(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

When local boxer Lamont Peterson brought home the world’s super lightweight boxing championship after a fight in the Washington Convention Center in December, it was big news. But the news that he might be faced with a rematch against Amir Khan because of allegations of fight-time shenanigans is bigger.

Over the weekend The Guardian reported that the World Boxing Association had promised Khan, who is British, a rematch. According to Khan, a man in a black hat — subsequently identified as one Mustafa Ameen — was seen sitting behind one of the fight’s judges during the contest and slipping him pieces of paper.

The problem? According to The Independent, Ameen is a shady boxing figure that may be linked to Peterson, making the place where he sat and what he was doing during the fight enough of an issue to draw suspicions in what was a tightly contested battle won by Peterson after the judges narrowly called it for him. (Ameen has denied the claims.)

Still, even if the WBA and International Boxing Federation order a rematch, it’s not yet a sure thing that Peterson will take them up on it. According to Bad Left Hook, Peterson could instead move up in weight classes and fight boxing camp Manny Pacquiao.

Needless to say, none of this is reflecting particularly well on the District’s boxing industry and promotions. An appeal hearing is set for January 18 in New York.