By Jake Donovan (photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank)

Former heavyweight titlist Samuel Peter extended his current winning streak to four straight with a second round knockout of fringe contender Nagy Aguilera, Friday night at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas.

The bout aired live on Fox Sports en Espanol.

Peter, weighing in at a relatively trim 237 ½, stood his ground in center ring and never allowed Aguilera out of his sights for very long. The Nigerian wasn’t always graceful or accurate with the incoming, but his heavy jab was enough to keep Aguilera, 230 ½, on the defense for as long as the fight lasted.

It wouldn’t last very long for Aguilera, a status that went against a scouting report that suggested the Dominican born heavyweight was good for a few rounds.

Aguilera made the mistake of trying to mix it up with Peter in the second round, before coming to his senses and moving his feet. The problem with too much movement is that you eventually run out of ring space. Such is precisely what happened to Aguilera, who got caught with a flush right hand before stumbling to the canvas for the bout’s first knockdown.

The fight was essentially over at that point. Aguilera tried to stay the hell away, but a left hook wobbled him with about a minute to go. An ensuing flurry along the ropes left Aguilera defenseless, prompting referee Laurence Cole to intervene.

The official time was 2:24 of round two.

Peter’s record moves to 34-3 (27KO) and is now back in queue for a hoped-for title shot. The wait figures to be a lengthy one; prior conqueror Wladimir Klitschko defends his belts and the lineal heavyweight championship next weekend against Eddie Chambers, with the winner forced to face undefeated contender and well overdue mandatory challenger Alex Povetkin.

Aguilera falls to 15-3 (12KO) with the loss, interrupting a modest two-fight win streak. However mediocre he may be, Aguilera was good enough to pick off the remains of former titlist Oleg Maskaev last December, but was way out of his element in this fight.

Chances are, Peter could find himself in a similar situation should a rematch with either Klitschko brother ever materialize. While rededicated to the sport (and to remaining trim), it’s not as if Peter’s skill level has dramatically increased, whereas neither Klitschko has shown any signs of slowing down.

For the moment, it’s Wladimir’s crown affixed in his sights. That he’s made it back this far this soon is a testament to his commitment, after weighing in at a career-fattest 265 lb. in a loss to Eddie Chambers at roughly this time last year. It was his second straight loss, but four wins have since followed, with Peter not weighing more than 243 lb. in any of the fights.

How far he goes remains to be seen; for now, Samuel Peter will gladly for having the opportunity to declare “Who necks (next)?!” after any given bout.

OTHER ACTION

In a considerable upset, Richard Merpranum outfoxed previously unbeaten Hernan “Tyson” Marquez to take a ten-round decision in their super flyweight bout.

Marquez (27-1, 20KO), who was making his stateside debut after having previously fought exclusively in Mexico, was the aggressor throughout the fight, but caught either air or gloves with most of his punches.

Merpranum (18-2-1, 3KO), who fights under Manny Pacquiao’s promotional banner, utilized stellar defense and head movement to carry him through the day,  but wasn’t afraid to mix it up when the situation called for it. The combination was enough to sway all three judges in his favor, winning by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and a surprisingly close 96-94.

Wedged into the broadcast was streaking middleweight prospect Omar Henry, who had an easy night’s work with a first round knockout of Francisco Javier Reza.

Henry (8-0, 7KO) came flying off of his stool, unloading right hands at will until Reza collapsed into a heap. Inept referee Laurence Cole initially waved the bout off as Reza was on his way down, but suddenly switched gears and instead issued an eight count.

Cole’s first instinct was probably the correct one. Reza beat the count but a flurry of right hands sent him once again crashing to the canvas just seconds later. This time, Cole did the right thing and called the fight, just 0:33 into the opening round.

Highly touted 17-year old lightweight Jose Benavidez finally had the chance to see what a fight looked like beyond the opening round. After scoring back-to-back first round knockouts to begin his career, Benavidez was extended into the third round before stopping hapless journeyman Bobby Hill in a televised swing bout.

Benavidez (3-0, 3KO) showed poise in the first two rounds, and continued to box in the third. However, an opening presented itself and he took full advantage, working the body before connecting with a straight right to send Hill (1-4, 0KO) to the canvas late in the third.

Hill beat the count, but took a beating in the corner, primarily to the body before once again collapsing to the canvas. A count was issued, to which he arose at nine, but the referee saw no reason to allow the fight to continue, halting matters at 2:59 of round three.

The show was presented by Top Rank Inc.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com