LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Nigeria’s Samuel Peter, who floored Vladimir Klitschko three times in a heavyweight title bout five years ago and still lost, said yesterday the bruising Ukrainian will not get up when they meet again in September.
The “Nigerian Nightmare” has another title shot against Klitschko on Sept. 11 in Frankfurt, Germany, and despite the bout being in the world heavyweight champion’s former adopted country, Peter will be packing his own judge and referee.
“He will be down again but this time he will not be standing up,” Peter said on a conference call from his training base in Big Bear, California.
“I got my own referee and my judge … my referee is my right hand and my judge is my left hook, no question about this time around. This time he will not get up from my hook.”
Since the two men have combined for 75 knockouts in their combined 93 career fights, the bout is not expected to go the distance and Peter predicts Klitschko will not survive more than four rounds.
Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs) will face a much different Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) than the boxer he confronted in 2005 in Atlantic City when he survived to earn a unanimous decision.
Peter has since slimmed down and, according to his trainer Abel Sanchez, the 29-year-old has re-dedicated himself to the sport and is more of boxer than a brawler.
“I’m going to prove to the world I am the best heavyweight champion,” said Peter. “This time I am coming to prove myself a champion again. I have improved, he hasn’t improved.”
A former Olympic boxer, Peter has matured and sharpened the skills he let rust while relying heavily on his devastating knockout power to win fights, according to Sanchez.
“He has put in the work this time,” said Sanchez. “In the past he’s allowed outside influences to contribute to his lack of dedication, lack of commitment.
“It’s important that you just don’t come in with an A plan against a Klitschko. You have to come in with an A, a B and C plan to be able to use them at different times and he’s been working on that.”
