Khan Awaits Rematch Amidst “Mystery Man” Discussions

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

The World Boxing Association (WBA) has already ordered a rematch of the Amir Khan-Timothy Peterson boxing match that was won by Peterson in controversial fashion on December 10th in Washington, D.C. And while the fighters await the decision of the International Boxing Federation, the IBF ruled this week that a man accused by British boxer Amir Khan of influencing the judges during his loss to Lamont Peterson is not an employee of the organization.

The statement comes one day after Mustafa Ameen said he had “nothing to hide” about his actions during the Dec. 10 fight in Washington, D.C., where he was seen on camera talking to WBA supervisor Michael Walsh at ringside. Khan and his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, claim Ameen interfered with officials during the bout and at one point handled papers belonging to the judges.

The IBF, which has scheduled a Jan. 18 hearing to discuss the matter, said Ameen does outreach work on behalf of its SARB/Education Fund, but receives no financial compensation. The statement described the fund as a way to “financially assist retired boxers experiencing monetary difficulties.” Khan’s camp has sought to cast Ameen as a mystery figure who may have contributed to Peterson’s controversial split-decision win, which netted the D.C.-born fighter the WBA and IBF junior welterweight belts.

Ameen was seen celebrating with Peterson in the ring after the bout, while judge George Hill’s scorecard showed the marks for the seventh round amended in favor of the hometown fighter. The IBF said it obtained a credential for Ameen to be in the arena through the Washington, D.C., Boxing and Wrestling Commission.

Ameen said that he welcomed the opportunity to discuss his behavior, but would wait until the IBF hearing to explain himself. “I’m not going to take the path that others have taken and state my case on the internet and in the media,” he said. “I think it’s important to let the facts be known, and I don’t want anybody crafting a defense based on something that someone wrote on the internet on what I said happened.”

Ameen, who claimed he got into the boxing business by befriending Muhammad Ali, said, “People know me through [US heavyweight] Michael Hunter and the IBF.” It is certainly ironic that the world’s greatest current Muslim boxer, and possibly the greatest current Muslim athlete, is involved in these discussions regarding a bystander who happens to be Muslim himself.

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