29.12.06 – By Geoffrey Ciani: On January 6, in what will be the first big fight of the new year, heavyweight contenders Samuel Peter and James Toney will square off in a title elimination bout—for the second time. Indeed, this is like déjà vu all over again. When these two heavyweight contenders first met September of this year, they fought their first eliminator in which the winner was slated to face reigning WBC champion, Oleg Maskaev. Apparently, that wasn’t just an elimination bout, but an elimination bout for the crack at yet another elimination bout; only, nobody was eliminated.
Here we are four months later, and these same two pugilists are squaring off yet again for the right to face boxing’s newest Cinderella Man, Oleg Maskaev. Are you confused yet?
Oh well, I guess eliminator bouts aren’t always what they’re made out to be. In any case, on January 6, Toney and Peter will have the opportunity to prove once and for all who’s most deserving at a crack at Oleg’s title.
When these two first met, Peter was awarded what amounted to be a very controversial split decision, wherein two judges had him ahead by scores of 116-111, and the third judge had him losing by a score of 112-115. Frankly, I must have been inebriated when I scored this one, because I had Toney winning the bout handily, 117-111. To be fair, it was a competitive match-up and many of the rounds were close and could have been scored either way. The extreme variation in scores from fans and judges alike helps further demonstrate this fact.
Although I thought Toney did enough to decisively win the first bout, I was most impressed with the improvements made by Peter. He looked like a completely different fighter than he had one year earlier when he was handed his first defeat by reigning IBF champion, Wladimir Klitschko. At 26 years old, Peter proved that it isn’t too late for him to make adjustments to what was a seemingly one-dimensional style. To be sure, Peter isn’t exactly Mr. Versatility in the ring, but nonetheless, he improved considerably with his combinations, his pressure, and most importantly, toning down on the telegraphed punches.
This should prove to be an intriguing match-up. At age 38, Toney clearly isn’t as slick as he once was, but even still, in their first bout, he proved he’s still slick enough to hang with one of the division’s best punchers in Peter. Toney knows what he’s doing in the boxing ring, and based on experience alone, I’d imagine that he’d be the fighter who’s more apt to make the appropriate adjustments going into the rematch. Then again, at 38, perhaps that’s expecting a bit too much from Toney.
I anticipate an entertaining and competitive bout once again. The styles of these two pugilists just seem suited to that type of outcome, and I’d not be the least bit surprised if we wind up with another ‘controversy’, due to the deep contrast in styles that often results in a judicial nightmare for those individuals assigned the task of scoring the bout. Whatever happens, let’s just hope that matters are settled this time and that there isn’t a need for yet another elimination bout.
To contact this author:
geoff@eatthemushroom.com
Check out the second teaser clip for Seeking Madam Mushroom and have a good laugh.
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And if you missed the first teaser, be sure to watch that, too!
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag/smm_teaser_01.asp
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