Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (24 June 2019) Two-Time World Champion and boxing star Amir Khan’s history making fight against Neeraj Goyat at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday 12th July will be broadcast exclusively live in the UK on free-to-air Channel 5.

Khan versus Goyat headlines a fantastic all-action championship fight card that includes heavyweight star Hughie Fury in a sensational showdown with Former World Champion Samuel Peter plus Prince Patel and Dave Penasola both in title fights.

British-Pakistani hero Khan and India’s star Goyat make history when the two nations meet in the boxing ring for the first time ever with the specially commissioned World Boxing Council (WBC) Pearl Welterweight Championship on the line.

The Bolton star promises a feast from the Middle East when he break down frontiers in the event titled ‘Nations Connect’ as he makes his debut in the MENA region and in the The Kingdom for the first time in his illustrious 14 year, 38 fight pro career.

This will also be Khan’s first terrestrial TV appearance since 2010, as Channel 5 televise his ground-breaking fight to millions with the undercard also featuring on free-to-air 5 Spike in nearly 5 hours of live boxing action.

‘It’s an honour to be fighting in The Kingdom during the Saudi Seasons and a big thank you to GSA for making this happen.  I can’t wait to deliver a world class performance here and really put Saudi Arabia on the map as a boxing destination to rival any of the big fights cities in the World.  It’s been a dream of mine to fight here for many years and I finally get to share my talent and spread boxing to new territories across the world just as Muhammad Ali did.  Importantly, this fight against Neeraj is sending a message that our two nations, Pakistan and India, can connect in the boxing ring and through the power of sport we can send out a positive message.” Said Khan.   

Khan is hungry to get back in the ring following his controversial sixth round stoppage loss to WBO welterweight boss and pound-for-pound contender Terence Crawford in April and knows that a victory in Jeddah could lead to a blockbuster showdown with the legendary eight-division World Champion Manny Pacquiao.

In the opposing corner stands Indian trailblazer Neeraj Goyat who will be eager to replicate his compatriots’ recent conquest over sporting rivals Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup.  

The 27 year old former Commonwealth Youth medallist and World Youth and Military Games rep topped the bill in India’s first professional promotion in May 2015, when he also became the first from his nation to contest and win a pro title by scalping Nelson Gulpe for the WBC Asian crown. A brace of successful defences led to Goyat being honoured as the WBC’s Asian Honorary Fighter of the Year in 2017 plus the first Indian to crack the WBC world ratings. 

Though winless in his opening four paid starts (two draws, all overseas), the 5ft 7 ½ in terror has triumphed in 11 of his last 12 – the sole stain a points loss to a Mexican in Mexico. He is also undefeated in MMA combat and yet to be stopped.

Nevertheless, ‘King Khan’ is promising to leave the man from the state of Haryana in a proper state before advancing to what could be an All-Asian career finale against ex-gym mate and eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao from the Phillipines.  

‘End of this year, early next year, I want to make a big name world title challenge and there’s a strong possibility it could be here in Saudi Arabia against Pacquiao,’ claims Khan who will be coached for the first time by ex-WBA super-bantam boss Clarence ‘Bones’ Adams and Alex Ariza.

‘Hopefully, Manny beats up Keith Thurman the week after my fight and we’ll see what happens.

‘A fight between us would set-up boxing in the Middle East forever and lead to multiple championship fights taking place in the region. I intend being at the forefront.’ 

Chief support pitches world grade heavyweights from past and present when undefeated former British champion Hughie Fury, 24, who features courtesy of Hennessy Sports and Channel 5, steps up against one-time WBC World Champion Samuel Peter in a mouthwatering championship title contest to be announced.

England’s first ever World Youth super-heavyweight champion, the 6ft 6in ‘Fists of Fury’ has already showcased his considerable skills in eight countries since debuting as a pro, aged 18, in March 2013. However, this will be his first exposure in the MENA region and he is promising to expand his fan base by delivering a sparkling performance. 

‘I’ve a job to do and it’ll get done. Samuel Peter is a seriously solid, dangerous veteran who can clearly punch but I relish the challenge,’ said Fury who is trained by his father Peter.

He added, ’It’s always great to visit different places and get my name around the World. I’m expecting a great atmosphere. There’s only one thing on my mind, getting to the very top, winning the world title.

Peter, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, is a 2000 Sydney Olympian, now in his 19^thyear as a pro.  The powerhouse has clattered 31 victims inside schedule whilst compiling a stellar 38-7 CV. The solid 6ft 2in, 19stone plus African reigned on the WBC throne for seven months in 2008 and has swapped leather with four fellow world champions, including both Klitschko brothers. He famously flattened Wladimir three times before dropping a close, contentious 12 round decision in 2005.

Following a break, Samuel returned in Mexico in February and has already bombed out two foes inside the opening frame. Fury will need to bring his A-game if he hopes to advance above his ranking of 14 with the IBF. 

To add further garnish to the bill, Acton pantomime villain Prince Patel attempts to become the first fighter of Indian heritage to claim a boxing world title when he collides with violent Venezuelan Michell Banquez for the Vacant IBO Bantamweight belt.

It’s a genuine toss-up between boxers who both boast 18 wins from 19 outings – Patel’s blemish a draw, Banquez’s an 11 round points loss in Chile – and both claim 13 stoppage wins.

The punching Prince, a three-time national junior champion and 2013 Senior ABA finalist, is as awkward inside the ropes as he is beyond. Love him or loathe him, he’s hard to ignore.

Nevertheless, 28 year old banger Banquez, known as ‘El Arsenal’ has never been stopped and promises to pose stern resistance.

The opponents have been announced for the co-main events on Saturday, September 27, 2014’s, “Rumble on the River” at OKC Downtown Airpark in Oklahoma City, presented by Ivaylo Gotzev and his Epic Sports and Entertainment.

In the night’s eight-round heavyweight “bombs away” co-main event, hard-hitting former WBC Champion Samuel Peter (34-5, 27 KOs) will return for the first time in three years to face former ECHL hockey enforcer turned heavyweight KO artist Ron “The Iceman” Aubrey (12-3, 12 KOs) from Oklahoma City.

Having been on the world stage for most of his career, the 34-year-old Peter will have the edge in experience, but Aubrey will have his army of fans in his corner, cheering the powerful strongman onto pull the huge upset. Someone is surely going home sore and disappointed in this war of big men.

“I am happy to be back in boxing,” said Samuel Peter. “I will dedicate myself to winning the heavyweight championship once again. I’m ready to knock out anyone who stands in my way.”

Meanwhile, Aubrey says he has a surprise waiting for Peter.

“He’s got more experience,” admitted Aubrey, “but I’ve been in hundreds of brawls in my lifetime. I’m not intimidated by him. He’s the better boxer, but I’m the better brawler and that’s what kind of fight it’s going to be. I’ve already got 12 knockouts in the ring and Samuel Peter is going to be my lucky number 13.”

And in the eight-round, middleweight co-main event, former WBA/WBC Welterweight and WBC Light Middleweight Champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KOs) will face 33-fight veteran and ex-US Marine Allen “Funky Cole” Medina of Denver, Colorado.

It will be Mayorga’s first fight since his brave stand against Miguel Cotto in March of 2011. He has tried his hand at MMA and taken considerable time off, so it remains to be seen if “El Matador” can still throw the bombs like he once did against some of boxing’s biggest names.

Headlining the undercard, Mexico’s Former IBF Light Middleweight champion “Yory Boy” Campas (102-17-3, 79 KO’s) will be gunning for the 103rd victory of his amazing career against 33-fight veteran Julio Cesar Lanzas of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in an eight-round middleweight match-up.

Tickets for “Rumble on the River” start at $25 and are available at any Buy For Less location or online at www.airparktickets.com. VIP tables are also available by calling 818.575.0151.

The “Rumble on the River” undercard is incredibly well put together, featuring several prominent local names in surprisingly competitive bouts. An announcement will follow shortly.

On fight night, doors open at 7 pm and the action starts at 8 pm. OKC Air Park is located at 1701 S. Western Avenue in Oklahoma City. All bouts subject to change.
ABOUT EPIC SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Epic Sports and Entertainment Inc. Founder, Ivaylo Gotzev, has spent the last 22 years working with some of the sport’s biggest names, including all-time-great multiple world champion James Toney, former WBC Lightweight Champion Stevie Johnston, former IBF Cruiserweight Vassiliy Jirov, former WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter, former WBO Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs and current middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.

Gotzev’s vision for Epic Sports and Entertainment is to build a stable of domestic and international fighters in both boxing and MMA and develop major worldwide broadcasting and exposure to Epic events.

On Saturday, September 27, 2014, big-name boxing returns to Oklahoma City, as Ivaylo Gotzev and his Epic Sports and Entertainment will proudly present a blockbuster show entitled “Rumble on the River” at OKC Downtown Airpark.

Featured in the dual main events will be the return of a pair of well-known names.

Appearing in separate bouts will be colorful and always entertaining former WBA/WBC Welterweight and former WBC Light Middleweight Champion Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KOs) and hard-hitting former WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter (34-5, 27 KOs).

Former IBF Light Middleweight champion “Yory Boy” Campas (102-17-3, 79 KOs) will appear in the chief supporting bout.

All three former champions’ opponents will be announced shortly.

Tickets for “Rumble on the River” start at $25 and are available at any Buy For Less location or online at www.airparktickets.com. VIP tables are also available by calling 818.575.0151.

Widely known as “The craziest man in the sport”, Managua, Nicaragua’s Mayorga is a trash-talking street fighter known as much for his habits of smoking and drinking after fights as he is for his tremendous in-ring victories. A pro since 1993, 40-year-old Mayorga has gone to war with nearly every big name in his weight class, including Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Vernon Forrest, Miguel Cotto and Felix Trinidad. It was his two victories over the late Forrest that first brought the Nicaraguan strongman into the national spotlight.

Feared for his devastating punching power, Samuel Peter is on the comeback trail. The 33-year-old is originally from Uyo, Nigeria, but now lives and trains in Las Vegas, Nevada. Peter won his title with a TKO 6 over former champ Oleg Maskaev in 2008. He also holds two victories over all-time-great James “Lights Out” Toney and had heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko on the deck three times in their first encounter. He remains the last person to knock Klitschko down.

Campas is a native of Sonora, Mexico. Also known for his devastating power, he began his professional career in 1987 at the age of 15 and won the world championship by knocking out Raul Marquez. Campas made three successful defenses before losing to the great Fernando Vargas.

A full undercard of local and national favorites will be announced shortly.

“I am very excited to be promoting Rumble on the River,” said Ivaylo Gotzev. “We have a well-rested and recommitted Sam Peter eager to return to the ring in one of the main events, plus Ricardo Mayorga, who always entertains the crowd. And supporting them is one of the best overall boxing events in Oklahoma City history. This show’s combination of legendary champions and top local fighters, along with the powerhouse promotional efforts and collaboration of the OKC Airpark, Howard Pollack, and Epic Sports & Entertainment, give us the maximum potential to capture both live and online audiences. Together, we are forging a new boxing tradition and rising-star showcase in Oklahoma City.”

Gotzev says if both Mayorga and Campas get past their opponents, the two former champs have agreed to face each other next.

“Styles make fights and that one would have ‘barn burner’ written all over it, if and when it happens. It won’t be easy for either man to get past their opponents in September, but if they do, we’ve got a war on our hands for the next event!”

On fight night, doors open at 7 pm and the action starts at 8 pm. OKC Airpark is located at 1701 S. Western Avenue in Oklahoma City. All bouts subject to change.

ABOUT EPIC SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Epic Sports and Entertainment Inc. Founder, Ivaylo Gotzev, has spent the last 22 years working with some of the sport’s biggest names, including all-time-great multiple world champion James Toney, former WBC Lightweight Champion Stevie Johnston, former IBF Cruiserweight Vassiliy Jirov, former WBC Heavyweight Champion Samuel Peter, former WBO Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs and current middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.

Gotzev’s vision for Epic Sports and Entertainment is to build a stable of domestic and international fighters in both boxing and MMA and develop major worldwide broadcasting and exposure to Epic events.

As the old saying goes it’s not the size of the dog in the fight it’s the size of the fight in the dog” and this certainly applies to “Fast” Eddie Chambers. He lives in a world of Heavyweight giants, pretty much every opponent in his career has had height, reach and weight advantages over him. As you can see by his 36-2(18) record among the pro’s he’s more than held his own. The 29 year old debuted back in 2000 and learned on the job until he started 2007 when he made a move from the Heavyweight pack beating Derric Rossy KO7, Dominick Guinn PTS10 & then outpointing Calvin Brock in an IBF title eliminator. That win set him up to fight Alexander Povetkin, a former Olympic gold medalist. It was to be Chambers first defeat but he had learned a lot from fighting on the road for the first time as a pro. After four more wins the later being against Samuel Peter who he outpointed. He again traveled to Germany, this time he took on 6’7 behemoth Alexander Dimitrenko who outweighed him by in excess of 40 pounds. Not to be denied he boxed the fight of his life stunner the previously unbeaten Ukrainian again on points. The win set him up for a title challenge when he met Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in early 2010. Like many men previous he found it difficult to get past the big man and was stopped late in the twelfth. It hasn’t affected his desire, after 11 months off when he let the battle scars mentally & physically heal he rebounded to outpoint old adversary Rossy over the distance back in February. No he intends to watch several other fights play out over the next few months before looking for another big fight.

Hello, Eddie, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Back in February you returned from a near year long absence and beat Derric Rossy. Can you tell us about the fight and how happy you were to be back in action?

Eddie Chambers – Umm well I wasn’t happy with my performance. I feel like to a degree I gave my best but I still expected more from me even in the weakened state I was. It was a good comeback fight; there was a lot on the line. I just really wanted to dazzle the crowd and also get a stoppage, that’s what I expected. Beat the guy like I beat him the last time (Chambers scored a seventh round TKO over Derric Rossy in 2007) Of course he’s gotten better, but no matter how much better he is than before I think, I’m on another level and I think I’d have proved it further if I’d stopped him. But all the respect to Rossy who took the shots and continued to fight the way he did through out the fight.

Anson Wainwright – Though it’s early days when are you looking at fighting next & who are you targeting?

Eddie Chambers – Well honestly with me I’m just targeting the top guy. My goal obviously is to be world champion and I’ve been close at one time or another. I think that’s where I should be looking but everything that will get me toward that, any kind of fight with name fighters. I know there’s some fights already made up and I just want to let them happen so I won’t make any decision right away with Haye fighting Wladimir, Adamek fighting Kevin McBride. So there’s really not a lot for me to go at right now as far as top contenders for the titles. So we’ll just sit back and wait just a bit. Then jump in with whoever’s ready. Of course you know and everybody knows I’ll fight anybody and I’m looking for that soon. So hopefully I get that opportunity to fight for the title again. I’d like to fight Haye but of course he’s fighting Wladimir and not looking to fight a tough fight with me who’s not really to well known to away fans. He wouldn’t have much to make from me & Wladimir as well, but it’s not to be because what’s the point he’s beaten me already all he has is to lose. So why not just go about there business and fight each other and leave me in the rear view. I’d love to get those guys in the ring & hopefully that comes very very soon.

Anson Wainwright – Of course in 2010 you challenged Wladimir Klitschko for his IBF & WBO Heavyweight titles; you were stopped late in the twelfth. What can you tell us about that fight from your point of view? Was it a good learning curve despite the defeat? How good do you think he is?

Eddie Chambers – You’ve got to say great. I believe I’m just as good as anybody period, skill wise and ability wise but they go into the fight with a plan coupled with Emmanuel Steward but there’s no unbeatable force right now. I believe If I had had the right plan and been in the right state of mind to execute that plan I think just as he was successful, I could of been successful, it just happens that way. But he has a heck of a championship pedigree, he’s been there years now, he’s been world number one for a long time. He has to go down in the era as one of the greats of Boxing especially Heavyweight Boxing. So the plan they had worked to perfection as it does most other times. When I say perfection there was a lot of difficulty he had with me in some areas as far as landing some shots, there was frustration there but that’s because of my ability and toughness. I didn’t bring enough focus to deal with the preparation he had. I was in great shape I was prepared physically but mentally I wasn’t prepared for what It meant, when you see 55,000+ in the stadium I realized this is something big and then when you get in the ring you realize there’s a whole lot more on the line and you have to get your feet wet a little bit. I didn’t have a huge amateur background, I did have experience but I was never really able to see that before except in the fight before which was Dimitrenko which was on a much smaller scale, though it was important to my career. I’ve seen it and fought the great Klitschko now I have to prove I’m great. I may never get another shot at him (Wladimir) but at least there will be some guys that I can prove that on in the future.

Anson Wainwright – You didn’t fight in 11 months after the Klitschko fight. What did you do with your time off?

Eddie Chambers – Well I took about 11 month’s total. I took it off because it was necessary. I even talked to Emmanuel Steward and he gave advice to me. You see a lot of guys and they get stopped or lose a big fight and it takes a lot out of them physically and mentally and guys comeback straight away and you can’t do that. You take that physical trauma and that’s enough as it is then you take the mental beating you give yourself for losing. You lose that opportunity and it hurts, it takes some getting used to it. I’m not going to lie I sat around most days and didn’t enjoy anything for awhile. I didn’t go outside, I didn’t see people because of how I felt, it hurt. There was so much riding on it in my mind. It takes some serious heart, it’s a rough period and you have to find something which you enjoy and that’s what I did in the time off and tried to enjoy myself best I can. Once I got back I didn’t forget the Klitschko thing because that’s something you need to remember in your mind but now I’m turning the page in my career and trying to start another run.

Anson Wainwright – Who are members of team Eddie Chambers; Who’s your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you train at?

Eddie Chambers – My manager and trainer is one person right now Robert Murray Snr and my promoter is Dan Goossen. I train at James Shuler’s Memorial gym in West Philadelphia.

Anson Wainwright – You weigh around 210 which isn’t much over the Cruiserweight limit. How tempting is it to drop down a few pounds and try to win a world title there? Especially with a possible Super 6 tournament and even a fight with fellow Philly fighter Steve Cunningham?

Eddie Chambers – Oh I would hope I never have to fight Steve. He’s a friend of mine but we both understand the sport. It was tempting (To drop down to Cruiserweight) at one time; it was more tempting when I was challenging to be Heavyweight champion of the world. I could say hey while I’m waiting I could prove how good an athlete I am by going down and fight for the Cruiserweight championship as well. That’s a little greedy but that’s a challenge, that’s the kind of thing I was trying to put out there. I thought of it at one time but I just believe going down would be like a step back, most people would expect me to do so well and dominate what if god forbid I had a tough fight or lost a fight in the Cruiserweight division their going to look at me an say he wasn’t much anyway. My stock would drop, even If it was a tough fight where they expect you to blow these guys out because your bigger faster and stronger and they say he’s not as good as we thought he was.

Anson Wainwright – You’re from Pittsburgh can you tell us about how life was growing up and how it took you into Boxing?

Eddie Chambers – Well my upbringing was tough, very tough at times. It as tough on me dealing with some kids, I was a real good kid and it made it more tough. I think what got me into it was my father, he used to fight too and he could see what was going on. He heard something’s about some of the kids and I really didn’t have the most confidence. He got a bit tired of hearing about me dealing with some guys giving me problems so he said “I’m going to create a monster” make me a tough guy or at least at that time give me some confidence. I was a little chubby kid and and some kids picked on me not physically more verbally. So he took me to the gym so I could defend myself, I didn’t honestly want to do it, It took me awhile to get me in the gym and stay in the gym. I was trying to avoid the fights at all costs. He took me in and the first day I sparred, handled the kid. I did well and I was sort of surprised but it didn’t do to much to me because I had a couple of tough sparring sessions after that and I was thinking this wasn’t something I really wanted to do, get hit in the face and head and didn’t plan it as a career for myself. So I just went out the next tournament, the Golden Gloves. I fought the first fight and I beat the kid half to death basically and I was thinking this was a fluke so in the next round I stopped the guy in the first round. So I was like wow I’ll keep going till I lose. It took me ten fights before I lost in the amateurs and I had 8 straight stoppages and that loss was just before a National tournament. I thought this is something to do and I seem pretty good at it and as I progressed I continued to get better and better and better. I went to the Olympic trials; I tried that didn’t make it. I think I was more suited to the professional game. I only had 4 years amateur, a lot of kids have there first fight at like 8 years old. I turned professional at 18 and did more of my real learning when I turned professional, once I go to that point I pretty much had everything under control and I real started to develop at that time and I learned at a good pace. That’s pretty much how it happened.

Anson Wainwright – One of the biggest fights in Boxing appears likely to take place this summer with Wladimir Klitschko unifying with David Haye. What do you think of that fight how do you see it going?

Eddie Chambers – Honestly I think David Haye has a good shot if he can land a good shot. But I think by 4, 5, 6 Wladimir will hit his groove, use his jab, line that right hand up. It will be difficult for Haye to land, Haye could land over the top and with his speed you never know. I think Wladimir’s height and reach it’ll be hard for David Haye. Towards the middle rounds Wladimir will land a couple of right hands and it’ll be over.

Anson Wainwright – Away from Boxing can you tell us a little about yourself, what are your Interests & Hobbies?

Eddie Chambers – Most of them are still sports besides video games and when I’m playing them there sports games. I love to play Basketball and I also love to bowl. I’ve been working at my bowling game and been doing pretty well with it. Just spend time with friends; I’ve just done a road trip with family and friends to visit others. These are things I like to do.

Anson Wainwright – Have you ever bowled a perfect game?

Eddie Chambers – No, I’ve bowled a clean game but never a perfect game. Honestly my highest score and some people would laugh is about 215. I’m learning still. It’s fun and a good sport. Hopefully one day I’m good enough to play in the US open, I’ll keep working on it.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for the Heavyweight division?

Eddie Chambers – Honestly it’s not an I’m going to knock everyone out type of message, I just encourage the guys out there to give me a shot, or lets make great fights for the fans to enjoy. I think that would be the best thing to Boxing especially the Heavyweight division. If we can get that done we could really turn some heads. People mention MMA more than Boxing and it’s tough when you perform in it and not get a real fan base. I just really hope we can make the best fights out there.

Best Wishes & thanks for your time Eddie.

Anson Wainwright

15rounds.com

Unbeaten WBO Intercontinental Champion Robert Helenius (14-0, 9 KOs)
will face the next huge test on his way up the heavyweight rankings when
he collides with former world champion Sam Peter (34-4, 27 KOs) at the
Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany on April 2. “This is a dream
match-up of two nightmares,” promoter Kalle Sauerland said. “Robert has
taken the heavyweight world by storm and will continue his path to glory
with a victory over an accomplished champion like Peter.”

Helenius, the Nordic Nightmare, sent shockwaves through the
international boxing world by clinching four spectacular victories in
2010. In January, he stopped former world champion Lamon Brewster in the
eighth round before edging Gbenga Oloukun in Helsinki two months later.
In August, Helenius won the EU Heavyweight Title with a sixth-round TKO
victory over previously unbeaten Gregory Tony. In November, he pleased a
boisterous crowd at Helsinki´s Hartwall Areena when he stopped Attila
Levin the second round of their Scandinavian derby. “We are very pleased
with Robert´s development,” Team Sauerland´s sports director Hagen
Doering said. “We have moved him very fast because he is a very special
fighter with an incredible punch. Now is the time to take the next step,
which is a showdown with Peter, a very dangerous opponent. It will be a
spectacular fight. I am sure the Nordic Nightmare will topple the
Nigerian one.”

Peter is one of the biggest names in the heavyweight scene, having been
in the ring with both Klitschko brothers. In 2005, Peter knocked down
Wladimir Klitschko three times – only to lose on points. Two years
later, he beat Jameel McCline to win the Interim WBC Heavyweight Title
and then defeated Oleg Maskaev to become WBC Champion, a title he later
lost to Vitali Klitschko. In his last fight in September 2010, Peter
failed to take revenge on Wladimir Klitschko. “Sam Peter is one of the
biggest and best names out there and I look forward to proving myself
against him,” Robert Helenius said. “He has a tremendous punch and will
be very tough to beat. But I will not allow him to stop me on my way to
the top. It will be a great fight.”

Wladimir Klitschko was dominant against as he reatined the Ring Magazine/IBF/WBO Heavyweight championship with a tenth round beatdown of Samuel Peter in a rematch of a bout from five years ago at in front of nearly 40,000 onlookers The Commerce Bank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.

It was a typical fight for Klitschko as he dominated the fight with his jab that was consistently followed by a hard right hand. Peter’s eye began to swell as early as round two as a result of that jab. Klitschko continuously landed that same combination and forced Peter to be relegated to nothing more then attempted winging shots and seemed almost too happy to clinch on the inside.

Peter’s trainer Abel Sanchez tried to motivate his man after the seventh round by threatening to the stop the fight unless Peter started moving his hand. Peter tried in spots but it was was attempted shot at a time as he began to have a look of defeat on his face as his right eye closed.

Klitschko landed an uppercut in tenth that wobbled the challenger that followed up by a flurry of punches that were mostly glancing but it was enough to put Peter on his back that forced referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at 1:22 of round twn.

Klitschko, 247 lbs of Kiev, Ukraine made the ninth title defense of this reign, and now fourteenth title defense overall and his record is now 55-3 with forty-nine knockouts.

Peter, 241 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas is now 34-4 with three of his four loss coming to the Klitschko brothers.

“Everyone always asks us who is going to be the next great heavyweight. Well, on Sept. 11, we feel it will be Sam Peter’s shining moment.” – Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank, Aug. 27

There is no possibility Sam Peter is going to be the next great heavyweight. He auditioned for the post years ago and was found wanting in savvy, dedication, heart and bottom – in everything but power, actually. Todd DuBoef is Peter’s promoter, of course, but he’s also a pretty sharp guy. So take a second look at the above quote: He cocks a haymaker then throws a jab.

In DuBoef’s defense, it should be remarked that his quote came at the end of a conference call tough to finish. Peter was indecipherable and taciturn. He did not want to discuss the past or future. He just wanted folks to watch him on Sept. 11.

That day on ESPN, Peter will challenge Wladimir Klitschko for one half of the heavyweight championship of the world, in Frankfurt, Germany. It will be a rematch of an entertaining 12-round scrap that happened almost exactly five years before. In promoting the fight, Peter did not give meaningful answers to any questions of strategy last week but, again, instructed us to watch Sept. 11. Why should we?

As it happens, there are two good reasons: what Peter did in his first fight with Klitschko, and what Peter did in his last fight in Texas.

Let’s journey back to 2005 and recall the time of Klitschko-Peter I. A different time indeed. If there were a Klitschko anyone took seriously, it certainly was not Wladimir. His older brother Vitali was coming off a pair of knockout victories in 2004 and about 10 months from announcing his retirement to go into Ukrainian politics, after injuries kept him from defending his WBC belt against Hasim Rahman. Wladimir, meanwhile, had our pity.

He’d not lasted four minutes against Corrie Sanders in 2003. He’d been unable to answer the sixth-round bell against Lamon Brewster in 2004. He’d hired trainer Manny Steward in the hopes Steward might play Wizard of Oz to his Lion. And every time he got hit, he wore a queasy look on his face that said, “Get me out of here.”

He was desperate to revive his career. So desperate, in fact, that he agreed to a fight against a wild-swinging undefeated African strongman incapable of being deterred by good boxing. If you’re new to the heavyweight division, that is, you might be shocked to learn that, in September of 2005, Wladimir Klitschko was perhaps boxing’s most sympathetic figure.

Klitschko-Peter I was about two questions: Is there a single well-delivered punch to Klitschko’s head that won’t knock him down? and does Peter have any boxing skills whatever? Neither question was answered. Most every time Peter landed a clean punch, Klitschko went down. And in 36 minutes, Peter landed about three clean punches.

But you cheered for Klitschko that night against Peter because he was so obviously fighting a fragile psyche as much as an undefeated opponent. He was dropped thrice and rose each time. Manny Steward bolstered his spirit between rounds, and Klitschko survived to win a unanimous decision.

But had you then told anyone watching that, in 2010, two Klitschko brothers would be seen as essentially indestructible, you would have needed to invent a third brother – Mikhail, Boris or Nikita, maybe? – to be taken seriously.

Today, Wladimir Klitschko is a monster of sorts; former contenders threaten their children with tales of his right cross before bedtime. And if you could take a model of Samuel Peter and give it any other name, Klitschko would ruin him. But there’s a very real chance that in a couple Saturdays, once the bell rings and Klitschko’s nimble brain runs a query on the image of Peter before him, some frightful values will get returned.

Then we’ll enter a laboratory of fear with Klitschko as our guide. Fear has a weakening effect whenever you experience it, of course, but it writes sentences with exclamation points in prizefighting. It begins with a hollowing-out of the upper legs and spreads to the knees, burning energy at an accelerated pace for which no conditioning regimen can prepare you. Run a marathon in camp, spar 100 rounds on Fridays, skip rope for six hours – go right ahead. Once you are afraid, once your body gets the message from your brain, you’re not conditioned well enough to finish a championship prizefight.

Is this guaranteed to happen? Of course not. Wladimir may in fact look across the ring on Sept. 11 and see the guy his older brother embarrassed in 2008 and Eddie Chambers decisioned in 2009. He may hit Peter with so many long jabs in the first six minutes that Peter reverts to form.

But Peter’s form, coincidentally, is the second reason his rematch with Klitschko could be interesting. Were you at the Gaylord Texan in March? If not, here’s the most surprising appearance made that weekend: Samuel Peter’s abdominal muscles. They were visible. At his lowest weight since 2001, Peter looked fantastic against Nagy Aguilera. He counterpunched with patience. He wasn’t shy about finishing his overmatched opponent, but he wasn’t reckless either. He waited for Aguilera to hang jabs and blasted him with right hands.

Klitschko does not hang his jab; frankly, he’s too skittish to hang any punch. But he does like to extend his left glove and use it as a sensor cum patty-caker. If Peter were somehow able to land his right hand over Klitschko’s outstretched left arm, he might just get another look at Wladimir’s queasy face.

It’s a long shot, but Todd DuBoef’s quote above could prove right on both counts. People are indeed always asking – and will still be asking – who is going to be the next great heavyweight. And Sept. 11 might actually be Sam Peter’s shining moment.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, ESPN will show the September 11 rematch between World Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter

The fight will take place Live at 5pm eastern time and be shown on the network’s on-line streaming arm of espn3.com.

The championship fight will also air at 8 p.m. ET on same-day tape delay on ESPN Deportes with a Sept. 12 replay at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“We are always looking for opportunities to deliver quality boxing matches on multiple platforms,” said Doug Loughrey, ESPN’s boxing director of programming. “We are pleased to present another world title heavyweight bout to United States-based boxing fans.”

“I had to wait a long time for the rematch,” Peter said. “Now I will finish what I missed five years ago. This time I am going straight in and take him out. It’s not going to last real long.”

“Peter was one of the toughest fights of my career,” Klitschko said. “He is an extremely hard puncher and has improved a lot in his last [few] fights. I know what to expect on Sept. 11 and I will be well prepared.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Wladimir Klitschko will indeed defend is IBF/WBO/Ring magazine Heavyweight title on September 11th in Frankfurt, Germany in a rematch of a 2005 bout.

“The Sam Peter thing has been agreed to,” Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Peter’s promoter, said. “They’re coming into the [Las Vegas] office to sign [on Thursday]. It was a relatively easy negotiation.”

Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, told ESPN.com in an email, “We found an agreement which is not signed yet, but hopefully [Thursday] so that we can send out a press release.”

“Peter came close last time. This time he has the experience that if he gets Klitschko in trouble again, he can finish him,” Arum said. “If Peter happened to upset Klitschko that would really start a lot of talk in the heavyweight division.”

Said Boente, “This is a very interesting fight especially with the history of the first one in 2005. By the way, we have already sold 15,000 tickets in the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt without an opponent.”

“We’re going [Thursday] morning to sign. We’re good to go,” said Ivaylo Gotzev, Peter’s manager. “My prediction has always been the same if we got a rematch. This time we’re going to finish the job and not leave it to the judges’ scorecard. We are going into the lion’s den to take him out.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the proposed September 11th showdown between world Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin is off due Povetkin missing a press conference earlier in the week.

The IBF mandated that Klitschko start negotiation with the next highest available contender Samuel Peter and all indications is that fight will be made for the same date.

K2 Promotions, Klitschko’s company, complained to the IBF about Povetkin missing the news conference because it had won the promotional rights to the fight with a purse bid of $8.313 million. With so much money on the line, K2 needed him there to promote the fight, which was to take place at the 55,000-seat Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt.

The IBF sided with Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) and ordered him to begin negotiating with the next available contender, Peter. The former titleholder knocked Klitschko down three times but lost a decision in their 2005 title elimination fight in Atlantic City, N.J.

“The IBF ruled that Povetkin had violated its rules by failing to come to the press conference this past Monday,” John Hornewer, Klitschko’s attorney, told ESPN.com. “The IBF had told him he needed to attend based on his duty to provide reasonable promotional support to fight and he didn’t get on the plane. Then the next day, he went to the doctor to get a doctor’s excuse. The IBF has instructed us to begin negotiating with the next available contender.”

“They were told beforehand that they had to be at the press conference to help promote the event,” Said Bernd Boente, manager of Klitschko. “That was their obligation after the purse bid.”

One of the theories behind the pullout was that Povetkin’s trainer Teddy Atlas felt his pupil wasn’t ready for the challenge.

“I think he deseves the chance to develop,” Atlas said. “I’m in the middle of training this kid, which is obviously an important time in his life for the future of his career. I’m doing my job. I am not moved by the title fight and what the biggest fight is out there. My job is to do the best job I can for the fighter and to make sure he is the best he can be when he’s in a situtation to fight, whether to fight Klitschko, Samuel Peter, [Tomasz] Adamek or Joe Shmoe.

“I am not controlled or dictated by anything other than that. I told him from the beginning I wanted more time. I was never really for the fight right now. Let me have more time with him. Does the mandatory dictate when he fights or do the circumstances of him having the best chance to win the fight?”

“I get 10 percent of that, but I decided the most important thing was to do what was the best for the fighter,” Atlas said. “My judgment was is the fighter ready for this moment? My opinion was more time would be good.”

“Wladimir felt honestly that Povetkin would not show up because Teddy Atlas kept telling people he didn’t think he was ready for the fight, so Wladimir was concerned,” Boente said. “He wants to fight Sept. 11 and we appreciate the IBF making a decision quickly so we can save the date, because if Wladimir wins in September, he wants to come back and fight for a third time this year in December.”

“Wladimir and myself think the Peter fight is a great matchup,” Boente said. “It’s a rematch of a good fight. There are a lot of people more interested in that fight than the Povetkin fight.”

“The IBF has done the right thing and we are negotiating a deal. I expect it to go a lot smoother and a lot quicker than the previous negotiation Klitschko had with Povetkin because we actually want the fight,” Said Ivalo Gotzev, who manages Peter. “This is a very big fight for the German population and we’re going to make it a very big fight for the heavyweight fans around the world.

“You have an exciting matchup that has already proven to be a competitive one. I still get people asking me how Samuel lost when he knocked the guy down three times. We are going to finish what we started in September 2005. This year, it will be a September to remember.”

Bob Arum said today that IBF #2-ranked Samuel ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Peter is available and ready to take on world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitschko has not defended his IBF world title against a mandatory challenger since April, 2007. Alexander Povetkin is ranked IBF #1 and is next in line.

“If Povetkin doesn’t take the fight, Klitschko is obligated to defend against Samuel Peter,” Arum said. “We plan to pursue that on behalf of Samuel.”

Peter has a ring record of 34-3 with 27 knockouts.