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The hard punching "Nigerian Nightmare"
Samuel Peter
is the new
World Boxing Champion (WBC)
Heavyweight Champion of the World
He seized the throne and abdicated his interim champion status by crushing the valiant defense of the 39 nine year old Kazakhstan born defending champion, and former Olympian
Oleg "Big O" Maskaev
Both fighters were very patient from the start of the fight seemingly determined to save their energy for a slugfest down the stretch, another unspoken agreement between they two combatants was that only a knockout could settle their differences as the began patiently swinging haymakers at each other hoping to catch the other first before it was too late, however the stronger Peter landed first after some back and take action with precision power shots to Oleg's head that wobbled him against the ropes and forced the referee to halt the contest at the 176th second of the 6th round in Cancun Mexico on March 8, 2008.
Peter's emphatic victory not only breaks the stranglehold of fighters of soviet extraction from holding all the belts in the division but is expected to serve as a strong statement for a rematch with old nemesis the recently unified IBF, IBO, AND WBO champ Wladimir Klitchko who he lost a unanimous decision too back in 2006 despite scoring three knock downs before the final bell, to determine the supreme overlord of the 200+ division.
POST FIGHT QUOTES FROM CANCUN
Samuel Peter: “I hit him [Maskaev] with one and I him with another. Then I crack him up. My jab was good and then I him in the head and break off his head. I knew he was strong so I was careful. I feel great. I could fight again tomorrow. I’m ready for anyone.”
Oleg Maskaev: “He [Peter] didn’t knock me out. He shook me and knocked me back and the referee did the right thing. He was hitting me with two many punches. I hurt him a few times, yes, but I wasn’t able to finish him.
“I can’t blame anybody. It was my fault. My trainers did a good job and I failed tonight.
“I will be back. My team and I will talk and if they want to make a few more fights we can do it.”
Nate Campbell: “I knew he couldn’t take it. I knew I was the bigger puncher. I could out-box him or out-punch him. My team and I said all along we saw a lot of hype with Juan Diaz but we didn’t see the substance. I said I was going to take him out into the deep water and drown him and that’s what I did.
I better have won. I won the last five or six rounds. I won this for Don King. I will never disrespect him the way Juan Diaz did. There’s a tattoo on my back that simply says, ‘fighter’ and that’s what I am and what I proved tonight.
WEIGHTS FROM CANCUN
The
heavyweights stepped to the scales for a ceremonial heavyweight
weigh in at the beautiful Royal Hotel in
Cancun tonight in preparation for the first heavyweight
championship ever in
Mexico on Saturday pitting WBC heavyweight champion
Oleg Maskaev vs. WBC interim heavyweight champion Samuel 'The
Nigerian Nightmare' Peter.
The fight will be televised live in the United States in an
HBO World Championship Boxing doubleheader (9:30 ET/6:30 p.m.
PT) that also includes undefeated WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight
champion Juan 'Baby Bull' Diaz taking on IBF No. 1-ranked mandatory
challenger Nate 'Galaxxy Warrior' Campbell.
In an unusual occurrence, Jose Luis Castillo was invited by WBC
President Jose Sulaiman to step to the scales after the heavyweights
in advance of Friday's official weigh in for the lower-weight
fighters.
He tipped the Toledos at 147 1/2 pounds and will need to make 140
pounds by Friday's weigh in to qualify for the scheduled WBC super
lightweight eliminator against undefeated WBC No. 1-ranked contender
Timothy 'Desert Storm' Bradley.
Oleg Maskaev to Defend WBC Heavyweight Title
Against Interim Champion Samuel Peter
In Cancun , Mexico, on March 8
Undefeated Unified Lightweight Champion Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz
To Face IBF No. 1-Ranked Mandatory Challenger Nate Campbell
CANCUN, Mexico - The first world heavyweight championship ever staged in Mexico will take place in Cancun ¡¦s Plaza de Torros on Saturday, March 8 when World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev makes the second defense of his title against WBC interim heavyweight champion Samuel ¡§The Nigerian Nightmare¡¨ Peter to determine the sole WBC heavyweight champion. The two had been scheduled to meet in New York ¡¦s Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6, but a back injury forced Maskaev to pull out of the fight on Sept. 21.
The WBC Board of Governors convened on Sept. 24 and voted Peter its interim heavyweight champion. Peter chose to make a title defense on Oct. 6, winning a unanimous decision over Jameel "Big Time¨ McCline.
A tremendous co-featured main event will showcase a second world championship when undefeated World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization lightweight champion Juan ¡§Baby Bull¡¨ Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs), from Houston, Tex., takes on IBF No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Nate "Galaxxy Warrior" Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KOs), from Jacksonville, Fla. More
Tickets priced at $1,000, 500, $300, $150, $100, $70, $50 and $10 are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets including www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster in Mexico at +5255 5325 9000.
Both fights will be televised live in America on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET /6:30 p.m. PT. ¡§History in Cancun ¡¨ is being promoted by Don King Productions in association with Duva Boxing and Pepe Gomez Promotions.
Two domestically non-televised matches have been added to the card including former two-time WBA heavyweight champion John ¡§The Quietman¡¨ Ruiz (42-7-1, 29 KOs), from Chelsea , Mass. , squaring off against New York native Jameel ¡§Big Time¡¨ McCline (38-8-3, 23 KOs), and former two-time WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (56-8-1, 48 KOs), from Mexicali, Mexico will meet undefeated Timothy ¡§Desert Storm¡¨ Bradley (21-0, 11 KOs), from Palm Springs, Calif.
Maskaev (34-5, 26 KOs), from Kazakhstan and a U.S. citizen since 2004 with homes in Staten Island, N.Y., and West Sacramento, Calif., is riding a 12-fight winning streak that includes a 12th-round technical knockout over Hasim ¡§The Rock¡¨ Rahman to win the WBC heavyweight crown in Las Vegas on Aug. 12, 2006.
The Russian-American won many fans that night with a dramatic and gritty final-round stoppage in a fight that was up for grabs. It has been said it takes heart to win the big ones, and Maskaev proved he had the heart of a champion. He landed a devastating left hook that sent Rahman down midway through the final stanza and shortly thereafter finished him off with an unanswered barrage that caused the referee to step in and halt the action during the last minute of the contest.
Perseverance has been a model for Maskaev in his career. A Russian amateur star who stopped Vitali Klitschko in the first round, Maskaev turned pro in 1993 but was matched too soon with the likes of Oliver ¡§The Atomic Bull¡¨ McCall and David Tua.
He ran his record to a respectable 20-2 before stumbling against Kirk Johnson in 2000, Lance ¡§Mount¡¨ Whitaker in 2001 and Corey Sanders in 2002. Many thought it was time for Maskaev to throw in the towel, but he took a year off and came back with a new team and vision, and he hasn¡¦t lost a match in over five years.
Maskaev will again face the type of young lion in Peter (29-1, 22 KOs ) that has caused him so much trouble in the past. The 26-year-old from Akwa Ibom , Nigeria , now living in Las Vegas , is on the precipice of achieving the success many boxing experts and fans have predicted would come for this heavy-handed knockout artist.
Promoter Don King has been telling everyone within earshot that Peter could be the next Tyson (King co-promotes Peter with Duva Boxing), and the Nigerian¡¦s 75-percent knockout percentage backs the claim. His lone loss came by decision in 2005 against Wladimir Klitschko after Peter had knocked him down three times.
Peter has now honed his boxing skills to the extent he beat Old School boxing master James ¡§Lights Out¡¨ Toney in back-to-back appearances on Sept. 2, 2006, and Jan. 6, 2007¡Xboth on 12-round decisions. Those victories made Peter the WBC No. 1-ranked heavyweight and the mandatory challenger to Maskaev.
Peter survived a scare from McCline, who agreed to face the Nigerian just two weeks prior to their Oct. 6 meeting. McCline has a history of being dangerous early, having knocked out heavyweight contender Michael Grant in just 43 seconds and dropped then International Boxing Federation champion Chris Byrd early in the second round when they met in 2004.
Juan Diaz became the second-youngest fighter to win a world title in the history of the sport in 2004 when, at just age 20, he won the WBA lightweight championship. In the last year, he stopped both Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz to gain the WBO and IBF belts.
A relentless, punishing boxer that burrows forward throwing punches in bunches at all times, Diaz has become one of the most exciting boxers in the sport. When not in the ring, Diaz is a senior at the University of Houston-Downtown who would like to go on to law school someday.
In contrast, Nate Campbell didn¡¦t participate in his first professional fight until he was almost 28 years old. A gifted athlete, Campbell learned the tricks of the trade inside the ring. His efforts have resulted in him being named IBF mandatory challenger to Diaz.
Campbell has unusually long arms, and it will be interesting to see if his reach advantage can help him find a way to do what nobody has been able to do before him: slow down and defeat the ever-charging Baby Bull. A true working man-boxer, this high-profile fight has afforded Campbell the opportunity to have a sequestered training camp in Miami . At age 35, he wants to make the most of his second world-title appearance.
____________________________________________________________________
Nate Campbell: "Juan Diaz Is Not a Demigod"
IBF No. 1-Ranked Lightweight Thinks Juan Diaz Can Be Defeated; Says He Will Teach Diaz Things He Doesn¦t Want to Know"
WEST PALM BEACH , Fla. International Boxing Federation No. 1-ranked lightweight and mandatory challenger Nate "Galaxxy Warrior¨ Campbell is confident going into his match against undefeated unified lightweight world champion Juan ¡§Baby Bull¡¨ Diaz on March 8 at Plaza de Torros in Cancun , Mexico .
I don¡¦t want to sound conceited or overconfident but Juan Diaz is not a demigod,¡¨ Campbell said. A demigod is half mortal, half god and I just don't see that. Unless my team and I have been in this sport too long or not long enough we are seeing a lot of hype.¡¨
Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KOs), who is co-promoted by Don King Productions and One Punch Productions, made his comments about Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs) recently while visiting King's South Florida headquarters.
Take a good look at who this man has fought and ask yourself, ¡¥Who has he fought?¡¦ There are lots of fighters out there who throw a lot of punches. I¡¦m going to teach things to Juan that he doesn't want to know. I can stop this man and I don¡¦t believe he can beat me.¡¨
Campbell thinks he has been underestimated throughout his career, and he looks forward to utilizing a six inch reach advantage over Diaz.
Nobody thinks I can punch¨ he said, but there's something about the way I punch that makes guys change their mind when they get in the ring with me. Juan Diaz will ask himself after the first punch I land that makes clean contact, ¡¥What part of the game is this?¡¦
Joel Casamayor has fought Jose Luis Castillo, Acelino Freitas, Diego Corrales and me. When a reporter asked him who hits the hardest, he said, Nate Cambell. On top of that, I heard Casamayor predicted that I¡¦m going to win against Diaz.¨
Campbell ¡¦s fight is part of the History in Cancun event that will include the first world heavyweight championship ever decided in Mexico when World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev faces WBC interim champion Sameul "The Nigerian Nightmare¨ Peter. Both Diaz vs. Campell and Maskaev vs. Peter will be televised live in America on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at
9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. The event is being promoted by Don King Productions in association with Duva Boxing, Pepe Gomez Promotions and One Punch Productions.
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