By Rick Reeno
Vasyl Samokhvalov, an individual who described himself as an "information adviser" to Vitali Klitschko, told The Associated Press that Klitschko wants to face WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev on April 21 in Moscow.
As reported by BoxingScene scribe James Blears, the WBC will make a ruling on Klitschko's bid for a title shot within ten days. Klitschko retired in 2005 due to knee and back injuries that have since healed. The last time he saw action was on Dec. 11, 2004, when he stopped Danny Williams in eight-rounds.
Upon announcing his retirement from the sport, the WBC gave his status as the WBC emeritus champion. Under the WBC rules, an emeritus champion could come out of retirement and receive an immediate shot at the current champion.
Ivaylo Gotzev, manager of Samuel Peter, is not going to let his fighter go down without a very tough legal fight. Samuel Peter has defeated James Toney in two consecutive mandatory bouts for the right to face Maskaev. Although he couldn’t get disclose the exact legal details of an expected lawsuit, he is confident that Peter will get his shot.
"We have a team of legal advisers who will ensure that Samuel Peter gets his mandatory title shot. Sam beat James Toney in a mandatory bout. The WBC wanted him to do it again and he beat Toney in another mandatory. Where was Klitschko while these fights were happening? I think Samuel Peter vs. Oleg Maskaev is a very good fight. If he wants, Klitschko could fight the winner," Gotzev said to Boxingscene.
Gotzev feels that Klitschko is coming out of retirement to fight Maskaev because he is viewed as the weak link among the current heavyweight champions.
