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| Date | 8 March 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Plaza de Toros México, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Peter defeated Maskaev via 6th Round TKO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oleg Maskaev vs. Samuel Peter , billed as Championship Heat, was a professional boxing match contested on 8 March 2008, for the WBC heavyweight championship. [2]
Following his knockout victory over Hasim Rahman to win WBC Heavyweight Championship, Oleg Maskaev made one defence in December 2006 against the unknown Okello Peter in Moscow, before entering into negotiations with the WBC Emeritus champion Vitali Klitschko, who had publicly announced that he intended to return to boxing three years since his last bout with Danny Williams. [3] Dino Duva, the promoter of Samuel Peter who had been the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt ever since his first victory over James Toney in September 2006, urged Maskaev's promoter Dennis Rappaport to start negotiations over a mandatory defense with Peter. Saying "José Sulaimán and the WBC have made it clear that they are honoring their commitment for Maskaev to defend his title against Samuel Peter immediately. We respect Oleg, know that he is a true champion, and expect him to honor that commitment." [4]
Peter was offered between $2.5 and $3 million to step aside, under agreement that the winner of a Maskaev-Klitschko fight would face him next. Eventually, negotiations between Klitschko and Maskaev broke down when Klitschko's team refused additional demands from both Maskaev's and Peter's teams: Maskaev wanted a purse of $5 million instead of the offered $3 million, while Peter was also not satisfied with his offer. [5] [6] [7] On April 5, the teams of all three boxers agreed to give a green light to the Maskaev-Peter fight, under agreement that Vitali would be the first in line to face the winner. On April 9, WBC gave Maskaev and Peter time until April 20 to sign a contract, after which a purse offer would be held. [8] [9]
All sides reached agreement and the contract was signed on July 26, for Maskaev to face Peter on October 6 at Madison Square Garden, while Klitschko signed to face Jameel McCline on 22 September in a tune-up bout, [10] [11] however on 21 September, Maskaev was forced to pull out of the fight due to a herniated disc. [12] As a result, Peter would face McCline, whose bout with Klitschko had been cancelled following a back injury for Vitali. [13]
McCline would drop Peter three times (the first time he had ever been dropped), however Peter would escape with a unanimous decision. [14]
The bout with Maskaev was rearranged for March 2008 and would be the first heavyweight bout in Mexico since Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Peter Maher in 1896. [15] [16] The referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia had been the third man in the ring when Oliver McCall stuned Lennox Lewis in their WBC heavyweight title clash in 1994.
Peter wobbled Maskaev badly with uppercut in the third round, although the champion was able to block almost all of Peter's follow up punches and later in the round he hurt the challenger with a right cross. In the sixth a right hand from Peter landed flush and had Maskaev in trouble. Maskaev was backed up into the ropes and Peter followed up with a series of hard punches that dropped the champion prompting the referee to wave it off. [17] [18] [19] [20]
Peter's victory made him the first Nigerian to win a heavyweight championship belt. The victory would later be ranked as the 26th most memorable moments in Nigeria's sporting history since independence by Premium Times in 2020. It was second among combat sports-related moments, only behind Dick Tiger becoming the first Nigerian to win a world boxing title in 1962. [21]
After extended negotiations it was agreed that Peter would face Klitschko on 11 October in Berlin. [22]
Confirmed bouts: [23]
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Mexico | Televisa |
 Russia | REN-TV |
 Ukraine | 1+1 |
 United States | HBO |
Cornelius Johannes Sanders was a South African professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2008. He won the WBO heavyweight title in 2003 after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in two rounds, which was considered one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history; The Ring magazine named it the Upset of the Year. In 2004, having vacated the WBO title, Sanders faced Wladimir's brother Vitali Klitschko in an unsuccessful challenge for the vacant WBC and Ring heavyweight titles. He also held the WBU heavyweight title from 1997 until 2000 and the South Africa national heavyweight title in 1991.
Hasim Sharif Rahman is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2014. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBC, IBF, IBO and lineal titles in 2001; and the WBC title again from 2005 to 2006. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight by BoxRec from 2000 to 2007, and reached his highest ranking of world No.6 in 2000.
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Samuel Okon Peter is a Nigerian professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title in 2008, when he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds. In his prime, he was known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers, having faced Wladimir twice and Vitali once. Peter was named among the 20 greatest athletes in the history of independent Nigeria by The Punch in 2023, while his capturing of the WBC heavyweight title was ranked the 26th most memorable moment in independent Nigeria's sports history by Premium Times in 2020. He was ranked by The Ring among ten best heavyweights at the conclusion of a year from 2005 to 2008, reaching his highest ranking of world No.2 in 2007. Peter is known for his punching power and holds a 78.9% knockout-to-win ratio.
Oleg Alexandrovich Maskaev is a Russian-American former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2013, and held the WBC heavyweight title from 2006 to 2008.
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Sultan-Ahmed Magomedsalihovich Ibragimov is a Russian former professional boxer. He competed from 2002 to 2008, and held the WBO world heavyweight title from 2007 to 2008. He was ranked by The Ring as the world's sixth best active heavyweight at the conclusion of 2007 and 2008. As an amateur he won silver medals at the 2000 Olympics and 2000 European Championships, and bronze at the 2001 World Championships, all in the heavyweight division.
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Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko, known as the Klitschko Brothers, are Ukrainian former professional boxers. During their peak years between 2004 and 2015, they were considered the dominant world heavyweight champions of their era, and among the most successful champions in boxing history. In 2011, they entered the Guinness World Records book as brothers with most world heavyweight title fight wins. In the years following the retirement of heavyweight titlist Lennox Lewis in 2004, the Klitschko brothers would eventually accumulate all four major world heavyweight titles. Known for their exceptionally large physiques, speed, and punching power, they each developed a style that utilized their athleticism and arm reach to break down opponents.
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Wladimir Klitschko vs. Sultan Ibragimov, billed as "The Unification", was a professional boxing match contested on 23 February 2008 for the IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight championship.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman, billed as "X-Plosive", was a professional boxing match contested on 13 December 2008 for the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight championship.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders, billed as The Next Big Thing was a professional boxing match contested on 8 March 2003 for the WBO Heavyweight Championship.
Hasim Rahman vs. James Toney, billed as The Big Boys are Back, was a professional boxing match contested on 18 March 2006 for the WBC heavyweight championship.
Hasim Rahman vs. Oleg Maskaev II, billed as America's Last Line of Defense, was a professional boxing match contested on 12 August 2006, for the WBC heavyweight championship.
Samuel Peter vs. Vitali Klitschko, billed as Dangerzone, was a professional boxing match contested on 11 October 2008, for the WBC heavyweight championship.
