A Peter Pummelled

If anybody appeared frail or showed signs of advanced age, it was the Nigerian, who was ceaselessly thumped by the Ukrainian. The Ukrainian, with an outstanding record (36-2, 35 KOs) deployed his superior reach in battering Peter. Standing at 6ft 7 and with a reach of 80,” Klitschko kept Peter (with a reach of 77″) crouched and defensive, making the fight a one-way affair.

The Nigerian Nightmare was forced to adopt a defensive stance, which yielded no more than a series of meaty body shots on his towering opponent. But Peter seemed too immobile on the night, as his ineffective punches, came too slowly. His defence was poor, while he appeared to be of suspect stamina. Jeremiah Okorodudu, ex-international boxer, blamed the defeat on the strategy adopted by the Nigerian fighter.

“It is sad to see that Peter got everything wrong for his fight. Instead of fighting from the inside, Peter fought from the outside. You just can’t fight a taller opponent that way because he can outdo you with his reach,” observed the former national boxing coach. Okorodudu called on Peter’s handlers to review the tape of the fight to enable them reboot the boxer’s career. Onyeka Elum, a boxing promoter, said Peter fought a giant, who made it impossible for him to make any meaningful impact. “Klitschko is a giant and you do not expect a giant to hit you with body shots. In return, you should not go for body shots because he will get your head instead. That is exactly what happened to Peter. He wanted to fight, he was determined to make his mark, but he was fighting like an amateur,” Elum stated. The boxing promoter advised Peter to start preparing for a rematch.

Klitschko boasted that he would have knocked out his opponent had the fight continued. “If Samuel Peter had not stopped the fight, I have the feeling in the next two rounds I would have knocked him out. He got more and more punches, and his chin was not so strong as the first rounds,” Klitschko said. Klitschko’s performances on the night proved that he is still the powerful puncher that he used to be before a series of injuries punctuated his career. The ambience at the venue may also have unnerved Peter. The entire O2 Arena brimmed with Germans, who consider Klitschko, a long-time Hamburg resident, one of their own. There were also Ukrainians from Germany, other EU countries, the USA, and from Ukraine. Ukrainian flags numbered in the hundreds and were frantically waved.

Again, Peter was not helped by a video played on the big screen just before the fight, which relayed best wishes and words of encouragement to Klitshko by some boxing greats. Among these were George Foreman, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. This was sequel to the world press conference heralding the bout, where proceedings were conducted in German. Klitschko’s victory has vindicated the WBC, which in 2003, made the Ukrainian the champion emeritus after injuries forced him to relinquish his title. This position offered him the chance to have a direct shot at the title whenever he so desired.

The outcome of the fight did not surprise a number of boxing faithful who have been following Peter’s career. In his fight against Oleg Maeskev, Peter’s performance was not exactly inspiring. And with his dismal show against Klitschko, climbing back to the top may take a long while, as most promoters may not want to touch him. Already, Don King, Peter’s promoter, is proposing a Lennox Lewis versus Klitschko showdown. The accomplished promoter wants to pair both boxers in a rematch of the 2003 fight, which saw Lewis defeat Klitschko and seriously damaging the Ukrainian’s eye in the process.