Boxing News Boxing News
© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing
Last night at the O2 Arena In Berlin, Germany, Vitali Klitschko regained the WBC Heavyweight title that he never lost in the ring by stopping Samuel Peter after seven rounds of combat.
Peter began the bout pressing Klitschko but was taking punishment from the taller man’s range-finding left hand, eating jabs and surprisingly quick left hooks. A left hook, right hand over the top combination rocked Peter less than a minute into the fight and suddenly he began to back up from the ever more confident Klitschko.
Klitschko landed several more hard right hands as Peter started to punch the towering Ukrainian’s chest. When Peter came forward again, he was nailed with either a left hook or the right until he started to jab and move his head on the way in. By the end of the first, Klitschko had dropped his hands to waist level, goading Peter to come in but ate a few jabs for his trouble as the round ended.
Klitschko kept Peter at bay in the beginning of the second with his sharp left hand, dealing out hooks and jabs as Peter tried to land his right coming forward. When Peter did get inside, it was difficult to land a flush shot on the awkward Klitschko and most of his efforts were pulled away from or blocked with a glove.
But by the middle of the round, Peter had managed to close distance and several successful jabs were met with a big right hand from Klitschko but it didn’t seem to have much effect as the Nigerian strongman continued to come forward.
Peter managed a sharp lunging left hook and Klitschko began to work the left hand again, zipping in hooks and jabs to keep Peter off balance. When Peter did try a big right hand, he missed and ate a Klitschko counter right in return. Peter came forward again but more aware of the overhand rights and Klitschko began to mix in uppercuts.
Peter launched a big looping lead right that partially landed as Klitschko pulled away from it as the second ended with the African trying to put his rival under pressure.
The third frame saw Klitschko giving up less ground as the two tangled mid-ring. Klitschko retreated from a lopping left and caught a hard Peter right hand on the waistline. The two traded jabs before Klitschko let go with both hands. Peter began to target the body as he came forward, and the action slowed a bit until they came to grips during a rare and somewhat clumsy combination from Peter had mixed success.
Things got a bit more heated as the pair traded hard right hands on the inside but then the bout slowed down again as Klitschko looked to take a breather and potshot Peter. Things stirred up again at the end of the frame as Peter pressed forward to land to the body and Klitschko countered with hooks.
Peter tried raising the pressure at the start of the fourth but that got him more Klitschko left hands for his trouble. Klitschko just missed a right hand bomb before they traded lefts. Klitschko got more serious and dug in two decent rights at a crouching Peter but the WBC Champ was undeterred and continued to march ahead and began to land effectively for the first time in the bout, until Klitschko’s harassing left hand again took the steam out of Peter.
Klitschko started the fifth putting his head near Peter, trying to draw punches and create an opening for the right hand but a hard Peter jab backed him off. The two traded jabs before Klitschko had success with a sweeping right that had little effect as Peter went back to the body with jabs.
Klitschko then launched a double jab, right hand combination that landed and followed up with an identical sequence, backing off as Peter sought revenge. Peter came forward and they traded rights before it went back to jabs from both.
Klitschko struck the target with a right before zapping Peter with a hard left hook moments later. In the closing seconds, Peter surged forward and managed a awkward looking right hand to the head of Klitschko.
Peter looked to press things as the sixth began and they traded good right hands in the middle of the ring. Peter became a bit tentative as he walked to Klitschko and as a result ate a few hard jabs with a right sandwiched in between. Klitschko stayed back as Peter looked to counter coming forward and things slowed down a bit until a flurry of action saw Klitschko counter Peter with hard left jabs thrown from the waist.
Klitschko picked at Peter with the jab until the Ukrainian cracked in a decent right hand. Peter’s right eye was beginning to swell from all the jabs but he continued to press ahead, scoring with a good body shot to Klitschko’s waist.
Peter countered a Klitschko right with a good combination to head and body as Klitschko had by now completely dropped his hands on defense. The round closed with the two coming to grips at mid-ring and Peter shook Klitschko a bit with his best right hand of the night so far at the bell.
Perhaps that right hand got Klitschko more serious but the beginning of the seventh was more eventful as they swapped shots on the inside. The action backed off and Peter got in a reaching left hook on the belt line.
They then swapped left hooks and Peter capped his off with a good right to Klitschko’s waistline. Klitschko upper his workrate until they traded big right hands in the middle of the ring. Over the last minute of the round, they both punched with authority and then Klitschko ranged in a heavy right hand over the top.
The eighth saw Peter get busier but he was eating a lot of left hands from Klitschko on the way in. A big Klitschko right landed and Peter looked to retaliate but caught two more hard rights for his efforts. Peter got tentative again and Klitschko rammed home hurtful lefts and rights in quick sequence until Peter got in a sweeping left hook that backed off the challenger.
Klitschko had more success with short jabs and the occasional right hand as Peter slowed way down. Peter seemed hurt by a right hand as he crouched to avoid a Klitschko flurry but the big hearted Nigerian continued to press forward and fight back.
Peter looked tired and his face swollen as he continued to trade the occasional single shot with Klitschko until a counter right had him wobbling slightly. As Peter tried the jab, Klitschko banged hard lefts and rights in. Peter continued to try and find a way in but was getting beaten to the punch and appeared heavily fatigued as he walked back to his corner after the eighth.
Rather than answer the bell for the ninth round, Peter elected to retire, giving Vitali Klitschko the win and the WBC Heavyweight title.
Klitschko regains the belt that he gave up when he retired four years ago and improved to 36-2 (35), while Peter loses for the first time in three years to drop to 30-2 (23).
