Boxing News Boxing News
© Martin Warr / dkp
Last night in front of 7,000 fans at a packed Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Mexico, Don King Productions put on a huge show headlined by WBC Heavyweight Champ Oleg Maskaev’s title defense against Interim Champ Samuel Peter and IBF Lightweight Champ Juan Diaz’s title defense against challenger Nate Campbell.
In the main event, Maskaev cautiously sought to maintain distance and engage Peter from the outside but “The Nigerian Nightmare” displayed much improved boxing skills and proved far more difficult to hit than in the past.
While Maskaev managed to shake the challenger at times, Peter kept getting closer and by the sixth frame, was banging big right hands off the head of the champion, sending Maskaev reeling around the ring and forcing referee Guadalupe Garcia to stop the action with just four second left in the round.
“I hit him with one and I hit him with another, then I crack him up,” said Peter. “My jab was good and then I him in the head and break off his head. I knew he was strong so I was careful. I feel great. I could fight again tomorrow. I’m ready for anyone.”
Peter becomes the new WBC Heavyweight Champion, improving to 30-1 (23), while Maskaev drops to 34-6 (26). “He didn’t knock me out. he shook me and knocked me back and the referee did the right thing,” said Maskaev. “He was hitting me with two many punches. I hurt him a few times, yes, but I wasn’t able to finish him.
“I can’t blame anybody. It was my fault. My trainers did a good job and I failed tonight. I will be back. My team and I will talk and if they want to make a few more fights we can do it.”
In the chief support bout, 36 year old Nate Campbell put on a career best performance as he outworked 24 year old lightweight champion Juan Diaz over twelve rounds to annex the IBF title.
Opponents usually can’t keep up with Diaz’s high workrate but Campbell stood toe to toe and beat the Texan at his own game of body punching and combinations on the inside.
Campbell broke open a close fight in the sixth when Diaz suffered an eye injury, for which Campbell had a point taken away, that plagued the champion the rest of the way. Showing amazing stamina for his age, Campbell closed the show strongly, battering Diaz, whose eye had swollen to grotesque prorportions by the end of the bout.
Campbell was awarded the split decision via scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113 for Diaz: “I knew he couldn’t take it, I knew I was the bigger puncher,” said Campbell. “I could out-box him or out-punch him. My team and I said all along we saw a lot of hype with Juan Diaz but we didn’t see the substance. I said I was going to take him out into the deep water and drown him and that’s what I did.
“I better have won, I won the last five or six rounds. I won this for Don King. I will never disrespect him the way Juan Diaz did. There’s a tattoo on my back that simply says, ‘fighter’ and that’s what I am and what I proved tonight.”
Also, ex-heavyweight world champion John Ruiz, 43-7-1 (29), continued his comeback by posting a wide 12 round points decision over Jameel McCline, 38-9-3 (23).
Prospect Adrian Hernandez, 13-0 (11), stopped veteran Gilberto Keb Baas, 28-17-2 (16), in the fourth for the NABF Flyweight and WBC Continental Americas Light Flyweight belts.
