By Mark Vester
Promoter Dino Duva tells the Las Vegas Journal Review that Samuel Peter would be willing to step aside for Oleg Maskaev vs. Vitali Klitschko to happen, but not for $2.5 million dollars.
Vitali Klitschko announced a few weeks ago that he was coming out of retirement to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev in April. Samuel Peter won two WBC mandated eliminators over James Toney, and paid $100,000 in sanctioning fees with the promise of a shot at the title.
After retiring late in 2005 due to injuries, the WBC crowned Klitschko as their 'Champion Emeritus' and promised him an immediate title shot if he ever decided to come out of retirement to resume his career.
The WBC, rather than get involved by making a decision as to who should get the title shot, ordered a mediation between Maskaev, Klitschko and Peter. Reps for all three parties met in New York last week, where Shelly Finkel, the adviser for Wladimir Klitschko offered Peter the $2.5 million to step aside, and guaranteed him $3 million to fight Klitschko if he wins.
"This is a business and you never say never," Duva said. "But Samuel's focus is on getting the title shot and winning the belt. Realistically, we'll consider all options, but for us to consider (stepping aside), it would have to be very, very lucrative and there would have to be strict time deadlines when Maskaev-Klitschko would occur and then when the fight between Sam and the winner would occur."
