Sam Peter Punishes And Beats James Toney In 12

By Frank Gonzalez Jr. Sharkie’s Machine

Saturday night at the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood Florida, Heavyweights James “Lights Out” Toney (69-6-3-1, 43 KO’s) fought a defining rematch against Sam “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter (28-1, 22 KO’s). Their first fight resulted in a controversial Decision win for Sam Peter. I thought Toney won that fight with better control and skills. Peter rarely landed any flush shots in that one but when he did, Toney took them well and always gave back with cleaner shots. Because Peter is so strong, I can understand how some thought he won the first fight. The rematch was certainly designed by the first questionable decision.

The rematch Saturday night was a clear victory for Peter, who showed noticeable improvements overall, including crisper punching, improved footwork and better stamina. Peter has benefited greatly from his recent experiences (the loss to Klitschko and the first Toney fight) and has become a more complete fighter.

Toney came in about as chiseled as possible for a chubby man. He looked confident as ever; slipping some punches early on, but not all of them. Toney managed to counter punch at times and showed a great chin but it was Sam Peter who initiated the action and controlled the tempo with some potent new wrinkles in his game.

In the first round, Peter was like a kid after Christmas, excited to play with his new and improved boxing skills. He bounced around, popped his jab repeatedly and kept James Toney at a good enough distance to land his punches while keeping Toney out of range. Though Toney did manage to land some clean shots in spots, he didn’t have the power to ever hurt Peter, who is a natural Heavyweight with a chin proven against the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, who hits a lot harder than Toney, who started his career at Middleweight.

By the end of the first round, Peter had pressured Toney into the ropes (where Toney likes to operate) and blasted him with big shots, often landing his right hand and stunning Toney, who returned fire with some slick counter punches that scored. Peter worked harder and landed punches that had authority. Toney HAD to be hurting.

In the second round, Toney was hit by a jab that put him on his seat. Toney was a bit off balance when that jab arrived. It’s been over a decade since Toney was knocked down. As the round progressed, Peter continued to press him and land some hard punches. Toney fired back and kept it lively.

In the opening of the third, Toney rocked Peter with a powerful right hand. Peter absorbed it and kept coming forward. Toney landed another big shot and again, Peter sucked it up but readjusted to a suitable distance that enabled him to score more often than Toney. Both had good moments in this round I scored even. It was the only round I could find to give Toney. The rest of the fight was quite entertaining as Peter poured on the punishment and Toney never stopped trying to win.

By the fourth, Peter was successfully in charge, landing clean shots and pressuring Toney and limiting his offense in the process. In the fifth, Toney did some good bodywork and combo punching in spots. Peter pressed him into the ropes and pounded away, causing Toney’s left eye to swell.

At the end of most rounds, Peter successfully made the extra effort to steal any rounds that might have been close. Toney gave a game effort but came up short all the way to the finish.

It was an interesting battle of two styles, Toney, the slickster with the great inside game and Peter, the big slugger with the improved skills that helped him best utilize his assets and connect with his power more effectively than last time these two fought.

Peter fought big and because of the distance he was creating, was able to control the fight and win every round on my scorecard. What he couldn’t do—was knock Toney out. Toney is one tough customer! While he lost just about every round on my card, he was competitive in every round. If he had bigger power, he might’ve had a better chance against the big Nigerian. Factor in the age and some 78 pro fights and you can’t help but give Toney some props. Father Time spares no man.

After the fight, Peter was bursting with excitement. He managed to keep it humble as he praised Toney for his great boxing skills. Toney showed no such grace during his post fight interview, denying that he lost the fight and mumbling some nonsense about him actually winning the fight. When asked if he respected Peter now after this second fight, Toney said flatly that he
had, “no respect for anybody!” and that he’ll continue to fight, dousing any questions about retirement before they were asked. I have no doubt he’ll beat some of the other Heavyweight contenders and pretenders out there.

With the win, Peter earned a shot at WBC Champion, Oleg Maskaev, who is a good boxer but he might be too slow for the overall improved Nigerian Nightmare. I like his chances over WBA Champ, Nicolay Valuev and current WBO Champ, Shannon Briggs. A rematch with Wladimir would be tremendous. Lets hope these guys face each other and produce ONE Champion. The 2007 version of Sam Peter is mighty impressive.

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On the under card bout, Super Welterweight Travis Simms (25-0, 19 KO’s), who had been out of the ring for two years, regained his WBA Champion status back as he snatched the title away from Jose Antonio Rivera (38-5-1, 24 KO’s), who was too slow and too easy for Simms to hit.

Travis was credited with two knockdowns and broke Rivera’s nose in the second round. With hardly any offense to speak of, Rivera managed to stay in the fight until Simms put him down again in the ninth. After Rivera beat the count and action resumed, Simms hammered Rivera unanswered and referee Frank Santore Jr. quickly stopped it, resulting in a TKO 9 victory for Simms.

Welcome back Travis. This guy could turn out to be the best fighter in the 154-pound division. The only other unbeaten Champion in the division is the WBO Champ, Sergiy Dzinziruk of the Ukraine, whose faced limited opposition so far. That would be a good fight to seek out if he can’t get a shot at WBC Champ, Oscar De La Hoya or IBF Champ, Cory Spinks. Any of those match ups would make for great entertainment. Simms said he would love to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.—but we all know that’s not likely to happen—too risky.

In closing, I want to thank all the fighters, trainers, and everyone out there who keep our sport alive. I wish all you fight fans out there a prosperous New Year

Peter vs. Toney II - Post Fight Quotes

Samuel Peter: “You saw what I did tonight,” Peter said. “I taunted him [Toney]. I gave him the Muhammad Ali shuffle, with a little Floyd Mayweather, too. This was my best fight. I fight the best. The South Florida camp Don King made me do was great. He didn’t let me stay in Las Vegas. I had a great training camp. I even missed Christmas. I ran on the beach for the first time and I loved it. I had a great team..

“I trained hard. Toney is a very slick guy. He trained hard and is crafty. I’m not the best heavyweight yet. I have to give the world champions credit, they have the belts. But I am going to be the best and take the belts from them all. I have great jab. It’s like a right hand. Toney kept saying, ‘Hit me, hit me’ and I hit him. It will be sweet to be the very first heavyweight world champion from Africa.”

Dino Duva: “We will challenge any of the champions but we will clearly challenge Maskaev first.”

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

Freddie Roach: “James looked a little flat coming out in the first round. What can I say? We didn’t have it tonight.”

Travis Simms: “I’m back,” Simms shouted in the ring after the fight. ”Rivera was green but an awesome competitor. I felt the rust tonight but I paced myself. I did what I had to do. I hit him with a big left in the second [round] that felt great. It was just a matter of time after that. Look at the outcome. I was off a long time but there comes a time when a fighter must come back.”

“I was being patient towards the end. I noticed he was dropping his hands so I was looking for an opportunity. I’m not known as a power puncher. I’m a stick-and-move guy but I showed my power tonight. I’ll take Cory Spinks next, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, whatever.

“I persevered. I stayed to my game plan and now I’m the champion. I stayed in the gym, worked hard and was determined. I’m a young 35, fit healthy and strong. I knew he was tough. We have history from the amateur days. I relied on my speed but don’t doubt my power and dedication.”

Jose Antonio Rivera: “I’ll be back,” Rivera said. “I have proven that I can come back. I have no excuses. He hit me with some great hard shots. I will re-group with my team and see where I go from here. I told the ref that as long as I’m still standing, don’t stop the fight.”

Did “Lights Out” Leave His Fight In The Gym?

By James Slater, photo by Tom Casino/Showtime

In one of my final articles of last year I did a piece on predictions. The first of these predictions declared how I felt James Toney would be KO’d, for the first time in his long career, in his rematch with Samuel Peter. OK, so I was only half right. Still, make no mistake, last night saw James take the worst beating of his nearly twenty-tear boxing career. My question, however, is was the fight a classic case of a guy leaving his fight well and truly in the gym? Let’s face it, there had to be SOMETHING wrong with Toney for him to have been handled so easily. And I think the training regime he underwent, the toughest discipline he has shown for many years, may well have been the reason for his one-sided loss. To have pushed his body so hard at his current age was simply too much.

As a result he was left weakened and vulnerable to Peter’s attacks. Sure, I could be totally wrong and it may simply have been his age and nothing more that led to his points defeat. After all, James is thirty-eight and after such a long career it really should come as no surprise if the number of candles blown out on birthday cakes has taken its toll on “Lights Out.”

The shockingly one-sided return match and its result sure weren’t due to Sam Peter’s vast improvement. Yes, he too trained much harder than for the first fight, dropping a fair number of pounds on the way. But that alone would not account for the seemingly effortless way in which he thoroughly trounced Toney. Peter wasn’t THAT MUCH better. No, James was weakened thanks to his gruelling preparations and he was unable to “suck it up” in there. This is to take nothing from “The Nigerian Nightmare,” though.

He is clearly the most deserving challenger for any of the four reigning champions now. But to have dominated Toney in such a huge way? Blame must go to the hiring of Billy Blanks, at least in my opinion. Much as Muhammad Ali did, in the penultimate fight of his career, Toney made the mistake of going about his pre-fight preparations the wrong way - concerned more with weight loss than anything else. Although, ironically, James actually weighed in at a pound more than in the first Peter fight. Still, he had emptied himself inside.

All this is irrelevant, however. For no matter why the vast number of debilitating punches landed on J.T, they did land. And debilitating punches, well, they debilitate. Quite simply, James must retire immediately. Easier to hit than ever before in his distinguished fighting life ( last night marked only the third time he has tasted the canvas. Not since Roy Jones sent, an admittedly off-balance, James Toney south has he hit the mat) and subject, like all ageing fighters, to the consequences, time is surely up for “Lights Out.” The last thing we want is for him to become a trial horse, thrown in with up and comers trying to make names for themselves. James is a smart guy and money surely cannot be a major worry for him. Retirement is the smartest option for him then, definitely.

If he does quit the sport now, he will leave with the statistic, of him never once being KO’d, intact. And this despite having mixed it with a number of power-punchers - and all the way from 160 to heavyweight at that. One thing’s for sure, his best chance at capturing a version of the heavyweight championship has been and gone. On that occasion, against WBA champ, John Ruiz (oh, how happy will “The Quiet Man” be at last night’s result, still smarting as he is at the way he was utterly schooled by James a couple of years back. Only, he says, because of the illegal substances Toney had in his system - knowing all too well that such a thought is a complete crock.

Hell, even the James Toney of today would still have too much for John Ruiz, of that I am certain) Toney looked to have achieved his dream. To carry on now, stubbornly still believing he can become a champ amongst the big men, would be sad and foolish.

Let’s hope Toney, a good guy and a great fighter in history, chooses his wisest option and hangs ’em up while he’s still (relatively speaking) on top. Whatever he does though, I say good luck to him. For a former middleweight he sure did prove that he was more than capable of hanging with the big guys.