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Undefeated, hard-hitting heavyweight Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter kicked off the Fourth of July weekend with a bang as he impressively tamed “The Bull,” knocking out Taurus Sykes at 2:07 of the second round Saturday on SHOWTIME. The bout at the Reno Events Center was promoted by Duva Boxing and aired at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). Peter (24-0, 21 KOs), of Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Akwaibom, Nigeria, lived up to his billing as the division’s most prolific young slugger as he turned what figured to be his toughest test into yet another landslide victory. It was the eighth time the promising Peter has flattened an opponent in the second round and the 15th time he has stopped a foe inside two.
By sending Sykes into dreamland, “The Nigerian Nightmare,” who entered the ring as the United States Boxing Association/North American Boxing Federation (USBA/NABF) champion, added the North American Boxing Association (NABA) belt to his collection. After he backed Sykes into the ropes, Peter staggered and hurt him with a right hand at about the 1:40 mark of the second. A pulverizing puncher with either mitt, Peter followed with a barrage of overhand rights and solid left hooks that dropped Sykes, prompting the referee to stop the match shortly thereafter.
Sykes (23-2-1, six KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., was making his first start since capturing the vacant NABA title with a unanimous 12-round decision over Friday Ahunanya on March 11, 2005. Despite losing the first session Saturday, he boxed well enough as he kept most of the action at center ring. Sykes quit jabbing in the second round, however, and allowed Peter to corner him. Moments later he got caught, and that was that.
