13.11.07 – Looking to protect the interests of several of his fighters, most notably Interim WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter, promoter Dino Duva of Duva Boxing is at the WBC Convention in Manila, Philippines.
Admittedly frustrated by the long series of delays Peter has had to endure, first to become the WBC #1 contender and then to get champion Oleg Maskaev into a boxing ring, Duva says he has come to the convention with some specific goals.
“Samuel Peter wants to be a fighting champion and wants to make sure that no one, including other fighters, promoters or managers, is able to cause any more delays to his career.”
After defeating James Toney in September 2006 and becoming Maskaev’s mandatory challenger, Peter was mandated to face Toney in a return bout because some felt the scoring of the bout was close. Peter defeated Toney even more handily in the return. Having earned his shot at the title, Peter was again forced to wait as an attempt by former champion Vitali Klitschko, to step in front of Peter in the title shot lineup, played out. When Klitschko ultimately decided to acquiesce and allow Peter his rightful opportunity at the belt, various protests by Team Maskaev led to more delays. Peter vs. Maskaev was then scheduled for October 6, however, in late September, Maskaev announced he was injured and wouldn’t be fighting. The WBC then chose to name Peter their interim champion while Maskaev recuperates.
The new date for Peter vs. Maskaev is now February 2.
“The WBC finally recognized Samuel as their Interim champion and we couldn’t be happier, but now I am urging them to support us in making sure that his career is not unjustly delayed as it has been in the past. President Jose Sulaiman has given me his personal commitment to this.”
Duva says the plan is for Peter to settle things the way a champion should, by finally taking out Maskaev and then moving onto Klitschko. “I want to make sure that all parties honor the commitments made to stage the Peter-Maskaev WBC Heavyweight Championship bout on February 2, in Madison Square Garden. We will then be looking to fight Vitali Klitschko immediately after that, assuming he is willing and able to fight on a timely basis. Our ultimate goal is to unify all the heavyweight title belts and bring unification and glory back to the division.”
Duva says he also has an announcement about his young undefeated heavyweight prospect, Mike Marrone (18-0, 13 KOs), who is co-managed by legendary Hall-of-Fame manager and trainer Lou Duva. “An agreement has been reached between Duva Boxing and Sauerland Event Promotions for Marrone to face Francisco Pianeta (12-0, 7 KOs) for the WBC Youth Heavyweight Championship in early 2008.
And lastly, Duva, who says he’s thrilled to be in a “beautiful and historic place” like Manila, has been spending his time spreading the word about the cruiserweight he co-promotes: USBA Champion Darnell “Ding-a-Ling Man” Wilson, the power-punching dynamo who has taken the cruiserweight division by storm. “We believe the Ding-a-Ling Man deserves a world-title-fight opportunity as spoon as possible and we’re looking to make some inroads with getting him what he has earned.”