https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tot5Vj1SLzs
Last night in Sofia, Bulgaria, heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev enjoyed an easy homecoming as he bashed around an out of shape Sam Peter in front of his adoring fans. Pulev, basically having nothing to beat, landed punches on the overweight, slow-footed 36-year-old at will. Peter threw a few punches, off balance as he was, but nothing ever came close to troubling 35-year-old Pulev.
With the win, the reigning European heavyweight champ improved to 24-1(13). Peter, the former WBC heavyweight champ, falls to 36-6(29).
Pulev was content to have a look at his man in the opening round, before landing his right hand with more frequency at the end of the session. Peter, who was having just his third fight since being brutally KO’d by Robert Helenius way back in 2011, was carrying at least thirty pounds of excess bulk and his reactions were slow. Huffing and puffing by the end of the opening round, Peter lumbered on through the 2nd and then the 3rd. A sloppy-looking overhand right did connect for Peter, once one of the heaviest hitters in the heavyweight division, in the 3rd, but Pulev didn’t even blink.
Then, as the 4th-round was to start, Peter indicated he could not go on. Pulev, who is ranked highly by the IBF and remains a viable contender who is in the mix for some big fights, needs bigger and better tests than this. Still, “The Cobra” has now won four in a row since suffering his sole pro loss, to then world champ Wladimir Klitschko who stopped him inside five exciting rounds in 2014. With last night’s easy victory Pulev also picked up the vacant WBA Inter-Continental belt.
Peter must now retire, for good. It really is quite a shame, as Peter was once a wickedly powerful and somewhat talented fighter who, with improved discipline, might have gone much further than he did. It really is amazing to think Peter once decked Wladimir Klitschko three times in pushing “Dr. Steel Hammer” all the way.