By David P. Greisman
Photo © Javiel Centeno/Fightwireimages.com
Samuel Peter is a monster truck, custom-built for crushing cars but needing a driver who can guide and truly unleash the beast. James Toney is a trusted pick-up with hundreds of thousands of miles on his odometer, worn down by age and extra cargo but still able to shift gears and perform most of the tasks he was made for.
If their September meeting didn’t cement which of the two had earned the pole position and a shot at the heavyweight title, then Saturday’s rematch brought the duo to the crossroads, with one man ready to race at the brickyard and the other man closer to resting in the junkyard.
With his lopsided decision victory over Toney, Peter is spinning his wheels and snarling fire, revving his motor for a potential head-on collision with the heavy-handed Oleg Maskaev. But in going another 12 rounds with Toney, Peter has shown that he’s not just as massive machine that can dominate the road in spurts before running out of gas.
Mixing jabs, counters, patience, straighter punching and a once-in-a-lifetime deke in with his usual wide swinging for the fences, Peter may not have followed through on his promise to knock Toney out, but the disparity between the two fighters’ scorecards may ultimately knock Toney out of contention.
This, after all, could have been Toney’s last chance. In two heavyweight title shots and two title eliminators, “Lights Out” has seen a win over John Ruiz nullified by a positive test for steroids, received a draw against Hasim Rahman and dropped two decisions against Peter.
It was Toney, not Peter, who took the measure of bringing in famed trainer and Tae-Bo creator Billy Blanks to change both his diet and his workout in the hope that a new fuel and cleaned-out machinery could tune-up the old pick-up. Though Toney weighed in at one pound more than his first meeting with Peter, he looked sleeker and sounded ready to go.
Toney, however, sputtered out of the garage, chugging along slowly and rarely kicking into a higher gear. With the judges’ tallies clearly mounting in Peter’s favor with each passing round, Toney spent a majority of the bout on a leisurely tour around the block.
Perhaps Toney over-trained, leaving his best self in the gym. Or maybe the mileage finally took its toll. Either way, Toney somehow remained defiant after the decision, insistent that, once again, he was robbed of a clear-cut victory.
“I disagree with the decision; I was aggressive,” Toney said afterward. “I felt I won the fight, but it’s all good. I’m still the best fighter in the world. This guy is supposed to be a hell of a puncher, and he couldn’t knock me out. And I started at middleweight. … Nobody has ever done what I’ve done. I beat all the best fighters out there from middleweight to heavyweight.”
Apparently, Toney believes his impressive chin and Hall of Fame ledger carry more weight in judging than the established criteria of clean punching, effective aggression, ring generalship and defense. For though Toney had flashes of his patented wizardry on both offense and defense, he showed more energy in his post-fight interview than between the bells.
Peter, meanwhile, celebrated his win while understanding that he still has more to achieve.
“I’m not the best yet,” Peter said. “The champions have the belts, so I have to give them credit first. But I will be the best.”
To get to the top, to be the best, Peter will need to keep improving in order to earn the checkered flag. But until then, the monster truck is flying high, ready to crush whoever he lands on.
The 10 Count
1. In a good co-feature under Saturday’s heavyweight main event, Travis Simms performed a one-sided clinic against Jose Antonio Rivera and recaptured the World Boxing Association 154-poind title that he never truly lost.
More than three years ago, Simms had knocked out Alejandro Garcia while breaking from a clinch. The WBA mandated a rematch, but Simms fought the ruling and was stripped of the belt after a single defense against Bronco McKart. Garcia won the vacant belt back in May 2005, only to drop it to Rivera one year later.
All that established, Simms pushed Rivera back with his first landed left hand, and he continued to pummel Rivera with his power and speed while deftly boxing to negate his opponent’s brawling style. The punishment built up, ultimately forcing referee Frank Santore Jr. to halt the bout two minutes into the ninth round.
2. “Lights Out” wasn’t the only James Toney to fight in Florida on Saturday night. James Obede Toney, a middleweight prospect who fights out of Ghana, lost to Roman Karmazin on the non-televised undercard to Peter-Toney 2. For Karmazin, who won via fourth-round stoppage, it was his first appearance since July, when he lost his junior middleweight title to Cory Spinks.
3. Knockout collector Edwin Valero earned his 21st straight early night, stopping Michael Lozada a mere 72 seconds into the first round last week in Tokyo. As Valero continued to compile kayos – and as more people learned his name through training videos on MaxBoxing.com and the enthusiastic endorsement of scribe Doug Fischer – the buzz ultimately peaked in August when Valero dethroned WBA junior lightweight titlist Vicente Mosquera. In a division that also contains Filipino Firebomber Manny Pacquiao, it seems only a matter of time until the Pac-Man and the V-Nom go to war.
4. Yvon Durelle, a light heavyweight best known for his losses to Archie Moore and Floyd Patterson, died Saturday after suffering a stroke on Christmas, according to the Canadian Press. In his first outing against Moore in 1958, Durelle knocked down the “Old Mongoose” three times in the opening stanza, but Moore battled back to stop Durelle in the eleventh. Their rematch eight months later proved far less successful for Durelle, with Moore winning by third-round knockout. Durelle was 77.
5. Ah, yes, ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights is back, and thankfully there to replace the sad seasonal loss of Monday Night Football.
6. Boxers Behaving Badly: Charles Mailula, a junior featherweight who captured the South African title in 1999, was sentenced last week to life in prison for the 2005 shooting death of his girlfriend, according to South African boxing reporter Ron Jackson. Mailula, who was 15-5-2 with eight wins by knockout, last fought in 2002, losing via third-round stoppage to fringe featherweight contender Thomas Mashaba.
7. Boxing Announcer Behaving Badly: Jim Lampley, the chief play-by-play man for HBO Boxing, was charged last week with felony domestic violence and is under investigation for misdemeanor charges of violating a restraining order and dissuading a witness, according to the Associated Press. Expanding on a story broken by entertainment news outlet TMZ.com, the Associated Press reports that Lampley was arrested for breaking the restraining order when he showed up at the apartment of girlfriend Candice Sanders days after Lampley allegedly attacked her.
“I am innocent of the charge of domestic abuse that has been leveled against me and will vigorously defend myself,” Lampley said through spokesman Howard Bragman. “I have tremendous respect for the justice system as a whole and for the San Diego courts and district attorney’s office specifically. I’m confident that the process will prove that I’m not guilty of this charge.”
8. More than a month after he stopped Javier Castillejo to capture the WBA middleweight title, Mariano Carrera has tested positive for an illegal substance, according to German and Spanish media reports cited by BoxingScene.com’s Per Ake Persson. If true, it could be a major blow to his career, as the Castillejo victory was Carrera’s first appearance outside of his home country of Argentina.
9. Sign number 58 that you’re way too into boxing: You eagerly sit down to watch Manute Bol and William “The Refrigerator” Perry fumble through three one-minute rounds.
10. It could’ve been worse – it could have been Manute Bol and Nicolay Valuev.
To contact David P. Greisman, Click Here.
