ESPN is reporting that Golden Boy Promotions has won a purse bid for Lamont Peterson's mandatory WBC 140-lb title defense against unbeaten Dierry Jean, which Richard Schaefer is planning to put on in Brooklyn or Washington D.C., Peterson's hometown.
In Peterson's last fight he was brutally knocked out by Lucas "The Machine" Matthysse, but Golden Boy believes that bout isn't a death knell to Peterson's marketability.
"Lamont Peterson is an exciting guy who got caught in his last fight by Lucas Matthysse, but many before him have been caught by Lucas Matthysse. That happens," Schaefer said. "I am sure Lamont has learned from this. He knows this fight is high noon for him. It's like do or die for him. I know Lamont will come prepared."
The fight is going to be East Coast based, according to Schaefer, to maximize the opportunity presented by Super Bowl weekend being held at MetLife Stadium. "The plan is clearly to have it on the East Coast," Schaefer said. "I'm planning to do an event tied to Super Bowl week in New York, so we could have the fight then in Brooklyn or we might go to Washington in early February. It depends on finalizing the TV platform. I am going to talk to those who have expressed an interest in the fight and I will work on that in the next few days."
Matthysse may be paying close attention to this fight. After losing to Danny Garcia on September 14th, The Machine needs to fight a quality opponent to reestablish the sense of invincibility he had built up that led to him being favored of the Garcia, who was the titleholder.
If Peterson can win impressively against Jean, he may position himself as a viable challenger in a rematch, who simply had an off night in their first showdown. Garcia has indicated very little interest in a rematch with Matthysse, leaving him somewhat starved for quality opposition.
"He wasn't the champion. He never won a world title. If he would've beaten me there would be a rematch because I was the champion. I don't got no interest in a rematch," Garcia said.
Jean may have a say in the matter though, as Schaefer described him favorably. "Dierry is exciting and even though he is not that well known in the United States, I think that based on his style, we will see a helluva fight between him and Lamont," Schaefer said.
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