Khan to train alongside Pacquiao in the Philippines to get ready for Peterson rematch

By William Mackay: Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) will depart for the Philippines next month to start training with trainer Freddie Roach to get ready for his May 19th rematch against IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Khan will be training alongside WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao but he won’t be sparring with him but he’s open to sparring if Pacquiao wants to.

Khan could use some sparring with Pacquiao, because he’s got a really tough fight ahead of him against Peterson. Last time out, Khan proved that he couldn’t handle Peterson’s pressure and resorted to fouling with shoving, holding and pulling down on Peterson’s head. Without those fouling techniques by Khan, he may have ended up getting knocked out by Peterson because it would have forced Khan to fight more than he did. If you’re getting fight avoiding fouls like shoving, holding and pulling down on your opponent’s head, it tends to save a fighter from getting hit as much.

The question for the rematch is who will be the referee for the fight and whether the referee allows Khan to shove, pull down on Peterson’s head and put him in headlocks all night long. I’m hoping Khan doesn’t resort to these types of fouls in the rematch, but given how frequently Khan uses those fouls in his fights, I can’t see him being able to avoid using them. Even if he says he’s not going to shove and pull down on Peterson’s head, Khan will likely resort to using them by the 2nd round.