Peterson drops Cayo, sets sights on picking up IBF champ Khan
A fighter should have to earn a shot at a world title, not be handed it.
Lamont Peterson earned his shot with his performance Friday at the Cosmopolitan, where he knocked out Victor Cayo with 14 seconds remaining in their 12-round IBF junior welterweight eliminator.
With the victory, Peterson, the No. 4-ranked contender, is supposed to get a mandatory opportunity to face Amir Khan, who won the belt July 23 with a fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah at Mandalay Bay.
“I don’t think (Khan) will fight me,” Peterson said. “He can make more money fighting (Erik) Morales. But as long as I get a shot to fight for the belt, I don’t care who I fight.”
Peterson (29-1-1, 15 knockouts) figured out Cayo’s unorthodox style and landed enough good shots to slow the Dominican. Peterson also appeared to be the better-conditioned fighter.
“I prepared to go 12 hard rounds, and all that work in the gym paid off,” Peterson said. “I knew Cayo was going to be awkward and hard to hit. I watched tapes of him, and some of my punches weren’t able to land as clean as I wanted. But I knew I hurt him when I went to the body.”
That was Peterson’s game plan — work the body, then go upstairs. It was effective, as all three judges had Peterson ahead after 11 rounds.
In the 12th, Peterson set the tone early by landing two big right hands to Cayo’s head that stunned him. He followed with a flurry of punches that had Cayo virtually out on his feet.
To his credit, Cayo (26-2) managed to survive the onslaught. But it was evident he was living on borrowed time.
Cayo knew he needed a knockout to win, and he went for it. But Peterson stayed patient, made Cayo miss, then countered beautifully.
The final blows came with time running out. Peterson used a combination to the head and body before finishing Cayo with a right hand to the ribs that sent Cayo down and eventually out, as referee Kenny Bayless counted to 10.
“I learned from when I fought (Timothy) Bradley (in 2009) not to be reckless with this guy,” Peterson said, referring to his only loss. “I just worked the body and looked for my openings upstairs.”
Barry Hunter, Peterson’s trainer, said of the win: “We wanted to put pressure on (Cayo). He’s a tough guy to hit. But I’m extremely proud of Lamont. This fight was on, then off, then on again, then off again. But he stayed focused during his training, he didn’t get sloppy (Friday), and you saw what happened.”
In the co-main, a light heavyweight bout, Yordanis Despaigne of Cuba won by disqualification over veteran Edison Miranda in the fifth round after Miranda repeatedly hit Despaigne with illegal punches below the belt.
Referee Vic Drakulich took a point away from Miranda after the second round and again in the third for hitting low. Despaigne (9-1) unloaded a barrage of punches in the fourth, but Miranda stayed on his feet.
But 45 seconds into the fifth round, Miranda again clearly hit Despaigne low, and Drakulich stopped the fight and disqualified Miranda (34-6).
■ NOTES — Veteran Las Vegas referee Jay Nady worked for the first time since Dec. 11. Nady, who underwent triple-bypass surgery in February, refereed two fights. Cameron Krael, a 17-year-old Las Vegas lightweight, saw his pro debut canceled when his opponent, Franky Martinez, was not sanctioned to fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission and no replacement could be found. Martinez (0-3) is under a 45-day suspension after losing in California last week.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.