Tim Coleman in a Foul, Fighting Mood

IBF #5-rated contender Tim “Pitbull” Coleman (18-1-1, 5 KOs) was in a foul mood at the weigh-in for tomorrow night’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights broadcast from the deck of the Boulevard Pool at ultra-luxurious The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Coleman will face Sonora, Mexico’s Sergio Rivera (16-6-2, 10 KOs) in an eight-round bout on the undercard of the Carlos Molina vs. Allen Conyers main event.The Baltimore native Coleman had originally been scheduled for the main event in a fight for the mandatory right to face champion Zab Judah, however, on short notice, higher-rated contender Lamont Peterson exercised his right to face Cayo instead and pushed Coleman out of the fight.

That’s what’s got him a little upset.

Cayo unexpectedly pulled out of the bout with an injury. A fight against Peterson was then offered to Coleman, who turned it down flat.

“I don’t like Lamont Peterson,” he hissed after weighing in at a trim 142.5 lbs. “I’m not taking this well at all. Refusing the fight against Peterson was karma. He pushed me out of a fight, so I turned him down and pushed him out of one right back. It’s more than just a Baltimore vs. Washington DC thing between me and him. I don’t like him at all.”

Coleman says the opportunity to fight for a mandatory world title shot was a lifelong dream of his, one he was already in deep training for when he learned he wouldn’t be fighting Cayo after all.

“Camp was going great until I found out I wasn’t fighting. I went to Wales to train and everything. After I found out, I backed off for a while, but then I went and did strength and conditioning work at Bobby Rimm’s gym in Manchester and got good sparring with European champ Brian Rose. I’m in perfect shape.”

Rather than stay inactive while he waits for his turn to fight for the title, Coleman says he’ll keep busy. “I love boxing, but this is a business and I need to make a living. My promoters have promised me another fight after this. I’m not waiting for Lamont Peterson or anybody else.”