moved up in weight.”

“Combine the talent, the charisma and the brush and he has superstar written all over him, so we want to keep him busy,” Schaefer said, referring to Broner’s habit of having his father brush his hair in the ring after his victories. “He is comfortable at 130 pounds. He’ll probably have a few more title defenses before he goes up to lightweight. But if the right opportunity came along at 135, he would probably go up for that.

“There is no rush to leave 130, though. He’s entertaining and one of the most exciting fighters and one of the most charismatic. So more power to him that he can capture the interest of the public in a division which lacks other big names.”

LOS ANGELES (January 17, 2012) – Due to the fact that there was only to be partial representation of fight officials who were involved with the December 10, 2011 Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson bout at tomorrow’s scheduled appeal hearing of the fight’s outcome before the International Boxing Federation (IBF), Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan have decided to withdraw their appeal and focus their full attention on Amir’s next fight.

Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan are pleased to have been vindicated by the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) recent decision to mandate an immediate rematch and still hope that Mr. Peterson will honor earlier statements in which he asserted that he would be happy to agree to a rematch. In that vein, Golden Boy Promotions and Team Khan would agree to a 50/50 split of worldwide revenues derived from a rematch (including those derived from the United Kingdom) should Mr. Peterson agree to participate and hope that this will be both financially and professionally satisfying to Mr. Peterson and his team.

Former 140 pound world champion Paulie Malignaggi talks Khan – Peterson; Froch-Ward and and a possible title shoy againsy Vyacheslav Sanchenko

Follow all the action LIVE from Ringside in Washington, DC as Amir Khan defends the WBA/IBF 140 lb title against hometown Hero Lamont Peterson. The action begins at 10:30 pm eastern time/3:30 am on Sunday in the UK with a Heavyweight tussle between undefeated Seth Mitchell and Timur Ibragimov
12 Rounds–IBF/WBA 140 lb title–Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s_) vs Lamont Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KO’s)

ROUND 1 Fast pace early …Khan trying to bully Peterson…BIG LEFT HOOK DOWN GOES PETERSON…10-8 Khan

Round 2 Straight right from Khan… Peterson lands a left hook…Left hook to the body..Khan comes back with a flurry…Good jab from Peterson…Khan lands a little left at the bell…20-18 Khan

Round 3 Peterson gets in a right…Khan fires back…Peterson ripping to the body…Right from Khan..Hard right to the body fromPeterson…Good right from Khan..29-28 Khan

Round 4 Peterson..hard 1-2….Ripping combination from Peterson…Jab from Kahn…big 1-2 from Khan..2 hard rights from Peterson…Big right from Kan…..38-38

Round 5 48-47 Khan

Round 6 Khan lands a good 3 punch combo…counter left from Peterson…Left from Khan…2 to the body from Peterson…Lead right from Khan…Good shots on the from Peterson..Khan shakes it off…58-56 Khan

Round 7 3 punch combo from Khan…left to the body…left hook from Khan…right over the top from Peterson followed by a body shot…Peterson mauling Khan on the ropes…Khan trying to run away but Peterson is relentles…KHAN DEDUCTED A POINT AT END OF ROUND FOR PUSHING…66-66

Round 8 Peterson pounding the body…Peterson starting to batter Khan upstairs…1-2 Khan…3 punch combo from Khan…Peterson pounding the body… 76-75 Peterson

Round 9 Hard right from Khan..8 hard shots from Peterson…Khan comes right back…..Khan landing the body…combo from Khan…big right hurts Peterson badly…he holds on…hard combo off the ropes…Peterson lands a big right…85-85

Round 10 Peterson lands a left hook…Khan lands a left…Good right from Peterson…95-94 Khan

Round 11 Body shots from Khan..big uppercut from Khan…Body from Peterson…Chants of DC for Peterson…105-103 Khan

Round 12

S HEAVYWEIGHTS–SETH MITCHELL (23-0-1, 17 KO’S) VS TIMUR IBRAGIMOV (30-3-1, 16 KO’S)

ROUND 1 Mitchell jabbing to the body…Right over the top…left hook..right on the ropes…..Ibragimov gets in a short right…Right over the top...10-9 Mitchell

Round 2: Good action inside..Hard left hook from Mitchell..Mitchell all over Timur…Big right over the top… 3 more rocks Ibragimov HE IS HURT,,,,THE FIGHT IS STOPPPED

TKO 2:48 OF ROUND 2 FOR SETH MITCHELL

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA 140 lb champion Amir Khan will face mandatory challenger Lamont Peterson on December 10th in either Washington, Detroit or Montreal in a bout to be televised on HBO.

Peterson does not have a promoter, so Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer said he made a deal with Barry Hunter, Peterson’s manager, trainer and father figure.

“I’ve been talking to Barry for the last couple of weeks and we were going back and forth between what they wanted and what the Khans wanted, trying to bridge the gap and agree on a number,” Schaefer told ESPN.com at the MGM Grand, where he is promoting Saturday night’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight. “And we were finally able to do that, so as a result we have informed the IBF and called off the purse bid.”

“A dream come true,” Peterson told ESPN.com about the prospect of fighting for a world title in D.C.

“Lamont Peterson is a very skilled fighter with a different skill set than fighters like Maidana or Judah,” Schaefer said. “It’s going to be interesting. Lamont was dropped a couple of times in the fight with Ortiz, but showed the heart, the smarts and the skills to have the fight end up in a draw.”

“Lamont is a credible opponent. He got a draw with Ortiz, who is now fighting Mayweather,” Khan said in an interview with ESPN.com last week, while negotiations were ongoing. “Now he’s my mandatory and it would be a good fight. He wants to fight and I am willing to fight him. That’s probably the best fight for me before I move up to welterweight.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that IBF/WBA 140 lb champion, Amir Khan is looking to fight on December 10th and may fight his IBF mandatory Lamont Peterson

“Dec. 10 I will be back. I’ve got a TV date with HBO and I am looking forward to it,” Khan told ESPN.com, adding that the fight would take place in the United States. “Opponents are quite hard to get. We asked about (Erik) Morales, but he said no. Bradley (titlist Timothy Bradley Jr.) has said no, just refused to fight me even though we offered him everything he wanted. I really think he just doesn’t want to fight me no matter what’s on the table.

“It’s too bad because the fans want to see it. But I know I am No. 1 in the division and that’s what most other people say also because Bradley has not been active and he just won’t fight me.”

Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said he is negotiating for Khan to face Lamont Peterson of Washington, D.C. Peterson is one of Khan’s mandatory challengers.

“That’s the fight we are pursuing,” Schaefer said. “We are having conversations with Barry Hunter (Peterson’s trainer, manager and father figure). “They’re interested in the fight. Now we have to see if we can agree on a purse. If we can’t, I guess we will go to a purse bid, but we are working on the numbers.”

Said Khan, “I think it’s a good fight. Peterson is skillful and a good fighter. But I will leave the negotiations to Golden Boy. This will probably be my last fight (at) 140.”

“Lamont is a credible opponent. He got a draw with Ortiz, who is now fighting Mayweather,” Khan, 24, said. “Now he’s my mandatory and it would be a good fight. He wants to fight and I am willing to fight him. That’s probably the best fight for me before I move up to welterweight.”

“I know I will give him a tougher fight than Victor Ortiz will,” Khan said. “He’s never faced anyone as slick as me.”

“I love fighting in the U.S. My fan base is growing,” said Khan, who trains with Roach at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. “I’d like to do another fight in New York or Las Vegas or have a fight in Los Angeles. Los Angeles would be a good place. I train there, so it would be like home for me.”

“It was good to come to Washington and meet Hillary Clinton,” Khan said. “She shook my hand and mentioned me on the podium when she was giving her speech. She called me a good role model for Muslims. That was nice to hear. She had nice words to say to me. We got to take a picture together. It was exciting.”

Lamont Peterson secured a future date with IBF/WBA 140 lb champion by stopping Victor Cayo in round twelve of their IBFelimination bout at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.

Peterson was very solid thoughout the fight as he dictated the fight at his geography by forcing Cayo to fight on the inside where he could effective with good body work. Cayo had some moments by landing some good long right hands.

In the final round, the fruits of Peterson’s labor came to fruition as a worn down Cayo could not withstand the infighting of Peterson and he was dropped after a flurry of punches. Cayo could not beat referee Kenny Bayless’ count and the fight was stopped at 2:46 of round twelve.

Peterson, 140 lbs of Washington, DC is now 29-1-1 with fifteen knockouts. Cayo, 139 1/2 lbs of the Dominican Republic is now 26-2.

Yordenis Desaigne scored a fifth round victory over former two-time world title challenger Edison Miranda after referee Vic Drachulich disqualified Miranda due to low blows.

Despaigne hurt Miranda with a big right at the end of round one. At the end of the second frame, Miranda was docked a point for the first time as he tapped Despaigne low for the first time. Just seconds into round three Miranda was docked for a second time for a low blows. Round four saw Despaigne landed a six punch combination to the head of Miranda as Miranda invited Despaigne to hit him as he kept his gloves at his side.

In round five, another of Miranda’s punches strayed low and Drachulich was quick to pull the plug on the fight just forty-five seconds into the round.

Badou Jack remained perfect by scoring a second round stoppage over Timothy Hall in a scheduled six round Super Middleweight bout.

Jack dropped Hall with a body shot early in round two. Jack finished Hall off with a flurry of punches that sent Hall down and referee Kenny Bayless stopped the bout at 1:31 of round two.

Jack, 170 lbs of Las Vegas is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Hall, 168 lbs of Athens, GA is now 6-12.

Despaigne, 176 lbs of Miami is now 9-1. Miranda, 174 lbs of Carolina, PR is now 34-6.

Former world champion Joel Casamayor was involved in a minor car accident on Tuesday but has injuries that will force him out his July 28 bout with Jorge Teron but the espn2 televised card will have a new main event with great importance as Victor Cayo and Lamont Peterson will now square off in an Jr. Welterweight elimination bout according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

“Joel has a bad back and sore ribs. He may have broken a rib or two, but he’s OK,” said Leon Margules of Warriors Boxing. “He’s very, very sore. Obviously, he can’t fight. The doctor told him no training for about a month.”

The winner of Peterson-Cayo will become a mandatory challenger for the Khan-Judah winner. After the July 23 date fell apart, the fight was due to go to a purse bid on July 5.

“Both guys were still training and when the fight fell out (earlier in the week) I called Cayo and told him to stay in the gym,” Margules said. “Then when we had a chance to put it on July 29, I called (Peterson manager and trainer) Barry Hunter and told him we could go to purse bid on July 5 or we could just make a deal and get it done on July 29. They wanted to get the fight on.”

Two anticipated undercard bouts that were tabbed for the July 23rd show that will features a 140 lb unification bout between Amir Khan and Zab Judah are off the card according to Dan Rafael of espn.com

The welterweight bout between Joel Julio and Antowne Smith has been called off for a second time due to a family emergency that Julio has to attend to and the Victor Cayo – Lamont Peterson bout has hit major stumbling blocks concerning contractual language.

The Peterson-Cayo fight, which will determine a mandatory challenger for the winner of the Khan-Judah bout, will now head to an IBF purse bid on July 5, Warriors Boxing promoter Leon Margules told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

Margules, who promotes Cayo, and Golden Boy had reached an agreement on the fight to take place July 23 rather than go to a purse bid.

“But Golden Boy came back to me and wanted to be my partner on Cayo if he won and I said OK, for a couple of fights,” Margules said. “We would co-promote him. Then the documents came back giving them control of my fighter and they wouldn’t agree to a full 50-50 promotion. They came to me in the first place, so if they didn’t want to agree to 50-50, no deal. When I told them that, they said they are passing on the fight. So now it goes back to a purse bid.

“We didn’t pull out of the fight, we pulled out of the deal. When I insisted on a 50-50 deal on the options they wanted to control the fighter during the option period and have final say on my fighter. I said no. If it’s a true 50-50 deal we both have to agree, not them having the tie-breaker.”

The Julio -Smith fight was scrapped again after Julio’s mother and sister were injured in an auto accident in their native Colombia over the weekend.

“I guess this fight is not meant to be,” said Jolene Mizzone, matchmaker for Main Events, Julio’s promoter.

Mizzone said Julio’s mother had broken ribs and that his sister also was injured.

“But he had to go down there to take care of them,” Mizzone said. “He flew down there right away to take care of them. I was giving it a couple of days to see if he was coming back up but he’s not coming back yet. He’s the only down there to care of them, so the fight is not happening.”

LAS VEGAS – LAS VEGAS – Amir Khan’s date with stardom is still there. But for one night it had to wait. Survival got in the way and perhaps forged a stronger possibility that Khan will indeed be the next big thing in boxing.

First, however, he had to prove he could endure.

Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) did so Saturday night in front of an announced Mandalay Bay crowd of 4,600 against volatile Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), the son of an Argentine gaucho who was as wild and dangerous as an angry stallion.

Maidana suffered a first-round knockdown from a body punch, a Khan left that he never saw. He was penalized a point by referee Joe Cortez in the fifth for throwing an elbow. In every round, he threw punches that sometimes left Khan looking dazed and often left at the perilous edge of defeat.
Khan danced away, ducked, countered and desperately held on to victory. He won a decision that was unanimous in name only and narrow in fact.

Judges Jerry Roth and C.J. Ross scored it for Britain’s 140-pound champion, 114-111 each. On Glenn Trowbridge’s card, it was even closer — Khan by a mere point, 113-112.

Immediate emotion after the final bell was evident in some frustration expressed by Maidana’s corner, which to a man was convinced that they had been robbed of victory.

“I thought I did enough in the later rounds to win,’’ Maidana said.

An unidentified member of Maidana’s corner rushed into the ring and appeared to go after Cortez.
He couldn’t get to him, unlike Maidana, who repeatedly got to Khan.

For Kahn, however, part the victory as in a newfound ability to withstand the most powerful puncher in the division. His ability to take a punch has been an apparent weakness since he was stopped within a minute by by Breidis Prescott.

“I’ve got a chin,’’ Khan said. “I was hurt, but I came back stronger.’’

Strong enough perhaps to become the star that everybody believes he can be.

The assumption was that Victor Ortiz was fighting for a chance at a rematch with Marcos Maidana.

Think again.

First, Ortiz might have to settle for a rematch with Lamont Peterson.

Ortiz’ priorities and perhaps career were shuffled with a majority draw Saturday night with Peterson at Mandalay Bay in a junior-welterweight steppingstone before Maidana’s bid at an upset of Amir Khan.

Two judges scored, Dave Moretti and Patricia Morse Jarman, scored it 94-94. On judge Robert Hoyle’s card, it was 95-93 for Peterson.

Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KOs) was left with the tie, an ambivalent mark on his resume, after scoring two knockdowns in the third round. Slowly, Peterson (28-1-1, 14 KOs) came back with series of punches that lacked power, yet were on target.

“I fell like crap,’’ said Ortiz, whose career was stalled when he was knocked out in 2009 by Maidana. “I thought I pulled it off. He doesn’t hit that hard. But, you know, bleep happens.’’

But there was more than just bleep. There were precise Peterson punches from the seventh round through the 10th. He repeatedly sent sweat flying off Ortiz’ face and head with lefts, rights and just about anything else he threw. Peterson landed 111 punches to 95 by Ortiz, according to PunchStats.

It said Mr. Nice Guy on the green waistband of Jacob Thornton’s trunks.

No argument there.

Thornton (2-2), a super-lightweight from St. Louis, was nice enough to go to his knees in the opening seconds of a first-round loss to Jamie Kavanaugh (4-0, 2 KOs) of Los Angeles.

Forty-four seconds after opening bell for the third fight Saturday on the card featuring Amir Khan-Marcos Maidana at Mandalay Bay, Kavanaugh’s opening assault left Thornton kneeling. It looked as if he were begging for a stoppage.

Junior-welterweight Sharif Bogere (18-0, 11 KOs), an African living in Las Vegas, had the look of a lion. The face of one adorned the front and back of his black trunks. A woman in lion’s costume accompanied him into the ring in the fifth fight on the Khan-Maidana card. Chris Fernandez ( 19-11-1, 11 KOs) of Salt Lake City was prey. Boegere, blood streaming from cuts near both eyes, mauled him for eight rounds, winning a unanimous decision.

Referee Jay Nady granted Thornton’s apparent wish, stopping the fight as though it had been scheduled to last only within the span of two NBA shot clocks.

In the card’s second bout, super-bantamweight Randy Caballero (6-0, 4 KOs) of Coachella, Calif., got a predictable victory and some necessary work in a four-round unanimous decision over Robert Guillen (5-9-3, 1 KO), a tough Phoenix fighter who was knocked down in the opening round.

The show opened in front of few fans and fewer chances for Arizona middleweight Gustavo Medina (1-3-1), who had no defense and even less offense in a third-round loss by TKO to rangy Venezuelan Alfonso Blanco (2-0, 1 KO).

The fourth bout on the Khan-Maidana card was a cross-town battle, two junior-welterweights from Las Vegas. Unbeaten Jessie Vargas (13-0, 7 KOs) prevailed. With Floyd Mayweather Jr. advisor Leonard Ellerbe in his corner, Vargas scored an eight-round, unanimous decision over Ramon Montano (17-9-2, 2 KOs).

Junior-welterweight Sharif Bogere (18-0, 11 KOs), an African living in Las Vegas, had the look of a lion. The face of one adorned the front and back of his black trunks. A woman in lion’s costume accompanied him into the ring in the fifth fight on the Khan-Maidana card. Chris Fernandez ( 19-11-1, 11 KOs) of Salt Lake City was prey. Boegere, blood streaming from cuts near both eyes, mauled him for eight rounds, winning a unanimous decision.

Heavyweight Seth Mitchell (20-0-1, 14 KOs) won the card’s sixth bout. But he didn’t celebrate. At least, not immediately. The ex-Michigan State linebacker was disappointed that Taurus Sykes (25-7-1, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn quit. Not long after a Mitchell left dropped him early in the fifth, Sykes went down again from what appeared to be a grazing punch. Mitchell urged him to get up. Sykes wouldn’t. He stayed down, a KO loser, at 1:42 of the fifth. Mitchell waved his gloves at him in disgust. Then, he celebrated.

In the end, only a white towel was defense against New York welterweight Joan Guzman (31-0-1, 18 KOs). Jason Davis’ corner threw it in surrender at 29 seconds of the second after the intimidated Canadian (11-8-1, 3 KOs) was unable to cope with the powerful Guzman, who dropped him in the opening round with a low blow in the card’s seventh fight and the last one before junior welterweight Victor Ortiz and Lamont Peterson clashed in the co-main event.