21.03.05 – Dino Duva, promoter of undefeated heavyweight Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter and Duva Boxing President, has responded to a release sent out recently by people claiming to represent NABA Heavyweight champion Taurus “The Bull” Sykes that questions the courage of his Nigerian slugger.
Among other inflammatory statements, the release says on behalf of Sykes “I beat Jovo Pudar and then Peter ran to fight him and was scared to fight me because he knew I would have jabbed him all the way back to Africa, and before the fight was over, he would have been whispering in my ear “my name is Toby.’”
“I am prepared to extend a public offer to Taurus Sykes to face Samuel Peter for far more purse money than he’s ever made in his life,” said Duva. “I have a TV date for July or August and as long as he doesn’t conveniently’ price himself out and the network accepts him – we’ll make the fight.”
Duva says that all Sykes had to do was ask, but now, because of the racially charged lewdness of his press release, the once-beaten “Bull” has a brutal beating waiting for him.
“I’m not sure what’s behind this new-found courage from Sykes. Last year we offered him a fight against Samuel and he ran for the hills and couldn’t be found for a while, but if he really wants to subject himself to Samuel putting a major-league smack-ass on him, we’ll accommodate him. Who am I to prevent it? But when Samuel hears how badly Sykes has disrespected him, I’m almost afraid of what will happen when they fight.”
Sykes won the vacant NABA strap earlier this month with a unanimous decision over Peter’s countryman Friday Ahunanya. Meanwhile, Peter was last seen winning the vacant USBA Heavyweight Title with a five-knockdown rout of Yanqui Diaz.
“Samuel would love to fight Sykes because he has something that Samuel wants – the NABA title. Samuel has been gathering all of the major organization’s subsidiary titles (he already has the NABF and USBA, and we are negotiating with the NABO) and he wants all of them. Then he can proceed to go after all of the MAJOR world titles.”