You could probably be forgiven for having missed what Post columnist Mike Wise is calling the local sports story of the year — it’s been 18 years since the last boxing championship took place in D.C., after all.

But on Saturday night at the Washington Convention Center — and on HBO! — local Lamont Peterson claimed the world’s super lightweight boxing championship in a close contest that came down to a judge’s decision. After the 12 rounds of fighting came to a close, it was a split decision by the judges that gave Peterson the win over reigning champion Amir Khan. (Even locals like Wise admit that maybe, just maybe, the final decision was a little unfair; others are less nice about it.)

Still, both Peterson and Khan spent time together at George Washington Hospital after the fight, and they’ve pledged a rematch. All told, it was a huge win for Peterson, for the 9,000 people that watched the fight and for the District as a whole. We’ve needed a title to claim as our own this year, after all.