Tweet
Sam Peter to fight in Superfighter Tourney?
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DINO DUVA
By G. Leon
Sam Peter to fight in Superfighter Tourney?
GL: Can you give us some thoughts on your ESPN show the other night? "It was a good mix of everything. You had the opening bout, which was real a solid match with Brian Minto. It was back and forth for a few rounds. I think Brian got a little lackadaisical in the middle rounds but he looked really good down the stretch. It was a very entertaining start and then Sam Peter took care of business. The only thing you can say about Sam Peter is that he's proven he's the strongest heavyweight out there. While Julius Long wasn't expected to win, I think the way Samuel took care of him was very important. Mike Marrone impressed me, I thought he was going to go some rounds and I was very impressed with his win. He didn't make us sweat for once, and then we closed it out with a solid draw. I thought it was a very entertaining show."
GL: Where does Samuel go from here?
Dino Duva: "To the top. We have a lot of things happening with the organizations. There's some thing happening right now with some of the organizations to fill some number one vacancies. Samuel is right in the middle of the mix. We're very hopeful to have him in a title fight before the end of the year. Our plan is to get him in the ring in the early summer and go from there. We're expecting his next fight to be a meaningful one and hopefully there will be an announcement in the next week or two."
GL: I've been hearing through the g****vine that Samuel is one of several well known fighters taking part in the $5,000,000 Superfighter Tournament. What can you tell us about that?
DD: "We have explored it and we would be interested in putting Samuel in the tournament. The prize money is very enticing. With the winner getting $5M it's certainly something we have to explore. If that's the best option out there for the June, July date."
GL: So it's not a certainty, just a possibility?
DD: "It's a strong possibility if, and it's a big if quite honestly, everything gets put into place with the tournament quickly. The heavyweights out there are setting there schedules for the summer, the television networks are setting their schedules for the summer. And we're interested in exploring that option and it's just a matter of seeing what they can deliver."
GL: Other names I've heard could be competing in that tourney are, O'Neil Bell, Shannon Briggs, Ruslan Chagaev and Sinal Sam. Have you heard the same?
DD: "I can't speak on behalf of those guys, but I have heard their names mentioned. The one thing I'm pretty sure is, that they don't have eight fighters signed up yet. With an event like this, the guarantees and security of the prize money is very important. I think they're good people behind the event, but when you don't have a real established track record in the business and you're talking big money the money has to be guaranteed."
GL: Would you say Brian Minto took a step forward or backwards with his last performance?
DD: "I wouldn't say he took a step forward and I wouldn't say he took a step backwards. He fought a very tough kid in Billy Zumbrun. I think he lost his focus in the middle rounds, maybe he was winded, I'm not sure. I would say it was a very entertaining fight for television. I would rate his performance a C. I think it was a good test and I expect him to step it up a notch over the next six months. The key is putting it all together at the right time."
GL: What's next for my man Kendall Holt?
DD: "He'll be headling on ESPN in Atlantic City on June 9, the night before the Tarver-Hopkins fight. We don't have the opponent solidified yet but we should know something by the end of this week."
By G. Leon
Sam Peter to fight in Superfighter Tourney?
GL: Can you give us some thoughts on your ESPN show the other night? "It was a good mix of everything. You had the opening bout, which was real a solid match with Brian Minto. It was back and forth for a few rounds. I think Brian got a little lackadaisical in the middle rounds but he looked really good down the stretch. It was a very entertaining start and then Sam Peter took care of business. The only thing you can say about Sam Peter is that he's proven he's the strongest heavyweight out there. While Julius Long wasn't expected to win, I think the way Samuel took care of him was very important. Mike Marrone impressed me, I thought he was going to go some rounds and I was very impressed with his win. He didn't make us sweat for once, and then we closed it out with a solid draw. I thought it was a very entertaining show."
GL: Where does Samuel go from here?
Dino Duva: "To the top. We have a lot of things happening with the organizations. There's some thing happening right now with some of the organizations to fill some number one vacancies. Samuel is right in the middle of the mix. We're very hopeful to have him in a title fight before the end of the year. Our plan is to get him in the ring in the early summer and go from there. We're expecting his next fight to be a meaningful one and hopefully there will be an announcement in the next week or two."
GL: I've been hearing through the g****vine that Samuel is one of several well known fighters taking part in the $5,000,000 Superfighter Tournament. What can you tell us about that?
DD: "We have explored it and we would be interested in putting Samuel in the tournament. The prize money is very enticing. With the winner getting $5M it's certainly something we have to explore. If that's the best option out there for the June, July date."
GL: So it's not a certainty, just a possibility?
DD: "It's a strong possibility if, and it's a big if quite honestly, everything gets put into place with the tournament quickly. The heavyweights out there are setting there schedules for the summer, the television networks are setting their schedules for the summer. And we're interested in exploring that option and it's just a matter of seeing what they can deliver."
GL: Other names I've heard could be competing in that tourney are, O'Neil Bell, Shannon Briggs, Ruslan Chagaev and Sinal Sam. Have you heard the same?
DD: "I can't speak on behalf of those guys, but I have heard their names mentioned. The one thing I'm pretty sure is, that they don't have eight fighters signed up yet. With an event like this, the guarantees and security of the prize money is very important. I think they're good people behind the event, but when you don't have a real established track record in the business and you're talking big money the money has to be guaranteed."
GL: Would you say Brian Minto took a step forward or backwards with his last performance?
DD: "I wouldn't say he took a step forward and I wouldn't say he took a step backwards. He fought a very tough kid in Billy Zumbrun. I think he lost his focus in the middle rounds, maybe he was winded, I'm not sure. I would say it was a very entertaining fight for television. I would rate his performance a C. I think it was a good test and I expect him to step it up a notch over the next six months. The key is putting it all together at the right time."
GL: What's next for my man Kendall Holt?
DD: "He'll be headling on ESPN in Atlantic City on June 9, the night before the Tarver-Hopkins fight. We don't have the opponent solidified yet but we should know something by the end of this week."
Comment