LONDON  - Amir Khan is to face Lamont Peterson in a re-match in Las Vegas in May, the British boxer announced via Twitter on Friday.
American Peterson deprived Khan of his World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-welterweight titles as a result of a controversial split points decision in Washington on December 10.
That led the WBA to order a re-match last month and the second Khan-Peterson bout will now take places at Las Vegas's Mandalay Bay Hotel on May 19. "Big announcement. KHAN. Vs PETERSON May 19th, Mandalay Bay Hotel Vegas. At last I git (get) the fight I deserve, Big," Khan said on his Twitter account.
There was confusion at the end of the pair's first meeting in Washington, Peterson's home town, with an unusually long delay between the climax of the bout and the announcement of the judges' scorecards.
Referee Joe Cooper had previously deducted points from the 25-year-old Khan in the seventh and 12th rounds for pushing -- an offence rarely punished at championship level -- and did not credit Khan with what should have been a first round knockdown, according to the WBA. Further controversy ensued when Khan's camp highlighted video footage of Mustafa Ameen, an IBF official who had no formal role at the bout, which they claimed showed a then 'mystery man in a hat' interfering with the judges' cards.
That led Ameen to threaten legal action against Khan last month.
Meanwhile Richard Scheafer, chief executive of Khan's promoters Golden Boy, said Thursday he'd sought assurances over ringside security.  "We have a deal, we are all set," Schaefer told Sky Sports. "This is going to be a big, and I mean a very big fight. "The first fight was a terrific fight, an all-action fight, a lot of controversy, a lot of questions surrounding it so this one here is hopefully going to clear up all these question marks."
He added: "(Security) will be very tight and Las Vegas is probably the best commission in the world and I know they are going to make sure that everything is going to be totally above board. "I've already had conversations with the Las Vegas commission to make sure that it is going to be absolutely neutral ground for both fighters. "We won't see any men in hats sitting at the scorers' table."