Peterson vs Diaz

Highlights

• –Lamont Peterson knew he was going to bring a different game plan to Felix Diaz than he did in his majority-decision loss to Danny Garcia in April, and he showed that early with a more intense attack against a game Diaz.

• –Though Peterson frequently had Diaz cornered, the 2008 Olympian from the Dominican Republic showed some slick moves in being able to pivot out of the corner and counter effectively with some heavy shots that allowed him to fight his way out of trouble.

• –Diaz scored with some big punches in the late rounds, but by that point, the deficit was too much to overcome as the judges called a majority decision in favor of Peterson, handing Diaz his first professional loss.

Lamont Peterson was on the wrong end of a harrowing majority decision his last time out against Danny Garcia. On Saturday afternoon, he landed on the right side of a tight fight, as he pulled cards of 116-112, 117-111 and 114-114 to knock off Felix Diaz in front of the home crowd in Fairfax, Virginia.

The previously unbeaten Diaz, a gold medal-winning Olympian for the Dominican Republic, proved a stiff test despite absorbing a lot of punishment, particularly early on. But Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) kept on going, always fighting off the ropes and out of corners by using precision counters and quick feet.

Peterson (34-3, 17 KOs) was consistently effective inside and out, though, and when the smaller Diaz did venture inside, Peterson often made him pay with punishing body shots.

Peterson also proved the far more accurate fighter, landing 33 percent of his shots to Diaz’s 22.1 percent. That was enough for the judges to award the former champion his third victory in his last four fights.

Lamont Peterson (left) and Felix Diaz exchange blows during their 144-pound catchweight clash Saturday in Fairfax, Virginia. Peterson prevailed by majority decision. (Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions)