At times, it was ugly. But when it was over, Samuel Peter and Oleg Maskaev put forth the kind of effort that is expected from the heavyweight champion. Peter stopped Oleg Maskaev in the final seconds of the sixth round Saturday night, in a bullring in Cancun, Mexico, to win the WBC heavyweight title.
Click here to see photos of the fight.
In the end, the younger Peter (27) was too strong for the older Maskaev (39). The fighting was, at times, awkward. Maskaev's punches were slow. But both men threw bombs. They were there to win it and win it convincingly. Maskaev had been inactive since December of 2006.
Let's remember, Peter is not in the class of Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, George Foreman or any other of the division's great punchers. But his win over Maskaev was a positive jolt in a reeling division. So now, the likely opponent for Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) is IBF-WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko, the only man to defeat him as a pro. Just two weeks ago Klitschko scored a dull decision over Sultan Ibragimov in Madison Square Garden.
Peter, known as the Nigerian Nightmare, is said to be pursuing a match with Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's older brother, before he attempts a unification bout with Wladimir. -- CASSIDY