"Anybody is good with me because there are a lot of fighters at the top. There is really nobody in the division you can put your finger on and say he is the best, and that's taking me out of the equation. To me, I look at Marquez at being the best 140-pounder now, so that's the person I would want to fight the most. But any guy at the top, I will fight them. I don't have no picks. I think I will match up well against any of them and I'm willing to fight any of them," stated IBF jr. welterweight champion Lamont Peterson, who talked about his future plans when he returns to the ring, including a potential clash with Zab Judah and much more. Check it out!
PC: I know it has been a tough couple of months. How have you been?
LP: I'm doing good, man. I'm on my way to my second workout today. I've just been taking it easy chillin', man, and just happy I will be fighting in the near future.
PC: Barry told me you have trained straight through this process. Mentally, was it tough going back to the gym knowing you couldn't fight, or was that your getaway?
LP: That was my getaway. Every time I go to the gym, I forget about everything else. We laugh and joke around in the gym, and just being around the sport that I love and the people that I love, it helped me out a lot.
PC: I don't want to dwell on the negative too much, but were you reading some of the things people were saying about you, and if so, how did you keep it together?
LP: I pretty much read most of it. The first week, it kind of got to me, and then after that, I had a talk with myself and knowing that I didn't do anything wrong and knowing the truth was going to come out, I didn't let it bother me. People were saying a lot of things that wasn't true, and I knew they weren't true, so I tried not to worry about it.
PC: I spoke to several people and they said you were the most honest fighter they know. When you have people go to bat for you like that, does that help the process at all?
LP: It means a lot. A lot of people stepped up; people that really know me. Anybody that really knows me knows that I wouldn't do it. I know a lot of times, people do a lot of things that shock you, but anybody who really knows me knows that I wouldn't do it and I appreciate all of the people that came out and spoke out and stepped up for me. I appreciate it. It did make me feel good and made me get my mind off of the negative stuff.
PC: The IBF let you keep the title and didn't strip you of your belt. It now appears that Zab Judah is the next guy in line. I understand you guys are cool with Zab. Is this tough for you to come back and fight a guy you're cool with or is it business as usual?
LP: It's business as usual; that's how I look at it. It has nothing to do with Zab or anybody on his team, Team Judah. I have never been a trash talker leading up into a fight. I might talk a little bit during the fight, but for the most part, I don't get into all of that. It will be just business and I'm pretty sure he's looking at it the same way if the fight does happen. This is just a business thang, this is what we do, and this is how we earn a living for our loved ones, and we can go back to being friends afterwards.
PC: It has to be a good feeling, now that the IBF made the move that they made, to just get back to boxing and put all of this behind you.
LP: It's a good feeling. I wanted to stay busy after my last fight, but sometimes things just happen. I just try to learn from that situation as much as I can. It taught me a lot about people in general. But for the most part, I just try to learn from it, keep it moving, and I'm excited to be fighting again. If I could fight every 2 months, I would. This 6 to 7 month layoff, they honestly kill me. But I just been trying to spend time with my daughter and things like that to keep my mind off of it. I just want to keep moving forward.
PC: I know you're not a negative person, but during this period, were you bitter towards boxing, or have you been able to remain positive throughout this period?
LP: I try to keep the negativity away and keep a positive mind. I know this is boxing. I understand that. I know what I signed myself up for and you gotta take the bitter with the sweet. These types of things are a part of boxing and I just deal with it.
PC: Have you been maintaining your weight in the gym or just going to hit a workout to get a sweat going?
LP: Honestly, I've been working hard. I might lose 5 or 6 pounds, but I might put 5 of them back on. My weight, I'm comfortable with where I'm at right now. Of course I will have to lose some weight to be at my fight weight, but I feel pretty good. It's the summer time, so I always stay close to weight. It's just the winter time when it gets tough.
PC: Things like this can divide a team. Barry told me his circle is very small now. Have you had to cut some people out?
LP: I didn't have to cut anyone. A lot of times, people gonna shy away when things like this happen. You got some people step up, and it may be somebody who you didn't really think cared much about you. They step up and show support when needed. And then the people that's always in your face, them are the ones that shy away from you. So, you know, any tough lesson in life, you learn who your true friends really are, and it's no different in this situation. You have some who, like you said, I have to cut back. I didn't have to cut back; they cut themselves back and that's cool. It's just another lesson in life.
PC: When you watched what Danny Garcia was able to do to Amir Khan, did you think he was capable of that going in or were you shocked by the outcome?
LP: I don't know Danny personally. He started fighting in the open class after I turned pro, so I never met him before, but I thought that it would be tough for Danny to win a decision because you never know what the judges are gonna do. It wasn't a big shock to me that Danny did that to him though.
PC: Now that the landscape of the division has changed, if not Zab Judah, is their anyone in particular you would like to fight?
LP: Anybody is good with me because there are a lot of fighters at the top. There is really nobody in the division you can put your finger on and say he is the best, and that's taking me out of the equation. To me, I look at Marquez at being the best 140-pounder now, so that's the person I would want to fight the most. But any guy at the top, I will fight them. I don't have no picks. I think I will match up well against any of them and I'm willing to fight any of them.
PC: Are you looking to get past this positive test thing or do you feel you have something to prove now? What's your mindset right now?
LP: My mindset is, even though I know nothing happened and I wasn't on any enhancing drugs or anything to make me feel extra strong or made me faster or made me better or anything like that, you gonna see the same old Lamont and probably better. Each fight, I feel I'm getting better and better, and that's not gonna change. I will be better than the Khan fight and then after that, what are they gonna say? That I'm still taking drugs? Because I'm still gonna do drug tests; that's not gonna change. Then what are the people gonna say? They are still gonna say that I cheated, even though we prove that I wasn't. That's where my mindset at right now. That's all.
PC: Keep me posted for sure, whether it's Judah or not. I look forward to seeing you back to what you do best and I appreciate your time. Is there anything you want to say before I let you go?
LP: Thanks for having me on and hearing me out. To the fans, we back on track. We still the IBF champ and I will defend that till I can't make the weight no more and I will keep you posted.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]