The International Boxing Federation (IBF) said Tuesday 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.
The WBA has already ordered a rematch after the hotly disputed result.
Ameen said Monday 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."
