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Peter is a good fighter who I think has a great chance to beat any of the belt holders especially Byrd or Ruiz, he needs to get in better shape and be more of a boxer cause all he can do is punch he throws way to much sloppy punches and gets off balance easy. If he gets in shape and works more on his defense he can be a great fighter...
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one thing i'd like to know.... who the hell is sykes?Comment
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I think Briggs could have taken care of Peter, the way he was fighting on FNF a couple of weeks ago. It's that kind of handspeed that will kill Peter unless he improves his boxing skills.Comment
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....Interesting info from Sykes on ********* today.
Syking out Peter
‘Don’t believe the hype,’ warns Taurus Sykes. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is a daydream fantasy for desperate boxing fans—and Sykes says he’s the one who’ll pull the covers off Peter
Story and photo by Chris Cozzone
“I just want to hurry up and get it over with,” says Taurus “the Bull” Sykes about his Showtime showdown against Samuel “the Nigerian Nightmare” Peter Saturday in Reno.
It’s not because he’s nervous—because he’s not; and not because he thinks he’s going to get beat up, like almost all of Peter’s previous opponents have been; but because he’s anxious—anxious to show the world how hyped-up Peter is.
The 235-pound, 30-year-old Brooklyn “Bull” talks big:
“I’m going to pull the covers off him. I’m going to expose him, and provide the blueprint on how to beat him. After I’m done with him, after I’ve given him a ‘Brooklyn beating,’ he won’t win two fights back to back. Then, after he loses again, you won’t hear from him.
“I’m telling you right now—don’t believe the hype.”
While the hype may irk Sykes a bit, Lenny Fresquez, one-third of Tres Amigos, LLC., Sykes’ promoter, is glad for the publicity Peter has received:
“They’ve done a phenomenal job of promoting Peter,” says Fresquez. “It’s going to make my job that much easier when Sykes beats him.”
Never mind the Showtime website poll that has 86% of participants predicting Peter will kayo Sykes (add another 3% for a decision win).
Never mind Peter’s impressive 23-0 record—21 cut short by way of big right hands.
Never mind the odds at the sportsbooks.
Peter, says Fresquez, is made-to-order for Sykes.
Says Fresquez: “It’s no secret that Peter has a big punch, but Sykes has a style that can beat him. I admit, I had hesitations at first, but that went away when I saw how much Sykes wanted this fight. He’s very, very confident.”
It’s a confidence that borders on ****iness—but Peter fans may see it as a case of pre-fight jitters, if not fear.
“I got nothing to fear,” assures Sykes. “There’s nothing special about Peter. His conditioning fails after, five, six rounds. He throws one punch at a time and if you stand right in front of him—like I won’t be doing—he’ll look good. If you’re on your toes, and moving, he’s all confused.
“Plus, who has he fought? I’ve fought tougher opponents. He’s fought guys with nine losses, ten losses, eleven losses . . . look at that last opponent of his.”
In his last outing, Peter stopped Gilbert Martinez, 18-9-3 (7 KOs), in Round Three. Martinez started out as a junior middleweight in the mid-80s, but after a seven-year hiatus he returned in ’97 as a cruiser, and by 2002, was an overblown heavyweight.
“It’s easy to look good against guys like that,” says Sykes. “But I guarantee you, he won’t look good against me.”
In Sykes’ last bout, he outpointed former contender Friday Ahunanya (21-3-2, 11 KOs) for the vacant NABA belt—a title that will be on the line Saturday along with the USBA and NABF versions held by Peter.
“Look at my record. I’ve fought tough—guys who were undefeated. Who has Peter fought? Yanqui Diaz? Martinez? C’mon.”
Sykes had a limited amateur background—ten or so fights—when he turned pro in 1998 at the age of 23.
“Unlike Peter, I fought my way up the ladder and learned my craft on the job. I jumped right into the game with no manager, no promoter—I was always the opponent. So this fight here? It’s nothing new to me. I’ve been picked to lose, picked to get KO’d before. But I always persevere.”
It was Sykes’ on-the-job training and lack of experience that handed him his sole loss in 2000—a six-round unanimous decision to contender Owen Beck (6-0 at the time while Sykes was 12-0).
“I was headbutted early in the fight and it threw me off track. But since then, I’ve learned a lot—that’s what going the distance will do. You learn. You sharpen your skills.”
In his 25 fights, Sykes has gone the distance in 19 of them; and four have gone at least ten. In comparison, Peter has just three distance fights, albeit two of them are ten-rounders.
“People assume I don’t have power because I’m not knocking everyone out,” says Sykes. “But look at the fighters I’ve faced. I do have power, and when my opponents feel it, they start running. Peter is going to be shocked when he finds that out, and he’ll fight me differently. When he gets tired, I’ll be on his ass.
“As for knocking me out? He’s not fast enough to catch me. My defense is tight and I don’t get hit by nothing flush. He just tries to intimidate you—there’s nothing crafty about him.
“I said it before: I don’t’ believe it will be that hard to beat Peter—it’s gonna be as hard as I want to make it.”
Sykes doesn’t know—or care—about Peter’s background, but for him, this bout is less about picking up two more minor belts and more about surviving and feeding his kids:
“This is not a game,” he says. “This is about the struggle. If I don’t fight, I don’t eat. My two kids don’t eat. For me, there is no ‘Plan B.’ My back has always been against the wall, and I ain’t losing.”
And after Peter?
“What else? I go on,” says Sykes. “I enter the top ten and, hopefully get a title shot within a year.”
When asked which of the four champs he’d prefer to fight should he be given the opportunity, Sykes scoffs.
“Champ? I don’t consider nobody the heavyweight champ. The belts go hand to hand and ain’t nobody solidifying the belts. The division is way open and everybody is getting their shot. Belts can switch anytime.
“But if I have a chance to fight for one of them? It doesn’t matter. I’ll take the one who will bring me the most money.”
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This Sykes guy sounds damn confident. I'd like to say I want him to beat Sam Peter, but I've never seen either fight.Comment
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....Talk is talk but it sure sounds like he believes what he is saying. He is absolutely right about the stamina thing and you can tell by watching Peter that if someone can avoid getting pounded and take him into deep water, he may be in trouble. It could all come apart this weekend.Originally posted by BadMagickComment
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Stamina is a moot issue cause Super P is gonna knock this guy's head clean off in four rounds or less.Comment
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lookin at sykes record, he lost to owen beck and only has 6 KO's in 23 wins.... which means he's gettin beat if not KO'd...Comment
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peter just dosn't seem to be that good a boxer,yeah he's got power he's young and he's raw, with a readily available and as yet untested chin, he's basically a dangerous powerful stalker, but will be exposed against a good ''boxer'' who can move IMO.Comment
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Peter is raw, and can punch. I think he would have trouble against a good Boxer. I seriously doubt he has any chance at beating Byrd or Toney. I think he would have problems going toe to toe with Brewster also.
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