Nigerian heavyweight powerhouse Samuel Peter claimed the WBC slice of the heavyweight pie on Saturday night after he knocked out Oleg Maskaev in the sixth round at Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Mexico on HBO World Championship Boxing.27 year-old Peter 30-1 (23), who had been forced to jump through hoops to enjoy his shot at the Russian’s championship, predicted that he would destroy Maskaev in four rounds – five months after they were originally scheduled to meet. The then champion pulled out of that October bout and Peter instead escaped by the skin of his teeth with a close decision win over stand-in opponent Jameel McCline.
The African, therefore, felt he had a score to settle with 39 year-old Maskaev 34-6 (26), who had been out of action since beating unheralded challenger Peter Okhello in December of 2006. Unsurprising then, when marrying Maskaev’s advanced age and ring-rust with Peter’s youth, power and frustration, that tonight’s HBO headliner ended early – six rounds early to be exact.
Peter began the fight by pawing out his jab as Maskaev moved warily around the ring. The Nigerian landed a left hook at the midway point of the frame – the first non-jab landed thus far in this snail paced round. A short right hand from Peter connected flush in the final minute – an impressive punch that seemed to stun the big Russian momentarily.
Maskaev had yet to land anything cleanly as the second began and he again looked anxious as the round progressed. Peter, on the other hand, was composed and focused and scored with occasional bursts of activity that, if not stunning, was easily winning him the frame. When the champion did throw punches, they were clumsy and inaccurate for the most part, whilst Peter connected with a crisp left hook in the final seconds that again promised him the round.
Maskaev spruced up a little in the third and he found Peter’s face with a left hook/right hand sequence in the opening stages – all the while sending out range-finding jabs. Peter, however, badly wobbled the Russian with a right hand followed by a left hook and proceeded to batter the champion against the ropes with a barrage of punches. Seconds later, a reckless Peter got burned by a Maskaev left hook which forced him to stumble awkwardly against the ropes. The Nigerian was not hurt but it was a good response by Maskaev and he again tagged his foe with a right hand at the end of the round.
Things again slowed to a crawl in the fourth as both men traded infrequent jabs at each other, without committing to their power. Maskaev, to his credit, was more accurate with the small amount of fire that he did unleash – crashing a sharp left hook to the temple of Peter as an otherwise non-descript round came to a close.
With open scoring in effect, the ring announcer informed the crowd that Peter was ahead by two points on all cards as the fight entered the fifth and he justified that with a series of hard right hands early in the frame. Maskaev responded later in the round with a huge right hand that landed perfectly, but Peter absorbed it well and shot back with a right hand of his own that stung Maskaev and probably pocketed the frame for the Nigerian.Maskaev, chosen by many as an early knockout victim was, by now, giving a good account of himself and he fought well initially in the sixth behind his jab. Peter was warned by referee Guadalupe Garcia for blows behind the head – a tactic that the champion had been complaining about since the early rounds. Not long after, though, Maskaev was badly hurt again as Peter thumped him with a straight right hand and then viciously attacked him with both hands that forced the Russian to roll along the ropes on jellied legs.
Unable to protect himself and eating pin-point, powerful punches from the big African, Maskaev was saved by Garcia with just seconds remaining in the frame.
Time of stoppage: 2:56 Round 6
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