By Rick Reeno
Only one man will be left standing at the end of the most anticipated heavyweight encounter in quite some time. Wladimir Klitschko (44-3, 40KOs), once thought of as the heir apparent, will go up against the undefeated Nigerian Nightmare, Samuel Peter (24-0, 21KOs). The winner will be the mandatory contender for the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, the loser will go to the back of a long line of contenders waiting for title shots. Klitschko has much more to lose than Peter, because his career is at stake in this fight. Peter is young enough to start over if he loses. Klitschko has two strikes against him, Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders, a third strike and he is out.
The staff of BoxingScene got together to voice their predictions, strategies and opinions on the upcoming heavyweight showdown.
Matteo Alderson - I like Klitschko in a tough fight. I'm not saying that Wlad is one of the best heavyweights in the world. I think his chin, stamina, and confidence will let him down in the very near future, but I just think that Samuel Peter is too green.
Andy Rivera - My mind tells me that Peter should stop Klitschko. I know deep down that Klitschko may not have the whiskers to handle the power, but we really don't know if Peter has a good chin as well. I know I might be crazy, but I'll go with Klitschko to take Peter into deep waters using his jab and right hand to keep Peter at bay, but Peter will have his moments. If Klitschko can handle the power of Peter, he will win. I will go with Klitschko by late round stoppage.
Ja Lang Greene - If you listen to all of boxing experts speak, most will tell you that experience is the key. However, most fail to follow that belief when it comes to predictions. Wladimir will not only stop Peter, but will look impressive doing it.
Wladimir Klitschko by Knockout in 8 round.
The Nigerian doesn't know how to throw a straight punch and he hasn't fought any legit opponents. I think Peter needs a couple of more fights against some solid veterans like Alfred Cole, Tim Witherspoon, or even Michael Grant. The kid hits hard, but he is raw. I'm guessing the Duvas think it's a perfect fight, especially with Klitschko's well exposed chin.
In the end I think Emanuel Steward's strategic brilliance, along with the fact that the Wlad is fighting as the underdog, will propel him to victory.
TK Stewart - I'm going with Wladimir Klitschko in this one. I've seen Samuel Peter fight in person, and while he has excellent power, he is crude and wild swinging. One step to the left or the right by his opponents throws Peter totally off balance. Many will call me crazy, but I still think Wlad can go a long way in this moribund heavyweight division.
Emanuel Steward wouldn't put Wlad in there with Peter if he didn't think he could win. Steward is about the most cautious guys out there when it comes to matching his fighters - but he is also a very accurate judge of talent and style matchups. On just about every event that Manny calls for HBO, he picks the proper winner almost every time. He has an uncanny ability to see how styles and fighters will match up against each other and then who will win.
If Manny can get Wlad to relax and pace himself, I think it will be a surprisingly easy fight for the young Klitschko.
Dave Selwyn - This is a very interesting and meaningful fight in the heavyweight division. There has been a real buzz in the boxing business ever since this fight was signed. Peter has shown that he has the power to be able to knockout a man as big as Wladimir Klitschko.
The question is, will he land a punch to Klitschko's suspect chin? I don't think he will. Klitscko will use his height and reach advantage to fight a smart fight and outbox his less experienced opponent to eventually win by TKO.
David Sauvage - A very easy prediction here. The big K has proven, repeatedly and predictably, to fall flat under pressure. He also hasn't looked confident against his more recent, lesser opponents. Against Peter, a real cracker, he is absolutely bound to crack. KO for Peter in two rounds.
Ron Gallegos - Klitschko is going to end up calling 911. Peter, the young lion, is hungry and is the real deal. Peter can take anything Klitschko has to offer and his punching power is devastating. My prediction is KO for Peter in the fifth round, after a lot of punishment has been inflicted. There's just no way for Klitschko to withstand that kind of power.
David P. Greisman - Someone's getting knocked out. Grab a beer, sit back and enjoy.
Paul Gallegos - Glass jaw verses untested talent. If Klitschko comes in expecting an easy fight, he should rethink his strategy. Both boys are heavy hitters with a goal of scoring a KO firmly in their minds.
Someone is going to fall. This one should end in a KO by the 5th round. If Klitschko can use his superior height, his reach advantage and avoid wild exchanges, expect him to stop the untested Peter. If it turns out to be a wild affair with bombs being thrown from the opening bell--look for a glass jawed Klitschko to be carried out of the arena. Peter by KO in the 4th.
Sammy Rozenberg - Most experts think the fight will be over once Peter checks Wladimir's chin. I have to disagree with them on this one. Peter is slow and his defense is weak. Unless Wlad get careless, he should be able to stop Peter within 6 rounds.
Jose Villegas - I think Wladimir is a shot fighter. He's fighting scared now and its painfully obvious. He has zero confidence and combining that with a glass chin is not a good formula for victory. I think it will be sloppy fight while it lasts.
I see Peter bull rushing him and missing a lot of punches in the first, but will eventually catching him clean with one of his wide looping shots. When he does, it's nap time for Wlad. Peter by KO in 2 rounds.
Mark Workman - Samuel Peter is still an unproven quantity in my mind. He has yet to face anything close to the quality of opposition that Wladimir Klitschko has faced thus far in his career. If Wladimir uses his quick jab, formidable power, 4 inch reach and 5 ½ inch height advantages, to keep Sam Peter at bay and take him into the later rounds, he might be able to do what less talented fighters have not done in 24 fights: truly test Peter's chin and stamina and knock him out.
Klitschko's 2 KO losses to Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders may still haunt him, but will that cause him to choke under Peter's intense rain of fire? Peter has a lot to prove in this fight and will come out the gate all guns blazing against Klitschko. If Wladimir can withstand that kind of heat in the early rounds and take Peter past round 5 - a place Peter has only been 3 times in his career, we will finally see what Sam Peter is really made of.
Having said all of this, I don't think Klitschko's chin can withstand the pounding the Nigerian Nightmare is going to unleash upon him and Wladimir will fall within 7 rounds.
Dr. Peter Edwards - Klitschko can be caught cold in the early rounds, as Corrie Sanders has shown us. Peter comes out in full force in the early rounds. I see a Peter getting hurt, recovering well and stopping Wlad in 4 rounds.
Rusty Rubin - The fight is speed vs. power, but in this fight speed has no whiskers. This fight will end like most Sam Peter fights, when he catches his opponent with a clean shot. There is a question about Peter's chin and he is mechanically slow, but will still score a knockout either midway or late in the fight.
James Blears - It's now or never for Wlad. If he stumbles at this hurdle and falls headlong again, he's had his chips, and he'll have to hang up his gloves. Sam Peter is potenitally a very dangerous opponent with tremendous power in either fist. But he's still raw and crude style wise. Wlad has more options at his disposal to dip into. He must use his height and long reach to his full advantage, and pick off Sam with some crisp counter punches, resisting the temptation to get involved in a telephone booth brawl.
A lot of "ifs" for Wlad and with Sam's bulldozing style, he'd also try to avoid accidental head butts.
If he doesn't get careless, doesn't get caught and paces himself correctly - often a problem with Wlad, it'll be Sam that runs out of gas and Wlad will be able to step in for a late KO.
Adam Pollack - I think Wladimir's best option is to try to play power boxer and to try to cautiously outbox Peter from the outside and to grab when he gets close. People forget how much height and reach Wlad has, and he hits hard enough to get respect.
Peter has never been hit as hard as Wlad will hit him. That said, I think somewhere along the line the determined Peter is going to catch and then finish Klitschko. Wladimir does not have the chin or the conditioning to hold him off for 12 rounds.
Tom Donelson - Here are the facts. Wladimir Klitschko is the better technician, better boxer and has the power to hurt Peter. In a normal world, Wladimir would win this fight easily and by a TKO. But this is not a normal world and Wladimir is not your normal European boxer. He can move, he has an excellent work rate in the ring, unlike most heavyweights and he has the power. What he also has is a suspect chin. In his last fight against the DaVarryl Williamson, he became tentative the minute Williamson hit him with a solid shot. In this fight, Wladimir will feel the full brunt of Peter's power somewhere during the fight.
Here is what we know about Peter. He has beaten those put in front of him, but has yet to fight a top ten contender or a top notch power puncher. We don't know if he can take a punch. We know he can deliver one. He is slow and ponderous which means he can be out foxed and out boxed. If Wladimir can find a way to take Peter's best, he wins easily. If not, he will be knocked out in the middle rounds. This is Wladimir fight to lose and I am betting that he will find a way to do exactly that, and lose this fight.
Johnny Ortiz - I am picking Wladimir Klitschko to win against the favored Samuel Peter; I’m basing my pick on the fact that Wladimir has been in with the much better horses. Steward is picking Wladimir in a couple of rounds; I too, think he will stop Samuel early.
In his last three fights, Samuel beat guys by the names of Yanqui Diaz, Gilbert Martinez and Taurus Sykes; a year earlier he was forced to go the full ten rounds with Jovo Pudar? and Charles Shufford.
Wladimir stopped Shufford in six of the same year. Dr. Steelhammer also stopped guys like hammer-punching Derrick Jefferson in 2, Ray Mercer in 6, Monte Barrett in 7, and Jameel McCline in 10. He gave the current IBF heavyweight champion, Chris Byrd, the worst beating of his career, knocking him down three times and winning a unanimous decision by lopsided scores of 120-106, 119-107, 118-108.
I know he was stopped by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, I’ll give you Sanders, overconfident, Wladimir got caught cold in the first round and never recuperated. Like I have said over and over, the first round is the toughest round in a fight, a fighter has not yet acclimated himself for the task ahead, if you get hurt early, it is damn near impossible to get back into the fight. So it was in the Sanders fight.
I have to throw out the Brewster win merely because it was a fluke. After nearly killing Lamon in the first four rounds, Wladimir suddenly collapsed from some kind of fatigue. Later at the hospital, tests showed his system was clearly out of whack. Some boxing writers were quick to jump on Wladimir’s lack of stamina. Someone tell me how he could go a full 12 rounds with an evasive Chris Byrd and not run out of gas? Or how he could go ten hard rounds with huge Jameel McCline before stopping him in a scheduled 12 round fight? Yet in the Brewster fight where he was putting a serious hurt on Lamon, he suddenly runs out of gas in the 5th?
The fact that Wladimir was on his feet when they stopped the Sanders fight tells me his chin may be all right. If so, let’s see who has the better chin, Klitschko or Peter. As Steward points out, Samuel has never been in with someone who hits as hard as Klitschko, a man who has registered 40 KOs in his 44 wins, or someone of his championship caliber.
Then again, Peter is no slouch when it comes to power punching, as his 21 KO’s on his undefeated ledger of 24 wins will attest. Emanuel points out something that may have a bearing on the fight. The longer it goes, the better it is for Klitschko. Peter has only fought a total of 12 rounds in the past year and a half. He also points out that Wladimir has already sparred over 120 rounds for the fight.
He’s been sparring with guys 6’3 and 6’4, all weighing around 230 and 240. It sounds as if though Steward has his man as ready as he can be. I’m sure Peter has had a terrific training camp as well. One thing is for sure; one guy has to lose, if Wladimir gets KO’d, it’s over for him. Peter losing will only mean that that the 25 year-old will have to get back in line. It is going to be a savage fight from start to finish. This one is not going the distance. It will truly be…a fight to the finish!
Mike Indri - Do or die time for Wladimir. I think if he comes ready to fight - mentally ready, he will give the younger, untested Peter problems. A good, strong jab will be the difference in this fight; frustrating the powerful Nigerian KO artist.
After punishing Peter for 6-7 rounds with his aforementioned jab and superior boxing skills, the one-time highly regarded title contender will close the gap and drop his overmatched foe.
Wladimir Klitschko by TKO in 7-8 rounds over Samuel Peter.
Robert Padilla - Klitschko will "Peter" out in the later rounds with his chin being tested and the hungry Peter giving it his all. It doesn't matter if Emanuel Steward is in the corner for Wladimir. All Steward can do is give him instructions, give him water and clean him up in between rounds. All the training in the gym won't matter because that will go out the window once Klitschko is forced to stand his ground. My prediction is Samuel Peter by KO.
Umar ben-Ivan Lee - Peter is untested against quality opposition and this will be his biggest test to date. Wladimir Klitschko has been tested in the heavyweight division on a number of occasions and has failed a number of tests after initially being touted the savior of the post Lennox Lewis era.
A sensational KO by Peter would be the best thing for boxing right now. This could be a heavyweight war with two big hitters, but I feel it will be anti-climatic and dull for the most part with a few outbreaks of good action peppered in between. I'll have to go with Peter, either by decision or a mid to late round stoppage.
Rick Reeno - After speaking with numerous heavyweights for hours about this fight, including Chris Byrd, Lamon Brewster, Calvin Brock, Ray Mercer, Dominick Guinn and DaVarryl Williamson, it has become very clear that most fighters view Wladimir as the favorite.
There is no question that Wladimir has flaws in his armor, but Peter has just as many flaws as Wladimir. Peter has a very shaky defense, he telegraphs his punches and he appears very slow at times. Peter gets hit often in his fights and is prone to straight punches. Unlike his past opponents, Peter is up against a fighter who hits just as hard as he does. Peter has never had his chin tested, but he will in this fight.
Most people look at Wladimir's two losses and figure that Peter will go right through Wlad. Keep two things in mind. Lamon Brewster took a vicious beating for 4 rounds, before Wlad fatigued out and almost collapsed from a strange form of exhaustion. None of Lamon Brewster's punches put Wlad down, exhaustion did. And not many fighters can take the type of beating Brewster took for four rounds and survive.
In the Sanders fight, Wlad hit the deck very hard on several occasions, but every single time he went down, he got right back up to continue fighting. He showed against Sanders that he has the heart to keep going. People say Wladimir's chin was exposed in this fight, but how many heavyweights can take a flush left hand on the jaw from Corrie Sanders without getting in some form of serious trouble?
In the Sanders fight, Klitschko did not know how to properly protect himself once hurt. He never held Sanders when Corrie would jump in with power punches and Sanders was too fast for Klitschko to get away.
If Wladimir keeps throwing straight power punches, which he usually does, he won't be able to miss. Peter is headhunter and only knows one way to fight, by coming forward throwing bombs. If Wladimir enters this fight with no intention of backing Peter up to get respect, he will not win this fight. He needs to be brave, quick with his punches and must not let Peter get him against the ropes. The key to beating Peter is throwing straight punches down the pipe, move away from his counters and back him up. Peter does not fight well going backwards.
If Wladimir sticks to the plan, he should knock Peter out within 8 rounds.
Frank Lotierzo - I do not have a strong feeling on this fight. Who do you roll the dice with - the unproven and untested fighter, (Peter) or the one who is a punch away from believing he'll lose, (Klitschko). I know, having a solid chin is more important in the heavyweight division than it is in any other division and it's not even close. Boxing is just as much mental as it is physical. In some Fights even moreso. I have no clue what kind of chin Peter has, but I know that he can punch. Wladimir Klitschko has a questionable chin. More importantly, it won't take much for him to believe he's going to lose. IF he's says different, he's not being honest.
When there's a Fight that I don't have a strong Feeling either way, I resort to the following - Who's the Fighter coming to the ring more confident that he's going to win? In this Fight it's Samuel Peter. Without knowing anything about how good he can catch or how tough he is, the fact that he's never been defeated or stopped has him believing it can't happen. The same cannot be said about Wladimir Klitschko. This Fight will be won by the Fighter who is the better catcher. I'll take my chances with Peter, despite the fact he's untested.