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Not to be outdone by his brother Lamont, who broke down his opponent en route to a unanimous decision, Anthony put on a spectacular showing in knocking out Juan Garza in the fourth round.
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Petersons prepare to explode in 2007!
By Scott Foster
January 5, 2007
As the ball dropped in Times Square to signal the dawn of a new year, Lamont and Anthony Peterson were putting the finishing touches on an impromptu mid-night workout 1000 miles to the south.
Less than one week later, their hard work would reap it’s intended reward as the elder Peterson gave an entertaining boxing clinic while his younger brother Anthony showcased the ESPN event with a "matinee-idol" knockout guaranteed to stir the waters at lightweight.
Lamont Peterson, true to his surgical style, evaluated Joaquin "Killer" Gallardo (17-6-1, 5 KOs) from a distance before setting out upon his business, working methodically behind his jab as Gallardo sought to close the gap.
After studying Gallardo in the first frame, Lamont proceeded to expose the flaws in Joaquin’s technique, eliciting a dialogue from Gallardo by the mid-rounds that seemed to confirm the dominant performance. Fully in control, Lamont would easily quell several late rallies on his way to posting a unanimous, eight-round decision.
"Patience is one thing we have been working on a lot," Lamont explained. "Coming out of the amateurs, you have to throw a lot of punches, so we have been working on keeping the punch count down, you know, focusing on power shots."
While his brother opted for the more clinical dissection, Anthony’s style tends to operate more from the front seat, fueled by a controlled fury and a foot clamped firmly on the gas. Juan Humberto Garza’s (28-3, 23 KOs) aggression and willingness to "hook with a hooker" drew Anthony out of his game plan early in the bout, however, tabling the vaunted jab in place of debilitating power shots.
As an attacking Garza continued to flaunt his bravado, Anthony dispensed with the jab early in most rounds, content to counter from within a tight envelope on the inside. Sharp hooks underneath and over the top softened the game Garza, leading to a highlight reel five-punch combination late in the 4th round. A slashing right hand served nicely as window dressing for a classic left hook to the body, depositing Garza on his back well beyond the foregone 10-count.
Even with the spectacular showing, the ever-mindful Peterson accepted that a few flaws had surfaced in his bout, mistakes soon to be rectified by long-time trainer/mentor Barry Hunter as they both scale the ladder at 135.
"He held his defense high—in front of him—so I tried to get around that with the hook, and once I got around that, I opened up the jab," said Peterson. "When he came out aggressive, I kept the jab on him and tried to set him up for the pretty right hand.
"Right now, we need to get back into the gym and correct some mistakes. We made some mistakes in the fight, crucial mistakes. So now, we are going to go back into the gym and work on the things we need to work on—then we’re going after the big boys. We don’t like mistakes—we want to be destroyers. If we can’t be perfect, can’t we be close to perfect?"
The Peterson brothers style—as unique as it is—has it’s roots set firmly in the past, paying homage to both "Sugar’s" by reviving a slick, defensive technique.
"I give thanks to guys like Pernell Whitaker, Ray Robinson & Ray Leonard," Anthony confides, "because I watched them and saw how composed they were, how relaxed they were in the ring. Guys like Zab Judah, they are so relaxed in the ring. When we spent a month in camp with Zab, he taught us not just about fighting tactics, but about boxing all around. I’m turning into a complete fighter, both in and out of the ring. So I have to give thanks to those guys, but mostly to God, who makes everything happen for us."
The path to duel championships starts early this year in the Peterson household, and their dedication to the gym and the work they diligently perform seems destined to provide them with the added ingredient often necessary to obtain a world title.
"2007 is gonna be big for the Peterson brothers," Anthony promises. "Me and my brother, we predicted this years ago. Once we got to an age where they couldn’t beat us, we knew they’d never stop be able to us."
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