Amir Khan wants result overturned and a rematch

The bruises were still visible on Amir Khan’s face on Wednesday when he said he was confident of agreeing a rematch with Lamont Peterson after controversially losing his WBA super-lightweight and IBF light-welterweight titles to the American last week. The Briton’s camp has lodged an official complaint over the refereeing of Saturday’s fight in Washington D.C. where Khan was deducted two points in a split-decision defeat. “We are trying to get the result overturned, if not then a rematch is going to happen,” Khan told Reuters in an interview at a gym he set up in his home town of Bolton in northwest England and where pictures of him adorn several walls. “Even if the result does get turned over, I would still give Lamont Peterson a deserved re-match. We’ll do it somewhere neutral, not in D.C. or in the UK Somewhere like Vegas ... where it will be neutral judging and a neutral referee.” Referee Joseph Cooper penalized Khan one point in the seventh round for pushing and one in the 12th when he hit Peterson on the break in the fight which was taking place in the American boxer’s home town. The deductions proved crucial when the scores were announced, one judge giving the fight 114-111 to Khan but the other two scoring it 113-112 for Petersen. Khan said he would never fight in Washington D.C. again and believed other boxers would now also snub the venue. “I don’t think there will be other big fights there, definitely not, after seeing what happened to me,” he said. “People are going to think why should we go there because of the decision, and the refereeing and judging is not according to our profession.”