• Amir Khan v Lamont Peterson

Khan ref 'absolutely fantastic' - Froch

ESPN staff
December 15, 2011
Joe Cooper took two points off Amir Khan against Lamont Peterson © Getty Images
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Carl Froch has offered his backing to Joe Cooper, the referee who Amir Khan feels caused him to surrender his titles to Lamont Peterson at the weekend.

Khan has lodged an appeal after losing the WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts in Washington, having been docked points on two occasions for pushing. He also saw one of his two first-round knockdowns ruled as illegitimate.

But Froch, the WBC super-middleweight champion who fights Andre Ward on Saturday, says that Khan has to take some responsibility for the referee's intervention in the bout. "I thought the referee did an absolutely fantastic job," Froch said on boxingscene.com.

"And that's not taking anything away from Amir Khan, because I think he's a great fighter. You know, the knockdown [for Khan] was questionable early on and the points deductions were taken because Khan was pushing him and holding on, and pushing his head down.

"[Khan] was complaining that the guy's head was low, but Khan was pushing his head down. So there's two sides to every story, and depending on how you look at the fight, and who you do and don't want to win, depends how you judge it. I'm judging from a non-biased point of view, and I thought the referee did a great job."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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