By James Slater: Despite taking a bad beating from Wladimir Klitschko in his last fight – a beating that probably earned a 7 on the Shannon Briggs L12 Vitali Klitschko scale – former WBC heavyweight boss Samuel Peter is not going to retire any time soon.
Indeed, according to his manager Ivaylo Gotzev, “The Nigerian Nightmare,” if matched up right (I.E: against anyone other than the two Klitschko brothers), can still give the paying fans some great fights. According to Gotzev, in speaking with ESPN.com, his fighter will take the rest of the year off, before fighting again early in 2011. And, after a comeback fight, Peter will target a fight with either David Haye (LOL in getting that fight!), Tomasz Adamek (ditto), Alexander Povetkin (a possibility) or Chris Arreola (how could that fight be anything but a dandy!)
So, though he has now come to the (painful) realisation that he is no match for the two superbly-conditioned giants from Ukraine (who is?), Peter aims to get a fight with a guy closer to his own size. But with his stock having fallen due to recent losses to Eddie Chambers and the two Klitschkos, would any of the four big names Gotzev mentioned be interested in a fight with Peter? Wouldn’t they look at such a fight as being too risky with no real reward?
Povetkin, feeling he needs further experience before going in against Wladimir Klitschko himself, might take the fight, so as to test himself against a big-puncher. And if the Russian star were to take Peter out in quicker fashion than Wladimir and Vitali did, he would have perhaps made something of a statement. The possibility of a rumble with crowd-pleaser Arreola can’t be totally ruled out for Peter, either.
Now that Top Rank have released Peter, he may have to make do with fighting on ESPN. Arreola is currently re-building on ESPN, and the two sluggers, if matched together, would provide serious entertainment for ESPN viewers. And the winner, if he prevailed via spectacular KO, or if he won in a great, action-packed fight, would be able to call for a big, big fight.
Of course, much in the case of Shannon Briggs, most fans will possibly feel no real enthusiasm at the idea of Peter fighting on. Once a fighter looked at as a possible dominant heavyweight champion, Peter, despite showing heart in most of his fights as well as delivering the odd sensational KO, has been an overall disappointment. As such, fans won’t be all that thrilled to read he is carrying on.
But, if he is matched right, as Gotzev says, Peter could still thrill these same fans yet. The “right” fights might prove difficult to make (Peter Vs. David Tua also springs to mind as a potentially great action fight, but one that looks to have no real chance of being signed), but in this day and age, all it takes is one spectacular KO over a recognisable name, and a heavyweight thought to be old news is right back in the big picture.
Let’s see what Peter looks to have left in his first fight back next year, let’s see what kind of condition he enters the ring in, and then let’s see if one of the pretty hot-looking match-ups Gotzev mentioned can get made.
As his manager says, “Sam is still one of the most murderous punchers in boxing.”