Peter dominates Toney, earns shot at WBC heavyweight title [Archive]

Will

01-07-2007, 07:01 AM

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA (SPORTS TICKER) -- Samuel Peter left no doubt this time around.

Peter started quickly and battered James Toney throughout, scoring a unanimous 12-round decision in a heavyweight title elimination fight Saturday night.

Showing remarkable movement, Peter (28-1, 22 KOs) earned a title shot against WBC champion Oleg Maskaev as he controlled the rematch with Toney, who complained long and loud after dropping a split decision in their previous bout.

At the final bell, Peter did a little victory dance in the ring as Toney - his left eye partially swollen shut - just pawed a glove toward him in disgust.

"This was my best fight," the 25-year-old Peter said. "I trained hard for this fight."

The judges' scorecards were 119-108 and a pair at 118-110 for Peter, known as "The Nigerian Nightmare." He was was warned twice for hitting Toney in the back of the head but did not lose a point as he did in the first fight just over four months ago. Toney grumbled about that decision but could say nothing after this one. He showed very little energy and was knocked down for the first time since 1994 against Roy Jones.

"He didn't knock me down," said Toney, severely slurring his words. "I slipped."

Peter staggered Toney just past the midway point of the first round, then was warned for hitting in the back of the head. In the second, Peter connected with a straight left that put Toney (69-6-3) on his rump.

The 38-year-old Toney rallied a bit in an action-filled fourth round but had little else. Peter kept finishing rounds with flurries that swayed the judges and had Toney wearing a beaten look.

In the 11th, Peter struck again with a big right hand that had Toney reeling. He kept his feet but offered nothing in return the remainder of the bout.

A former IBF middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champion, Toney has lost two straight fights after going nearly nine years without a setback. He beat John Ruiz for the WBA title in 2005 but had to relinquish the championship after testing positive for steroids.

Just KC

01-07-2007, 08:26 AM

Ahh well good for Peter, wanted tony to win though :-/

Will i just cant keep up with you in this posting stuff lol ill just add this

HOLLYWOOD, FL - Samuel Peter wanted to prove to the world that he rightfully beat James Toney in their first fight last September and that he would do it once again. This time he did it more convincingly, knocking Toney down once en route to a 12 round unanimous decision in front of a crowd of 5,238 at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena. Peter is now the mandatory challenger for WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev.

“I’m not the best yet,” a smiling Peter said after the win. “I give all the credit to the champions in the division, but I will be the best, no doubt.”

The judges scored it 119-108 and 118-110 twice, all for the man they call “The Nigerian Nightmare”.

Peter, a native of Nigeria now living in Las Vegas, won a razor thin split decision in the original bout. In Saturday’s rematch he dropped Toney with a left jab in the second round, and continuously staggered him throughout the fight with big right hands to the head. It was obvious that at 249 pounds, eight pounds lighter than in their first meeting, Peter was in much better shape.

“I trained in Miami for this fight and trained really hard. I even ran on the beach for the first time,” Peter said. “I really felt I was going to win. I was in good shape and in showed in the ring. This was my best fight.”

The 38 year-old Toney (69-6-3, 43 KOs) trash talked Peter (28-1, 22 KOs) round after round trying to throw him off his game, but Peter had none of that. He paced himself well, cornering the Ann Arbor, Michigan native and landing big bombs that Toney had no response for. Peter, who at 26 years old has a lot of years left in the sport, even taunted his foe in the tenth round after staggering him with a left hook.

“I taunted him. I gave him the Muhammad Ali shuffle and a little Floyd Mayweather too,” Peter said.

Toney, who’s been a champion at middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and even at heavyweight (although he was stripped later for failing a drug test) remained proud after the fight and was in denial.

“Nobody knocks James Toney out. Nobody,” Toney said. “I came all the way from middleweight. I’m still the best fighter out there. I give him three rounds at most. I took his best shots. I’m still standing.”

In the night’s co-feature, Travis Simms came into his WBA title fight against Jose Rivera as “champion in recess”. Well recess is over as Simms recaptured the title that he won in 2003 by beating Rivera via a ninth round technical knockout.

Simms, from Norwalk, Connecticut, is nicknamed “Tremendous” and he was tremendous in landing a perfectly timed left hook that dropped Rivera for a nine count. The courageous Rivera got up, but referee Frank Santore called a halt to the bout after Simms landed another left-right combination at 2:00 of the round.

“I felt the rust and paced myself. I did what I had to do. I was being patient,” Simms said. “I noticed he was dropping his hands, so I was looking for an opportunity.”

Simms (25-0, 19 KOs) first hurt Rivera (38-5-1, 24 KOs) with a straight left that broke his nose. He then landed two left hooks that drove Rivera into the ropes. Santore thought the ropes helped keep the Puerto Rican fighter up and called it a knockdown. Although Rivera seemed finished, Simms didn’t try to put him away.

Instead he proceeded to give Rivera a thorough beating throughout the remainder of the bout, often beating him to the punch using his superior speed to land straight lead lefts then avoiding any attempt at a Rivera come from behind win with clever defense.

“I’m usually not known as a power puncher,” Simms said. “I’m a stick and move guy, but I proved I got power tonight.”

Roman Karmazin, the former IBF junior middleweight champion, was impressive in scoring a four round technical knockout over James Obede Toney.

Karmazin (35-2-1, 22 KOs) used his experience against Toney (21-3-1, 19 KOs), going to the body from round one and hurting him on a couple of occasions. By the third round, Toney’s balance seemed to be gone and a knockout was right around the corner.

It wasn’t that far off as Karmazin, of St. Petersburg, Russia, unleashed a vicious left uppercut to the chin followed by a straight right to the head that dropped Toney on his back. Toney, from Accra, Ghana, got up and tried to weather the storm, but Karmazin smothered him until referee Frank Gentile waved off the fight at 2:05 of the round.

It was Karmazin’s first fight since losing the IBF title to Cory Spinks in July.

Former junior middleweight title challenger and current cruiserweight contender Guillermo Jones of Panama won via first round technical knockout against Jeremy Bates in a heavyweight fight scheduled for eight rounds.

Jones (34-3-2, 27 KOs) showed his superior power versus Bates (21-13-1, 18 KOs), landing a powerful uppercut that put the Ashland, Kentucky native in trouble and followed with a straight right that prompted referee Frank Santore to administer a standing eight count.

The Panamanian then landed a barrage of punches, with Santore finally calling a halt to the bout at 1:44 of the opening round. Bates lost by second round TKO to Evander Holyfield in his last fight in August.

In other bouts, heavyweight Bermane Stiverne (9-0, 9 KOs) scored a first round knockout against Otis Mills.

Javier Mora (21-4-1, 17 KOs) won a six round unanimous decision over Sedreck Fields (22-30-2, 16 KOs) in a heavyweight bout.

Lightweight Agnes Adjaho (15-0, 9 KOs) scored a six round unanimous decision over Armando Cordoba (23-32-2, 17 KOs).

Welterweight prospect Devon Alexander (10-0, 5 KOs) TKO’d Maximino Cuevas (9-5, 5 KOs) at 2:02 of the fourth round.

In a women’s bout, Laura Ramsey (7-2, 2 KOs) knocked out Ijeoma Egbunine (12-2, 8 KOs) in the first round.

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