Toney-Peter Results & Discussion 9/2/06

[ezzthetic]

Robbery. And Toney looked a lot better than he did against Rahman. This guy ruined his body by working too hard in training. That's a fact. I don't blame him for not training harder than he does. It also doesn't help that he's fighting opponents that are so inferior to him that they don't exactly act as means of motivation by themselves. Aside for Booker, all his recent opponents have been legitimate heavyweights... sorry as they are today.

[OMG65]

If Toney dosen't have the pride or the smarts to realize that coming into fights grossly out of shape don't affect his performances and perceptionns of judges who may subconsciously root for the other opponent by giving them the benefit of the doubt in the scorecards,then he is indeed a dumb,fat,lazy,unmotivated poor excuse for a true heavyweight and gets exactly what he deserves in questionable decisions.In shape at around 215 lbs where he should be, he easily beats Rahman and Peter.James Toney has only James Toney to blame for ruining his career for the buffet table.He can whine all he wants but until this man can get himself into decent shape he is a disgrace to the heavyweight division and that's alot to say for these days.

[TKO Tom]

I thought it was a decent fight. There is a lot of nuances to James Toney's game but he just doesn't get the credit for it by the judges. Guys like us, yes, but the judges - no.

I scored the fight 114-114. I had it 6-5-1 in rounds for Samuel Peter but with the point deduction in the ninth that brings the score to 114-114 on my card. Toney lost the fight in the last three rounds on my card because I thought he lost the 10th and the 12th rounds.

Had James Toney shown up in shape he would have won this fight going away. Toney has nobody but himself to blame. Peter was huffing and puffing after four rounds but because Toney was not in the shape to do more he couldn't pull away from Peter. It's sad, because Toney would have beaten Rahman and Peter had he just been in better condition.

The judges were way off in my opinion. The two scores of 116-111 for Peter mean they both gave James Toney three rounds which is fucking crazy! This was a one or two point fight either way - not a three, four or five point spread!

The problem with trying to score this fight was twofold: (1.) Toney won many of the rounds in the early part of the round. James would win the first minute or minute and a half. Then he would let Peter come on and win the ends of the rounds. We all know that judges seem to remember the ends of the rounds rather than the beginning. (2.) Peter landed the bigger harder shots that moved Toney around. Toney landed more shots but they weren't hard shots. They were jabs and this is pro boxing where the more damaging shots are supposed to mean more. The problem with judging this fight was like Al Bernstein noted, do you give more credence to the harder shots or more volume?

It was a difficult fight to score and probably one of the more difficult fights you will see to pick a winner. You really had to be paying attention. If you took your eye away from the set or were sitting around slugging beers you were missing the one punch that could have decided the round.

Al Bernstein had it 115-113 Toney, Carlos Arias had it 114-113 Toney, Doug Fischer had it 115-113 Toney and Steve Springer had it 115-112 Toney.

The problem with listening to the scores of the press row guys is this (and I know because I've sat there with them). What they do is watch a round of a fight and then they sorta' discuss amongst themselves who they thought won it. The press row scoring is like a consultation scoring. They'll say, "Who do you think won that round?" And then they agree, "Oh, OK I'll give it to Toney too." They all sit together and banter about the scoring of a round. It's not really an objective score. Like I say, I know, because I've sat there with them. Fischer, Springer and Arias are all buddies and they were all right there together scoring the fight together and you can't do that.

Lastly, Peter now gets the right to fight Oleg Maskaev - and Big Sam will murder him.

[HE Grant]

I did not see Toney "wobbled" once. Talk about taking something out of proportion. There were about three times over 12 rounds where Peter could have been said to have landed hard. However, all these times not only was Peter way tired and the punches mostly arm punches, Toney took them very well and came back to belt Peter three to one. People should be commending him for being the former middleweight that withstood the bombs of the feared Peter, shots that had playboy Klitsko floping all over the ring like a drunk. I ask when was he wobbled, what point of what round?

I find it amazing how the prejudice against Toney translates to the judge's scorecards. He's punished because of his weight, he's refered to as an amateur because he does not have one punch power at heavyweight. He does act like a jerk. However, all he does is completely outpunch the best of the biggest men and make them look like the amateurs. He does not do it as a cutie like a Chris Byrd. He stands there in ring center and punches the sh-t out of them.

I think Peter did nothing last night. He was fat, he was slow and he never seriously hurt Toney. Peter spent 9/10th's of the fight following Toney around the ring without throwing a punch, taking punch after punch to his face and trying not to trip over his own bad footwork. Maybe he threw 20 punches a pound., half of those pawing jabs. In the whole fight he might have thrown five combinations. His face was busted up. His eyes were puffy. He bleed from the nose and the mouth. He was the most surprised man in the arena when the decision was announced.

Toney emerged unmarked. He was understandably disgusted. Toney outpunched Peter by a ton and this includes power shots. The decision was economically motivated and a joke.

I do not really even like Toney. I find his attitude childish and booring. I find his arrogance over his weight to be self-destructive. However, he is a ring marvel at 38. He deserved the decisions over Rock and Peter. He is punished for what he is not, not what the other man accomplished against him. He continues to expose today's heavyweights as the limited crop they are.

Toney proved last night that even when given a chance, Showtime shows the same integrity as HBO, about the same as a Russian hooker.

[diggity]

I thought the scores were atrocious and particularly motivated as well.

I noticed how Peter was trying to win the end of rounds as well, to his credit I think that's what the judges fell for.
Peter did better than I expected but I thought JT won a close but clear fight. JT slapped Peter around all night and when it came time to take a big punch, JT took it surprisingly well and left the fight unscathed and huffing way less than Peter.

As has been his career mantra for years, JT has nothing to blame but himself. He blew his biggest fight in RJJ, lost his heavyweight title to drugs, drew with the pathetic Rahman & now this. The track record speaks for itself. If only JT this or if only JT that... In reality JT is right where he belongs in history, he got back exactly what he put in.

I don't know where he goes from here. It's obvious that at 230+ these fights become way harder for him then they have to be. I put in the JT/Holy fight earlier in the evening and there is just a tremendous difference in his excess 20lbs. His work rate is just not there to set him far apart from these guys like he should be.

[kikibalt]

[mrbig1]

I had Toney winning 115-112.

[HE Grant]

Kiki, where did you get the photo, the Showtime website?

[Kid Achilles]

2:26 of the 5th round, Peter hits Toney with a hard overhand right and Toney is so out of it he grabs onto the tope rope with his right hand and is unable to let go, so thoroughly rocked is he, that Peter follows up with another right hand. Toney still doesn't let go. He is like a man who's grabbed a live wire and, in the process of being electrocuted, is unable to let go.

A thinking, clear headed fighter would be defending himself with both hands, not clutching onto a rope for support.

I would definitely call that being staggered it's just that there was a rope nearby for Toney to grab onto to keep his balance.

Then for the next 30-40 seconds, Toney retreats, is knocked off balance by a jab, and holds repeatedly anyone Peter gets close. That is what I call a hurt fighter.

[smallon]

I thought it was a decent fight. There is a lot of nuances to James Toney's game but he just doesn't get the credit for it by the judges. Guys like us, yes, but the judges - no.

I scored the fight 114-114. I had it 6-5-1 in rounds for Samuel Peter but with the point deduction in the ninth that brings the score to 114-114 on my card. Toney lost the fight in the last three rounds on my card because I thought he lost the 10th and the 12th rounds.

Had James Toney shown up in shape he would have won this fight going away. Toney has nobody but himself to blame. Peter was huffing and puffing after four rounds but because Toney was not in the shape to do more he couldn't pull away from Peter. It's sad, because Toney would have beaten Rahman and Peter had he just been in better condition.

The judges were way off in my opinion. The two scores of 116-111 for Peter mean they both gave James Toney three rounds which is fucking crazy! This was a one or two point fight either way - not a three, four or five point spread!

The problem with trying to score this fight was twofold: (1.) Toney won many of the rounds in the early part of the round. James would win the first minute or minute and a half. Then he would let Peter come on and win the ends of the rounds. We all know that judges seem to remember the ends of the rounds rather than the beginning. (2.) Peter landed the bigger harder shots that moved Toney around. Toney landed more shots but they weren't hard shots. They were jabs and this is pro boxing where the more damaging shots are supposed to mean more. The problem with judging this fight was like Al Bernstein noted, do you give more credence to the harder shots or more volume?

It was a difficult fight to score and probably one of the more difficult fights you will see to pick a winner. You really had to be paying attention. If you took your eye away from the set or were sitting around slugging beers you were missing the one punch that could have decided the round.

Al Bernstein had it 115-113 Toney, Carlos Arias had it 114-113 Toney, Doug Fischer had it 115-113 Toney and Steve Springer had it 115-112 Toney.

The problem with listening to the scores of the press row guys is this (and I know because I've sat there with them). What they do is watch a round of a fight and then they sorta' discuss amongst themselves who they thought won it. The press row scoring is like a consultation scoring. They'll say, "Who do you think won that round?" And then they agree, "Oh, OK I'll give it to Toney too." They all sit together and banter about the scoring of a round. It's not really an objective score. Like I say, I know, because I've sat there with them. Fischer, Springer and Arias are all buddies and they were all right there together scoring the fight together and you can't do that.

Lastly, Peter now gets the right to fight Oleg Maskaev - and Big Sam will murder him.

I also scored it 114-114. I don't see the decision being a robbery in any way, shape or form however 116-111 is overdoing it.

[HE Grant]

Kid are you a fiction writer? "So out of it that he grabs the rope and does not let go?" You are clearly blowing it out of proportion. There is a difference between being stung and out on his feet, hanging on for life.

[hagler04]

Who said Toney "ruined his body by working too hard in training" . . .is that a joke? Toney ruined his body by balooning up to 280 + lbs in between fights, not by training too hard. Hell, there were a number of pundits who thought that, while Toney worked harder for this fight than vs Rahman, he still wasn't going to confuse anyone for Marciano via his training routine.

Toney def. has his self to blame. It WAS a close fight and he made so many of the rounds close due to his inactivity. I was excited by Toney's entry into the HW division but as this is the best shape he can get into at 38 years old (with his awful lifestyle in between fights) he's done. His life in between fights has finally caught up with him, and at his advanced age he can no longer stay one step ahead of father time coupled with morbid over-eating.

He can still beat a lot of HWs with his savvy and skill but he will never be HW champion

[kikibalt]

Kiki, where did you get the photo, the Showtime website?

Los Angeles Times

[rifle]

I was actually at the fight last night. I thought toney was diffenetly hurt when he grabbed the ropes. The ref didn't do a thing to stop him either. He grabbed on for like 30 seconds and it enabled him to angle his body away from Peter. It was a veteran move by Toney to clear his head and get out of trouble.

Also that 7'' Russian fighter was there, Don King was taking him around to shake hands with everyone. That guy is a monster!! He doesn't even look human. I haven't seen him fight yet, but he at least looks intimidating as hell.

Funny side note of the evening, Jim Lamply came walking by me and someone yelled something out to him, Lamply turned, pointed at the guy, winked and said "thanks for watching"...total cheese ball.

[Todd]

The following note is on boxrec:

Data Boxing reported the blows as Peter 259/637 41%; Toney 164/446 36%. Peter led in attempts + controls 685 to 522, 57% to 43% of the total.

[hagler04]

I was actually at the fight last night. I thought toney was diffenetly hurt when he grabbed the ropes. The ref didn't do a thing to stop him either. He grabbed on for like 30 seconds and it enabled him to angle his body away from Peter. It was a veteran move by Toney to clear his head and get out of trouble.

Also that 7'' Russian fighter was there, Don King was taking him around to shake hands with everyone. That guy is a monster!! He doesn't even look human. I haven't seen him fight yet, but he at least looks intimidating as hell.

Funny side note of the evening, Jim Lamply came walking by me and someone yelled something out to him, Lamply turned, pointed at the guy, winked and said "thanks for watching"...total cheese ball.

HAHA, that's hilarious!

Lampley is a cheese ball.

[Kid Achilles]

He looked pretty out on his feet to me. What was he doing standing there gripping the rope and not defending himself or trying to counter Peter if he was merely stunned? I would say he was in clear danger and if that punch landed in the center of the ring, who knows what would have happened. That was by far the most hurt I've ever seen Toney. He was more hurt there than he was in the knockdowns suffered at the hands of Roy Jones and Reggie Johnson. All my opinion of course.

[apollack]

TKO Tom I really like your analysis. Thoughtful and objective.

Achilles you make a good point about Toney being hurt. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I consider myself an expert at telling when a guy is hurt, from watching fights and from actually getting in there as a boxer and coach (my own boxers ask me how I do it), and I tell you that this was THE first time in Toney's career that I saw him hurt. I saw his legs and body wobbly and unsteady, and if Peter had better condition, knew how to throw more hooks and uppercuts, he might have gotten him out of there. But then again you can always say IF for both guys. HE Grant, watch it again (if you can stand to) and you will see that James was actually stunned a number of times, but his veteran ring generalship and defense got him out of trouble.

HE Grant although I disagree with you, I can see your point from your perspective. But I call them like I see them, and I can see how this would be a split deciision, but I saw it for Peter nevertheless. Both Toney and Peter have no conditioning so that was a wash for me. Toney should have learned his lesson from the Rahman fight, so if he didn't, tough luck. When fans and networks are paying you millions of dollars, you owe them the respect of putting in your best efforts to present yourself in the best possible shape for a fight. Of course, Peter was just as guilty, but at least he brought some serious pop to the table.

[GorDoom]

Peter Wins Controversial Decision Over Toney
by David A. Avila from Sweet Science

LOS ANGELES – Nigeria’s Samuel Peter won a controversial split-decision over James Toney at the Staples Center Saturday night in a heavyweight contest to determine the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Oleg Maskaev.

It was billed “No Risk, No Reward” as Toney defended his IBA title against the knockout puncher Peter (27-1, 22 KOS) in a 12-round match before 9,852 fans in downtown Los Angeles. Most expected Peter to win by knockout or lose by decision.

Toney (69-5-3, 43 KOs), the former middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight titleholder, had proven many times that his defensive skills and offensive knowledge were enough to offset any heavy puncher.

“I welcome the challenge. I like that,” said Toney about facing a dangerous puncher.

Though entering the fight at 257 pounds, the third heaviest of his career, the heavy-handed Peter managed to sustain a decent energy level against the elusive Toney. But many times he found it difficult to get a bead on the California-based heavyweight.

Peter’s best rounds were the third and fifth when the Nigerian was able to connect with his ax-like blows. Toney wobbled a bit and seemed dazed, but managed to escape further punishment.

During most of the fight, Toney was able to jab through Peter’s guard and by the fourth round, the big African fighter was bloodied but not deterred by the damage done to the nose.

Throughout the fight Toney landed resounding blows but Peter stormed back with a vengeance. At times both battled on the ropes but Peter’s corner would scream to “get off the ropes” lest Toney use his experience to rest while fending off the African’s big roundhouse punches.

“You all saw what I did against this man, he did nothing,” Toney said. “This guy wasn’t the Nightmare, he was the Sightmare with his face. I made him look like the Elephant Man.”

By the ninth round, Peter’s mouth was wide open from weariness as Toney chopped away at his opponent with quick left hooks and overhand rights.

“I was never hurt,” said Peter, who has never been stopped in a boxing match. “I’m solid like a rock.”

Despite taking some wicked blows to the back of the head, Toney survived and was able to step into another gear. A point was taken from Peter in the ninth round for hitting with two hands simultaneously – an illegal tactic – during a referee’s order to break.

It didn’t matter.

The judges scored it 115-112 for Toney and 116-111 twice for Peter. The crowd booed for several minutes after the announcement.

“I’m ready for Oleg Maskaev,” said Peter after the fight.

Toney was shocked and angered by the decision.

“I took everything away from him,” Toney said. “This is not over.”

* * *

In the semi-main event Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero powered his way to victory in a gritty nose-to-nose battle and captured the IBF featherweight title from Eric Aiken with a blistering body attack and nonstop punching. After eight rounds of sustained battering, Aiken’s corner advised referee Tony Crebs to stop the fight and save their fighter.

“He was taking a beating,” said Jerry Page, trainer for Aiken. “It didn’t look like he was going to turn it around.”

Guerrero had previously been scheduled to fight for a world title last year but was derailed by Mexico’s Gamaliel Diaz. But the experience in fighting a tough, almost dirty opponent like Diaz, gave Guerrero another perspective on inside fighting.

“We did everything we wanted to do,” said Guerrero (19-1-1, 12 KOs), who resides in Salinas, California. “I was in control of the fight the whole time. I did everything I wanted to do.”

From the beginning Guerrero zeroed into Aiken’s midsection with ripping left uppercuts to the body that left the titleholder gasping. After five rounds it was clear Guerrero was too powerful for Aiken who was defending his title for the first time.

“Everything was happening, I broke my hand,” said Aiken (16-5, 12 KOs) of Marysville, Ohio. “I’m not taking anything away from him (Guerrero). All glory to him.”

Guerrero promises to defend against all contenders.

“I want to fight the best guys,” Guerrero said.

Other bouts
Florida heavyweight Michael Marrone (15-0) and Kentucky heavyweight Ralph West (16-9-1) wasted no time figuring out each other’s style. Instead, the big-hitting guys unloaded on each other for three rounds of a scheduled six-round contest with Marrone proving to be more resilient. On two occasions West turned his back following right hands to the jaw. The first time it occurred the bout could have been stopped but it came seconds before the end of the second round. Marrone repeated the feat in the next round but this time referee David Mendoza stopped the fight at 55 seconds of the third.

Welterweight sensation Anthony Dirrell (10-0, 9 KOs) sped through six rounds of middleweight action against tough Bill Thompson (7-6, 3 KOs). It began quickly with Dirrell displaying overwhelming hand speed, but Thompson survived the first three rounds and slowly began to land punches as Dirrell slowed. After six rounds Dirrell was ruled the winner 60-54 by all three judges. It was the first time an opponent was not stopped by Dirrell.

In a strange heavyweight contest Travis Walker (21-0-1, 17 KOs) was ruled the winner by technical knockout over John Clark (12-8-1, 7 KOs) who turned his back. Referee Jose Cobian stopped the fight feeling that Clark was hurt or unable to continue fighting,

Female prizefighters Jessica Rakoczy (23-2) and Belinda Laracuente (22-13-3) filled the arena with punches and counterpunches for two rounds, but a clash of heads opened up a gash over Rakoczy’s left eye. The fight was stopped at 40 seconds into the third round by referee Raul Caiz. Because the fight did not go pass four rounds it was ruled a “no contest.”

[GorDoom]

Peter Out-points Toney; Guerrero Wins IBF Featherweight Title
By Doug Fischer from Max Boxing

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2 – In a hard-fought 12-round heavyweight battle, 26-year-old Samuel Peter landed enough powerful clubbing haymakers to the back of 38-year-old James Toney’s head and to the veteran’s ample body to convince two of the official judges that youth rules the day.

Peter, who improved to 27-1 (22), won the entertaining fight by split decision with announced scores of 116-111 from judges Alejandro Rochin and Richard Flaherty. Judge Gale Van Hoy scored the bout 115-113 for Toney, which most of the near 10,000 fans that filled the Staples Center to watch the WBC heavyweight title eliminator seemed to agree with.

The Nigerian-born puncher did not do enough to convince the majority of the ringside press that he defeated the former three-division champ who began his career at middleweight 18 years ago, either.

And you can guess how Toney felt about the decision.

“He didn’t do s__t,” bellowed Toney, whose record dropped to 69-5-3 (43) after suffering his first loss in nine years. “To Peter: I ain’t done with your punk ass. I got something for you if you want it.

“I didn’t lose this fight. I took everything away from him.”

Toney did indeed take away much of Peter’s arsenal, but only after absorbing a number of brutally hard right hands to the side and back of the head in the first four rounds of the bout. At certain points during the opening rounds Toney looked as though it was only a matter of time before he would be over-powered by the murderous-punching Nigerian. Toney got his jab off, but landed little else of note, while Peter pressed the fight behind a hard jab to the older man’s chest followed by clubbing rights whenever the younger man was able to press the veteran to the ropes.

However, by the end of the fourth round, Peter was only throwing single power shots, while Toney began to zero in with sharp lead and counter right hands. Toney had to have been encouraged by the sight of Peter breathing so heavily after only a few rounds of action.

In the fifth round, Toney began to put combinations together, but Peter caught him with a big right hand while he leaned along the ropes near the Nigerian’s corner. Peter followed up with two more monster right hands that stunned the veteran while he held onto the top rope with his right glove.

In the sixth round, the two heavyweights fought on equal ground, each landing big right hands and body shots. Toney did excellent work off the ropes in the final minute of the round, but Peter continually pressed him despite eating numerous flush jabs and power shots.

In the second half of the bout, Peter’s face began to show the results of all the jabs he absorbed as his nose, mouth and eye squirted blood with every shot Toney landed.

They still fought on even ground, but Toney’s ring generalship began to slowly take over the bout as Peter slowed down enough for the veteran to step around the young man and pick his shots. From rounds seven through 11, Toney appeared to be in command although Peter would land the occasional haymaker that kept the bout interesting. For the most part, however, Toney landed one-two combinations at will, snuck in left hooks on the inside and dictated the pace of the fight.

In the ninth round, Peter was docked a point by referee Raul Caiz Sr. after Toney backed him up to the ropes and the Nigerian clubbed both of the old man’s ears with both gloves in retaliation. It appeared to most ringside observers that Peter’s back was to the wall. He needed to come up with something big in the next three rounds. Whether he did or not is a matter of opinion.

Peter did go to Toney’s body well in round 10 after knocking Toney back on his heels with a right hand. However, Toney controlled most of the round with his jab and fired back at the end of the round when Peter tried to swarm him along the ropes.

Toney easily took the 11th round, landing one-twos down the pike, but appeared to take his foot off the gas pedal in the 12th round, perhaps believing, like most of the crowd in the arena, that he had done enough to earn a decision. Peter stalked Toney for the entire final round, landing a few right hands and body shots; taking the 12th on three judges’ scorecards

“I want Oleg,” Peter said after the bout, referring to Oleg Maskaev, the WBC title holder.

In response to Toney, the mandatory challenger for the WBC title had this say:

“He never hurt me. I am solid like a rock.

“My plan was to stick to my jab, and though he picked a few off, it worked. None of the trash talk leading to this fight bothered me.”

That might be true, but Peter and his handlers – manager Ivalo Gotzev and promoter Dino Duva – can expect a lot more trash talk from Toney and his fans in the days and weeks following tonight’s good fight and unpopular decision.

“I’m not done,” said Toney. “I’m not fat and I’m not out of shape like Larry Holmes.”

Well, at least he’s half right.

In the co-featured bout, Gilroy, California’s Robert Guerrero won the IBF featherweight title with an eight-round bludgeoning of Washington, DC’s Erik Aiken. Guerrero, who improved his record to 19-1-1 (12), employed rough and aggressive tactics from the opening bell, pressing the inexperienced title holder to the ropes and mauling him for most of every round.

By the fifth round, Aiken, who was able to land hard single hooks and crosses in the early part of the fight, was reduced to covering up with his back to the ropes, where his body was brutally pounded by Guerrero. By the end of the sixth round, Aiken’s left eye was badly swollen. In-between rounds six and seven, the journeyman-turned-title holder gained a few extra seconds of recovery time when a tear in Guerrero’s left glove stopped the official clock while a replacement glove was quickly put on.

Aiken started the seventh round strong, trying desperately to turn things around, but he soon settled back into his defensive shell by the middle of the round when a determined Guerrero answered his mini-rally. In the eighth round, Aiken was penalized one point by referee Tony Crebs for “excessive holding” and then proceeded to eat a number of accurate uppercuts from Guerrero who shrugged off Aiken’s best counter right crosses. Aiken had the look of a beaten fighter as he walked back to his corner and his trainers, Adrian Davis and Jerry Paige, could clearly see this. The veteran trainers did the right thing by signaling to Crebs that their fighter had had enough. The fight was stopped before the ninth round began.

“His hand was hurting and it did not look like he was going to turn it around,” said Paige. “He was taking a beating out there, so we stopped it.”

At the time of the stoppage, Guerrero was ahead on all three scorecards, 79-72 and 80-71 (twice).

“Everything Guerrero was doing affected me,” said the honest and likeable Aiken, now 16-5 (12). “I broke my right hand. I am not taking anything away from him. All glory to him.”

Guerrero gave all his glory to his Higher Power.

“It was God’s plan for me to be a world champion,” said the 23-year-old southpaw. “I was in control of the fight the whole time.”

[gregbeyer]

james toney could save himself a lot of post fight bitching by losing a few pounds and being better prepared.

if maskaev fights smart early he should stop peter who still hasn't learned to fight.
greg

[dancing hero]

I think Toney won the fight. I had it 8-4 Toney and with the point deduction, my card read 116-111 to Lights Out. I'm not a fan of Toney particularly, but judging it as fairly as I could, I thought he won more rounds than Peter. 116-111 Peter?
Crazy!

[Kid Achilles]

Peter by that margin is crazy, but I think having Toney that far ahead is crazy as well. Peter snagged a lot of the close rounds for me on account of how easily he pushed Toney back with his heavy jab and cross. When a fighter knock san opponent back with his punches, each of those punches should count more than several stinging shots that do not halt an opponent's advances. In my opinion anyway.

[PeteLeo]

Just checking in, and while I'm pretty sure HG's "When was he ever hurt?" demand was aimed at me, you other guys did an exemplary job of answering that question. Anybody who doesn't believe that Toney was legitimately shaken up at the point of the rope-grabbing routine or at least twice more (I think it was in the third and ninth rounds) simply was watching the bout with an agenda and his scorecard filled out before the first bell. Hell, I even saw Jimmyboy stumble back to the ropes with eyes closed and lips curled in pain on at least one other occasion from a hard Peter jab (that almost sounds dirty, doesn't it?).
Aside -- some attention should be paid to Sam's surprisingly active and hard jab last night. It found Toney's mug repeatedly and did its job in scrambling up his offensive attempts.
Like I said earlier, I had it close for Peter, but a Toney win was completely acceptable to me, as well. Calling this an all-time terrible decision or reporting that Toney "slapped Peter all around the ring for twelve rounds" is really out there, if you ask me. PeteLeo.

[kikibalt]

[TKO Tom]

It was a close fight - I think that we can all agree upon.

We may have to agree to disagree on the winner.

One thing I think we'll all agree on is if these guys would have shown up in better shape there's a good chance we would have seen a knockout. Toney should be 215-220 and Peter should be 235-240.

[hagler04]

More like 205 and 215.

Sounds ridiculous but trust me Sam Peter at just under 6'1 would be in FANTASTIC shape just under 220 lbs. I don't see how his body type is any bigger than Sonny Listons, and Liston was a beast at that weight.

Unfortunately he clearly couldn't get down that far without a serious diet program. As he just found success at 257, I don't see him ever weighing less than 248 ever again. I'm sure Peter will feast to celebrate.

[Todd]

I thought Peter won a close won but watched with a roomful of people and a bellyful of booze, so who knows. I'll have to watch it again.

I'll really pull for Maskaev to beat Peter, but I think Sam will blast him out.

[Crold1]

HE:
Covering the fight from ringside last night, I can assure that peter had Toney as close to knocked out as he's ever been in his career. Toney was relling when he grabbed the ropes and his knees buckeled hard. That was a monster shot he took.

[Todd]

As he just found success at 257, I don't see him ever weighing less than 248 ever again. I'm sure Peter will feast to celebrate.

That is so hilarious and so true.