25.09.05 – By Frank Gonzalez Jr.: Vladimir Klitschko (45-3-0-40 KO’s) demonstrated that its better to have good boxing skills than just a big punch, as he used movement, his jab and the old one, two combination to frustrate and win a decision victory over dangerous, up and coming, Samuel Peter (24-1-0-21 KO’s). With this win, Vlad becomes the new owner of the NABF Heavyweight Belt. While the NABF may be a notch below the WBO, for Vladimir Klitschko, this is a step in the right direction.
Vladimir was beating Peter to the punch and easily winning the first four rounds until the fifth round, when Peter finally connected with a looping overhand right to the top of Vladimir’s head, sending him to the canvas. Vlad beat the count. A moment later, Peter landed a pushing right that saw Klitschko go down a second time in the round. Again, Klitschko got up in time and the bell saved him from the momentum Peter was building.
From the sixth round to the ninth, Klitschko was back in the driver’s seat, popping Peter with his jab, landing an occasional straight right and winning rounds. Peter was having a hard time landing anything. He kept trying to cut off the ring and land an over hand right but Klitschko was able to avoid his power in most of the rounds. Most times, Peter’s punches were grazing Vlad on the backside of his head..
Vlad fought tall and kept Peter at the end of his long jab. Whenever Peter got too close, Vlad did the smart thing; he clinched and forced Peter to reset.
In the tenth round, Peter was being outworked and out pointed as Vlad stepped up the volume of his 1,2 punch combinations. Finally, Peter landed a right hand that put Vlad down. Vlad got up and showed the crowd that he was not the same man who fell apart against Sanders and Brewster. Not on this night. Vlad showed that he did have the stamina to go deep with a big banger and that he had the heart to get back up if he went down. There were some moments when Vlad looked nervous but that should be natural if you’re facing a powerful puncher like Sam Peter.
The eleventh and twelfth rounds belonged to Vladimir, who stuck with his game plan and used his jab to keep Peter in his place and out of his face. A Klitschko right hand staggered Peter but Vlad didn’t take the risk of following up. He was winning the most rounds so it was a wise choice.
In the end, all three Judges scored it identically at 115-111, in favor of Vladimir Klitschko.
Congratulations to Vladimir, who showed that with discipline and dedication, anyone could rise back up after a fall from grace. He fought a smart fight against Peter, clinching at the right times, jabbing well, and using his assets effectively. It’s a well-deserved victory over a man considered one of the most dangerous guys in the division. This victory should help Vladimir recover his lost confidence and focus on improving the things that helped him win this fight, like good footwork and ring generalship.
For Sam Peter, it’s not the end of the world. He has come a long way in a short time and should learn some valuable lessons from this fight. Peter must work on his overall boxing skills and not rely so much on being a one trick pony to get the job done. Though he lost this fight, he gained a valuable experience. After all, this is really the first time Peter faced a top ten opponent. Had Klitschko been a pinch lesser a fighter Saturday night, Peter might have won by KO.
During the post fight interviews, Klitschko was gracious and humble. He said he enjoys what he does and credited Peter for being a powerful puncher. It was clear that he felt great relief that he was able to execute a smart fight plan and show his fans that he is working his way back into top form.
Sam Peter complained that Vlad held too often and should have stood and exchanged punches with him, which showed how much Peter has to learn about fighting with his brains instead of just his brawn. He said he’d like a rematch down the road and expects he will win it. I think Peter should focus his energies on developing his technical boxing skills instead of working the microphone. He has tremendous potential but as Vladimir Klitschko has proven in the past, potential alone does not win Championships. To Peter’s credit, he has improved considerably since his big KO win over Jeremy Williams, but he has a long way to go before he can beat the elite ‘boxers’ in his division. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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