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Toney Faces Peter on Showtime
card
Source: Press Release
August 28, 2006 |
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NEW YORK (AUG 28) - The charismatic pugilist, World Boxing Council (WBC)
No. 2-ranked James "Lights Out" Toney will face the soft spoken and hard
hitting, WBC No. 3 Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter on September 2,
2006 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, as the 20-year anniversary of
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING continues in spectacular fashion (10 p.m.
ET/PT).
The most significant non-title heavyweight fight of the year, a WBC
eliminator, holds tremendous upside for the winner. With Toney's
well-rounded technique and Peter's aggressive style, this match-up
figures to be thrilling from start to finish. The winner of the 12-round
eliminator, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Don King Productions
and Duva Boxing, will become the mandatory challenger of the winner of
Hasim Rahman versus Oleg Maskaev WBC title fight on August 12.
The wide-open heavyweight division is heating up. In recent months,
there have been excellent heavyweight scraps and some wonderful
individual performances. There have been major upsets at the highest
level, including Sergei Liakhovich's stunningly impressive 12-round
decision over defending world champion Lamon Brewster April 2, 2006, on
SHOWTIME.
So, opportunities exist for today's top heavyweights to separate
themselves from the pack. The key is to make the most of your chances,
which is why Toney-Peter is such an important, compelling match-up and
one that fans will not want to miss.
Toney (69-4-2, 43 KOs), of Los Angeles, by way of Grand Rapids, Mich.,
stands only 5-feet-9 but the charismatic, talented 37-year-old is one of
the smartest, quickest, most ring savvy boxers in history.
A
former world champion at middleweight, super middleweight and
cruiserweight, Toney has long aspired to become world heavyweight
champion. On April 30, 2005, Toney easily outpointed World Boxing
Association (WBA) titleholder John Ruiz to take the title, but the bout
was later ruled a no-decision when Toney tested positive for a banned
substance. In his last outing on March 18, 2006, he fought a 12-round
draw with Rahman, the WBC heavyweight champion.
"None of these bums can stay with me,'' said Toney, who, in addition to
being ranked No. 2 in the WBC, is No. 3 in the WBA and No. 8 by the
International Boxing Federation (IBF). "I will be in shape for this.
Peter is a big, slow, one-dimensional robot.
"I
have always been ready to fight anybody, any time, anywhere. My talent
speaks for itself. On Sept. 2, it will be 'Lights Out' for Sam Peter. I
will put him to sleep. It'll be his 'Nigerian Nightmare'."
Peter (26-1, 22 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Akwaibom, Nigeria,
is also ranked No. 4 in the IBF and No. 5 in the World Boxing
Organization (WBO). Possessing perhaps the most devastating knockout
power in the heavyweight ranks, Peter has been touted as the future of
the division. He lived up to his billing as the division's most prolific
young slugger in his last start when he made short work of Julius Long,
stopping him in the first round on April 28, 2006. But in his biggest
fight, the 6-foot-1, 25-year-old got credit for three knockdowns but
still dropped a close, unanimous 12-round decision to current IBF
champion Wladimir Klitschko on Sept. 24, 2005.
"No boxer, including Toney, can deal with my power," the pulverizing
Peter said. "Toney likes to talk but I am going to shut him up once and
for all. Toney hasn't looked good in a fight in a long time, and he is
not going to look good against me.
"James Toney has had a great career. But his time has come and gone.
This is Samuel's Peter's time."
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING's Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call
the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The
producer of the SHOWTIME telecast will be David Dinkins Jr. with Bob
Dunphy directing.
SHOWTIME celebrates 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive boxing in 2006.
In March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when "Marvelous"
Marvin Hagler defeated John "The Beast" Mugabi in a spectacular
11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired
some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including
both Holyfield-Tyson bouts.
Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by
telecasting "great fights, no rights" on the first Saturday of every
month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in
High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in
sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple
platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most
enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience. |
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