Peter rejects step-aside offer!

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I think Peter rejected the offer because he knows he can't beat Vitali and has a very good chance to beat Maskaev.He seems only interested in a belt(nothing wrong with that)at this time no matter how long he can hold onto it.If Peter for some reason is granted the fight with Maskaev, I have my doubts with all of this back and forth between Vitali, he may not give Vitali an imediate shot at his belt which may deter Vitali all together from returning.We can argue untill the cows come home on who deserves to fight who but that is not how the politics of the sport work.Until there is a clearcut way to go about it, nothing will please everyone.

No offence, but you could swap the names Vitali and Peter in that paragraph, and it would make no more or less sence.. Everything you just said could hold just as true for Vitali as it does Peter... Obviously both of them want Maskaev(the belt) first. The real issue is, WHY does Vitali want an immediate title shot? And I know about the emeritus title, it's just that he's the one coming off a long layoff due to injury... Peter has already technically won 2 elmininators for gods sake.. We all know he's fit and ready to go.. Vitalis a question mark at this point, I can't see why if he was serious about returning for a signifigant amount of time, he wouldn't take a tune up fight. The fact that he wants the title after inactivity, to me, suggests that he is the one more likely to vacate it after beating Maskaev. Think about it... If Peter didn't intend to hold the title, and defend it, then why wouldn't he have just taken the 2.5 million to step aside? You really think a Maskaev fight in itself is enough to make him pass that up?? Course not, especially since Vitali vs Maskaev would generate alot more money than Peter vs Maskaev.. I doubt Peter would make over 2.5 million to fight Oleg. Besides, if you think about it, should Peter get the fight and beat Maskaev, you just know Vitali will be his first mandatory...

First of all you ask why does Vitali "want" an imediate title shot?He has the confidence of knowing he can beat Maskaev without one, it is that simple.He feels 100% ready to face him at this time, why go for a tune up fight when he could just as well be injured in that fight?If he was to beat Maskaev and be injury free he is not going to sit on the title, that is not what he does, he gave up his title and retired because he didn't think it was fair to keep postponing his fight with Rahman.Acording to the WBC rules Peter doesn't have a case at all and they shouldn't even be offering him step aside money.Rules are rules and Vitali has the right at this time to fight Maskaev, he doesn't need a tune up fight so it should be clear cut at this point, all Peter is doing is dicouraging Vitali from coming back at all.It would be best for boxing fans at this time to let Vitali fight Maskaev and then the winner to face Peter for the title.

You didn't present one new point, it's all the same stuff that could be said for either man. I ask you again though, If Peter didn't plan on defending the title after he beat Maskaev, why wouldn't he have taken the step aside money which would probably be more than his purse?? It just doesn't make sense. Wheras with Vitali, it makes perfect sense to suggest that he only wants Maskaev and the title so he can hold one with his brother.. Then whats to stop him from retiring again?? You say that's not what he does, well sorry but your going to need to convince me a little more then that. Because he's done it before.