By Mark Vester
Undefeated heavyweight Travis Walker (25-0-1, 19KOs) is willing to step in for the injured WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev and fight Samuel Peter (28-1, 22KOs) at New York's Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6.
Maskaev recently pulled out with a back injury and Walker is ready to step up to the plate.
The Tallahassee Democrat reports that Walker's manager Steve Munisteri is going to work around the clock to strike a deal for the bout. Walker is currently scheduled to fight in California on Thursday.
Should the WBC approve the Oct. 6 bout as an interim-title fight, Peter would have to face an opponent within the top-ten of their rankings. Walker is ranked at 35 by the WBC and 5 by their NABA subdivision.
On the other hand, seven of the fighters ranked by the WBC in the top-ten are already scheduled to fight in other upcoming bouts and the others may not be ready for a major fight with Peter with less than two-weeks notice.
Showtime, the network televising the event, has showcased Walker in the past and may prefer a Peter-Walker encounter.
“They keep saying I haven't had a step-up fight, and this could be their chance to get me a step-up fight,” Walker told the Democrat . “I feel real good about it because it could turn my career completely around.
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