Peterson Victorious and now the WBA Welterweight World Champion

CINCINNATI— Lamont Peterson’s welterweight debut began with scant activity but finished in a flurry of punishing combinations, particularly during the championship rounds, leaving no doubt that the District boxer and his team had made the correct choice in moving up to 147 pounds.

Saturday night’s unanimous decision over Russia’s David Avanesyan at Cintas Cinter for the World Boxing Association welterweight championship provided full validation, with two judges scoring the bout 116-112 and a third 115-113.

Peterson, the former unified world champion at 140 pounds, showed few effects from his 16-month layoff, among the longest of his career. A left shoulder injury suffered in training didn’t appear to limit him, either.

“I felt pretty good, felt strong. Energy was there,” Peterson, 33, said after posing for a picture with his team in his locker room and a belt around his waist. “I wouldn’t say any rust. Just great to be back in there.”

Peterson (35-3-1, 17 knockouts) did his best work in rounds 10 through 12, at one point bringing the crowd to its feet with a combination that backed Avanesyan (22-2-1, 11 KOs) into and almost through the ropes. Avanesyan, for his part, rarely was able to connect through Peterson’s defensive stance.

As has been his trademark, Peterson used the early rounds of his co-main event, before Adrien Broner’s match against Adrian Granados, to measure his opponent while establishing his jab. He did so with precision, particularly in Round 1, keeping the fight in the center of the ring and repeatedly working the body from close range.

But by fighting mostly inside, Peterson at times nullified his reach advantage, allowing Avanesyan, 28, to land occasionally in subsequent rounds. The blows did little to rattle Peterson, though; he counterpunched to the body repeatedly, another hallmark of his deliberate fighting style.

Lamont Peterson is a client of Keadworks, and sometimes workout partner to our staff when we’re less busy working for him.

Read the rest of the story by Gene Wang of The Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/boxing-mma-wrestling/dcs-lamont-peterson-beats-david-avanesyan-for-wba-welterweight-title/2017/02/19/6f4da6d4-f490-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html?utm_term=.bb926ac54241