08.02.07 – By Michael Marley, BoxingConfidential.com: Johnny Carson always joked about his high-powered fictional attorney, Bombastic Bushkin. Believe me, Bushkin had nothing on Oleg Maskaev promoter Dennis the Boxing Menace Rapport a/k/a/ Rapstar. Not content with verbally ripping top WBC heavyweight contender Sam Peter’s advisory team of Don King, Dino Duva and Iyavalo Gotzev, Rappaport also has some choice words for the big African puncher…
“Some people are making him out as the second coming of a young Mike Tyson and that is balderdash,” Rappaport said from his high-rise Long Island penthouse Thursday.
“A motivated Oleg Maskaev will destroy this guy. I’m tired of people giving Oleg the Rodney Dangerfield treatment. Oleg beat a rugged Hasim Rahman straight up and that is better than anything that Peter has ever done in the ring.
“Sam’s boxing technique…well, let me say there is a lot to be desired. He is strong but his best punch is one behind the head. Really, he has all the technique of a four or six round fighter,” Rappaport said. “He’s not a pure puncher like Gerry Cooney was by any means.”
“Against Wladimir Klitschko, Sam decked Wlad three times and lost the decision quite decisively. He goes the distance with poor Robert Hawkins. We use Robert as a sparring partner of last resort in our camp. Of course Oleg knocked Hawkins out in three rounds when they fought.”
Rappaport sees little merit in Peter’s pair of victories over James Toney.
“First fight, no doubt Toney won it clearly. Yes, James had a belly like Buddha but he had hand speed. Then they bring in Billy Blanks to help James. Blanks was with Ray Leonard (Hector Camacho) the only time Ray ever got stopped. Blanks had James eating lima beans and he was a dead man walking in the second fight with Peter. So much for Blanks and the lima bean diet for heavyweight fighters!”
Don’t sugarcoat it, Dennis. Tell us how you really feel about Peter.