Maskaev-Peter & Diaz-Campbell Press

[kikibalt]

October 6th at The Garden...

August 9, 2007
Madison Square Garden, NY, NY

Report: Matt Richardson
Fightnews.com

Photos: Ed Mulholland

The press conference was very much like the negotiations to make the fight: long, tedious and much more complex than it needed to be.

Still, it was with a collective sigh of relief that the much delayed heavyweight title fight between champion Oleg Maskaev and number one contender Samuel Peter was finally announced to the boxing world on Wednesday afternoon in New York City.

The two power-punchers will collide on October 6th at Madison Square Garden. The showdown will be nationally televised.

"Boxing is the sport that has built this historic building," said MSG's Joel Fisher. "This promises to be an exciting night of boxing."

"We have a credo here in New York and that's to let the best man win," said NYSAC Chairman Ron Scott Stevens. Stevens, a former matchmaker before becoming commissioner, ironically once made fights for both Maskaev and Peter. "I think this is one of the great match-ups," he said. "These are two rough, tough heavyweights."

The press conference was presided over by Don King, who along with Dino Duva, promotes Peter. But Duva had prior family engagements that could not be canceled so he sent his father Lou to speak for him.

"It's up to Maskaev how long it's going to go," said the legendary trainer. "But Sam Peter will knock him out. Sam Peter and Oleg Maskaev is going to be an exciting fight. Boxing deserves an exciting heavyweight but you can bet on it," Duva said as he pointed to the media, "Sam Peter will knock out Oleg Maskaev!"

"I'm here in a great place to make history," said Peter (28-1, 22 KO's). "It's going to be a great fight on October 6th. To Oleg Maskaev - 'hasta la vista, baby.' You're belt is mine. October 6th is going to be fun."

After much of the pro-Peter talk from the right side of the dais Maskaev promoter Dennis Rappaport came to the podium to give his two cents. "This is not the same Oleg Maskaev. This is a man with a precious and priceless future. (Peter) is not fighting James Toney, he's fighting Oleg Maskaev! And he's right, the fight will end in a knockout - Oleg will win."

"A lot of things are being said and I can say a lot of things," explained Maskaev (34-5, 26 KO's). "This is a big fight. I'm taking this fight very seriously. Don't ever say something before you make it. Like Arnold says, 'I'll be back.'"

"Without a doubt we have here two of the most exciting heavyweights," said Ivaylo Gotzev, Peter's manager. "We're going to be here to seize the moment and crown a new heavyweight champion."

JABS

Tickets, priced from $400 to $50 go on sale Friday, August 10. For more information call Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171.


Both fighters were awarded special medals by Joe Dwyer on behalf of the WBC.

Showtime is only airing the main event, electing to bypass the junior middleweight bout between Daniel Santos and Jose Luis Rivera as well as the heavyweight crossroads match between Andrew Golota and Kevin McBride.

Unbeaten heavyweight Mike Marrone may also see action on the under card.

Former 2004 Democratic Presidential candidate Al Sharpton was also in attendance at the press conference as he briefly spoke to the assembled media in support of King and the upcoming event.

Maskaev is already training in the Poconos, PA with long-time trainer Victor Valle Jr. According to Valle, Maskaev broke four of his trainer's ribs while doing body work in the gym.

[kikibalt]

Will Oleg Maskaev Go To Sleep After a Nightmare on October 6th?
By Mark Murray
Ringside Report.com

Heavyweight contender Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter, 28-1, 22 KO’s, will be taking on WBC Heavyweight champion Oleg “The Big O” Maskaev, 34-5, 26 KO’s, in a long deserved and much anticipated title shot in Madison Square Garden on October 6.

Peter is coming off of two victories against elite heavyweight fighter and former Multiple Division Champion, James Toney. Proving that his controversial split decision victory over Toney in September of 2006 wasn’t a fluke, Peter came back and fought Toney once again in January, dominating his opponent in route to a unanimous decision victory in a fight in where “Lights Out” took a pounding.

Peter’s victories over Toney along with his impressive resume earned him a much deserved title shot in which many thought he deserved long before October 6. The only blemish on Peter’s impressive resume is a unanimous decision loss in 2005 to current IBF Heavyweight Champion and recognized number one heavyweight fighter Wladimir Klitschko.

Peter isn’t labeled “The Nigerian Nightmare” for nothing. His most impressive boxing attribute is certainly his power, which can most definitely give his opponents nightmares. Peter stands at a thick and muscular six feet tall and his punches really seem to pack a punch, literally. Each and every one of his punches can be heard loudly through the television set, being so powerful you can feel the pain that the recipient of the punches experiences.

His fighting style can be labeled as a slugger but he also possesses surprisingly quick hand speed to pair with his world class power. Although he can be labeled as a slugger, he still boxes his opponents, both jabbing and counter punching and not only flailing his arms about going for a knock out at all times. Peter not only contains power from his right hand, as most power punchers do, but also dishes out power from his left hooks. This was proven in his second round knock out victory over heavyweight Jeremy Williams in 2004.

Although Peter is certainly a great fighter, he does have some weak points that can be exposed. Since he has such a great punch, he sometimes gets trigger happy with his big rights and this can leave him open for a relatively easy counter punch. Also, Peter definitely isn’t known for his ring speed. He seems to mope around the ring hunting down his opponents in a slow fashion. However his punches are surprisingly fast for how slow he moves around the ring.

Peter’s opponent Maskaev can be considered a journeyman foreign boxer who made it big when he took advantage of a title shot in August of 2006, defeating then WBC Heavyweight Champion at the time, Hasim Rahman, in a stunning twelfth round technical knockout. However, Maskaev’s victory over Rahman perhaps shouldn’t have been as stunning as it actually was. This was in fact the second time that he defeated “The Rock” as Maskaev knocked him out in the eighth round of a ten round bout in 1999.

Maskaev’s victory shouldn’t have come as a huge upset, and with the second win over Rahman, he became WBC Heavyweight Champion and basically shocked the world. After his defeat of Rahman, Maskaev went on to defeat Ugandan born Peter Okhello in a unanimous decision victory.

Both Maskaev and Peter have a somewhat similar fighting style. They are both large men who seem to mope around the ring and throw big shots whenever they see an opening. Maskaev’s style is a little more awkward than the challenger’s. When “The Big O” is standing in his boxing position he seems stiff and seems as if it is difficult for him to release his punches easily. His jab is anything but effective, being dreadfully slow as he seems to paw it towards his opponents just for the sake of jabbing.

Maskaev also seems to tire easily. Another flaw of his is that he holds his opponents much more so than most other boxers hold during bouts. This could be because of his conditioning or perhaps a strategy of his to regain energy throughout his fights. Along with Peter, Maskaev also doesn’t possess great ring speed. However, he somehow ducks out of the way of most of the punches coming towards him. He doesn’t necessarily block punches thrown at him…he ducks and bends out of the way. He also holds or clutches his opponent’s arms, which I assume can be part of his defensive strategy as well.

Maskaev may not be the greatest of boxers, having many flaws, but he does possess one great asset that not all boxers have which is his huge knockout power. His big rights and lefts may seem as if they don’t pack much power, but with twenty-six knockouts apparently they do. The “Big O” demonstrated his flash knockout power in his second knockout victory over Hasim Rahman.

The match up of these two powerful heavyweights should be a slow paced brawl in which many power punches will be thrown. Both fighters are certainly not known for using their speed to duck and dodge punches therefore there are going to be a lot of punches thrown and many will land. The fight will come down to whoever dodges the big punches the best and also whoever can take the big punches that are landed.

The 35-year-old Maskaev has five losses on his record, all coming by way of knockout. Peter, who is 26-years-old has one loss on his record and has never been knocked out in a bout. Knowing that the defending WBC Heavyweight Champion has not only been knocked out for a loss, but knocked out five times could play a major part in deciding who will win the upcoming bout. Along with the fact that Maskaev has been knocked in all of his defeats, he has also been through many battles and at the age of 35 he could be less prone to punishment than Peter. With a younger challenger having never been laid out before and knowing the power that he can dish out, Peter will go on to defeat an older and less talented Maskaev with a middle round knock out victory.

[kikibalt]

Maskaev hurts back ; fight with Peter postponed

By Marc Abrams
15rounds.com

Sources have told 15rounds.com that the October 6 WBC Heavyweight title fight between Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter has been postponed due to a back injury to Maskaev.

This would mark the fourth postponment of a major fight in five weeks.

15rounds.com contacted Peter's manager, Ivalo Gotzev for comment on the postponment.

"We have waited almost a year to for this fight and I understand it is a pretty serious back injury. He may be out up to four months."

When asked if Peter plans to fight for an interim championship on October 6, Gotzev replied, "Thats what our promoters are working on."

This fight has been up and down for months stemming back from the two fights Peter needed to win from James Toney to even get the oppurtunity.

Former champ Vitaly Klitschko entered the mix and after threatend lawsuits and arbitration, Maskaev and Peter finally struck a deal to meet at Madison Square Garden.

In an ironic twist, Klitschko was scheduled to meet Jameel McCline but Klitschko himself pulled out with a bad back.

[Todd]

It sounds as though Andrew Golota might step in against Peter. From MaxBoxing:

Peter has more than earned his shot at the WBC title. If it were up to him, he would've faced Maskaev months ago. There is talk that this show may still be salvaged. I've been told there is talk of Andrew Golota as the new opponent and that Showtime may still go through with their telecast. [Read more]

[Juan C Ayllon]

Here's the press release I received and posted up at the CBZ Newswire page:

Link to Official WBC Press Release

[hawk5ins]

Report: McCline received steroids, other drugs within last two years
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The heavyweight title fight between Samuel Peter and Jameel McCline on Saturday night is under review by boxing authorities following a report that McCline received more than $12,000 worth of steroids, human growth hormone and related drugs within the last two years.

New York State Athletic Commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens told The Associated Press on Friday he would comment on the bout's status later in the day.

Stevens told the Daily News of New York in Friday's editions that he would consult with the state Attorney General's office to determine if the Madison Square Garden bout would proceed.

McCline (38-7-3, 23 KOs) and Peter (28-1, 22 KOs) are to fight for the WBC interim heavyweight title. McCline is a substitute for the fight, following an injury to Oleg Maskaev.

Citing an anonymous source, the newspaper reported that Infinity Longevity of Boca Raton, Fla., a clinic associated with the Signature Pharmacy scandal, supplied drugs to McCline from March 2005 until last December. They included steroids like stanozolol and nandrolone, along with human growth hormone, testosterone and tamoxifen, an estrogen blocker taken by steroid users to keep them from developing feminine physical characteristics.

Signature and several related sales companies face prosecution in Albany County on charges they illegally sold steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs banned by many sports.

Calls to the attorney general's office and Albany County district attorney's office were not immediately returned Friday.

Stevens told the Daily News that McCline has never tested positive for steroids in New York, including before his Nov. 13, 2004, split decision loss to Chris Byrd.

"We tested him before and after the fight and he came up clean," Stevens said.

Stevens has told the AP that Evander Holyfield, another boxer whose name was linked earlier to the steroid scandal, also tested negative for steroids when he fought in New York.

McCline's manager, Scott Hirsch, told the newspaper he doubted his fighter had used performance-enhancing drugs.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Crold1]

Juan Diaz: Trying to Unlock the Key to Stardom

A generation ago, Boxing’s reach into the sports mainstream would have made 24-year old Lightweight titlist Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KO, WBA/WBO/IBF) a lock for real stardom. His combination of buzzsaw style and wholesome story would have been a gimme’.

A native of the All-American city of Houston, Texas; a college student while he holds his titles; works with the League of Women Voters to get out the vote; an aww-shucks old-school personality; and world-class non-stop combination punching from someone who just happens to be considered by many to be the best Lightweight in the World today.

25 years ago, he’s on a Wheaties box. Without a DeLaurean, it’ll be tough to get back to 25 years ago. No, it’s 2008 and Boxing struggles regularly to attract mainstream sports attention. Sure, Diaz has a solid following amongst boxing fans but, so far, that’s it.

That’s too bad.

It may be that there just isn’t room for Diaz’s kind anymore; maybe there isn’t room for the matinee idol. That’s what Diaz would have been then. He would have fit in nicely with a fighter like Ray Mancini, someone the man of the house could respect in the ring and Mom could want to bake a pie for. Mom might even be biting her nails as he headed into the ring with the power punching Nate Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KO) if this Saturday was a different Saturday, in a different time.

Read the Rest at: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&o...table&id=12963