The WBA has ordered an immediate rematch between junior welterweight titleholder Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan after a controversial ending to their first fight.

Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs) won a split decision against Khan (26-2, 18 KOs) to win the WBA and IBF 140-pound titles on Dec. 10. Khan, who was fighting in Peterson’s hometown of Washington, D.C., had two points deducted for pushing — an almost unheard of foul call — in the seventh and 12th rounds by Washington-area referee Joe Cooper. Had the points not been deducted, Khan would have retained the belts on a unanimous decision.

“I can confirm we have ordered a direct rematch,” WBA vice president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza said.

Khan appealed the scoring and questioned the presence of a “mystery man” distracting judges at ringside. His promotion company, Golden Boy, had appealed the decision to both sanctioning organizations, claiming that Cooper’s penalties were uncalled for and that the scorecards were mishandled. Golden Boy claims there were discrepancies between the scorecards kept by the WBA supervisor and IBF supervisor, although the scorecard kept by the Washington commission is official and had Peterson winning. Golden Boy contends that the WBA supervisor’s master scorecard, which collects round by round scoring from each of the three judges, had the fight a draw.

There is also controversy over the so-called ringside “mystery man,” Mustafa Ameen, who is affiliated with the IBF and had a credential arranged by the IBF as a courtesy, but was not at the fight in an official capacity. However, he was seen on video at ringside apparently touching the scoring slips, which is against the rules, and distracting a judge. He was later seen in the ring apparently celebrating with the Peterson team after the fight.

Khan’s camp said they could not comment on whether the fight would happen, pointing out that rival sanctioning body the IBF would also have to demand a re-match when they meet to discuss the matter at a hearing next week. Khan’s advisors initially claimed Peterson’s team voluntarily agreed to a rematch in the immediate aftermath of the bout only to apparently change their minds. And while the WBA have ordered the second fight, Peterson could still opt to relinquish that title rather than give Khan a second chance — particularly if the IBF, at a hearing on January 18, allow him to keep that belt without fighting Khan again.

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