MASKAEV PULL OUT OF PETER FIGHT IS NO SURPRISE
Posted on | September 26, 2007 | 1 Comment
Oleg Maskaev’s pulling out of his scheduled fight with Samuel Peter came as no surprise to boxing fans. Maskaev had shown no interest in getting in the ring with the hard-hitting contender, who twice beat James Toney to earn the right to challenge for the WBC title. Maskaev had continued to try to avoid Peter, and looked to defend against the inactive Vitali Klitschko instead. But the WBC mandated the defense against Samuel Peter.
I was convinced in August that it was a matter of time until Maskaev could identify an injury that would keep him from fighting Peter. A week ago, the two participated in a ceremony at the Madison Square Garden, in which the historic ring was donated to the International Hall of Fame. Samuel said he was sorry that he would not be winning the title in that “sacred” ring, but expressed his delight at being the first man who would win the heavyweight title in the new one.
Maskaev looked and sounded like a defeated man. I was sure that there was no way he would actually fight Peter. When he was young, he was knocked out by David Tua, Kirk Johnson, Lance Whitaker, and Corey Sanders. And Oliver McCall TKOed Oleg in one round. Since winning the title from Hasim Rahman on 8-12-06, his only defense was against Peter Okhello in December. He was hoping to make a large payday without fighting someone like Peter.
The WBC has named Samuel Peter the “interim” champion. Under their rules, Maskaev might keep the title stagnate for another year. Hopefully, either Oleg will do the right thing, and retire, or the WBC will recognize that he has no intention of fighting Peter, and strip him of the title.
There are questions about who, if anyone, Samuel Peter will fight in October. There are at least four possibilities. Rumor has it that the most likely opponent is Andrew Golota. He is scheduled to fight Kevin McBride on the undercard of the Peter v Maskaev match. After being blasted out in one round by Lamon Brewster, and being inactive for 24 months, he came back to TKO journeyman Jeremy Bates in June. His record is 39-6-1, with 32 KOs. His history includes the ugly loss to Riddick Bowe in the Garden in 1996.
Undefeated Travis Walker has challenged Peter. His record is 15-0-1, with 9 KOs. His last two opponents had records of 2-12-1 and 10-13-1 before losing to Walker. The relatively unknown fringe contender is frustrated by his inability to get a “big” fight, and is actually being polite in asking the Peter camp to give him a chance.
John Ruiz, who last won a fight when he got off the canvas twice to decision Golota in November, 2004, has announced that he is prepared to fight Samuel Peter. Ruiz is 41-7-1-1, with 28 KOs. He is best remembered for his series with Evander Holyfield, and for losing to Roy Jones, Jr. John’s last three fights were the “no contest” with James Toney; a disputed loss to Nikolay Valuev; and a loss to Ruslan Chagaev.
Another possibility could be Jameel McCline. He had been scheduled to fight Vitali Klitschko on 9-22, until Klitschko ducked out due to a reported back injury. McCline had then been added to the Peter-Maskaev undercard, against DaVarryl Williamson. The journeyman Williamson had been one of Vitali’s sparring partners, and had raised questions about the reason that Klitschko opted to not fight McCline.
Promoter Don King should be making a decision about who Samuel Peter will be fighting soon. Any time two big heavyweights are in the ring, anything can happen. And it can be hard to go from preparing for one opponent, to a substitute. However, Peter’s camp has enough time to make those adjustments.
Each of the four could be interesting. Golota had the tools to be a great heavyweight, but did not show the mental strength in his big fights. If he didn’t freeze with fear, he might give Peter a heck of a fight. But he is a
year older than Maskaev, and age slows the reflexes needed to avoid a young puncher’s power.
Travis Walker has shown limited ability. One assumes that King might consider him in order to promote two undefeated heavyweights, and to showcase Peter’s explosive knockout power. But there is always a risk in
fighting a 6’4″ undefeated heavyweight.
John Ruiz was a capable journeyman, who is largely unappreciated by the casual fan, because his style is not exciting. However, he has to be recognized as an intelligent fighter, who frequently enters the ring with a
well thought out plan to frustrate his opponent. He would attempt to make a fight against Peter a wrestling match, and to tire the less experienced fighter out by the middle rounds. However, John is 35, and his prime is well behind him.
McCline would be most likely to give Peter a tough fight. He has been preparing to upset Klitschko, then challenge Peter after he KOed Maskaev. Both Klitschko and Maskaev have been eliminated from this mini-tournament, and Don King might do well to simply schedule the finals for the Madison Square Garden card. It would sell out the Garden.