By Paul Strauss: It sounds like a low budget sci-fi movie. This is truly the “mano-a-mano” meeting that boxing fans desire. Fans want and expect heavyweights to knock each other silly, and it’s a sure thing this battle of the mastodons will result in the quick extinction of one. Fans are salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. Even though this fight promises nothing in the way of exceptional skill or talent, it does promise raw power, and the very real possibility that either of these giants can administer the coup de grace. That’s always been what puts hind-ends in the seats, and in our more modern world – the pay-per-viewer’s lounge chair.
Much of the pre-fight analysis has dwelt on Vitali’s inactivity, which very well could be the deciding factor. However, fans also know that in this case, the danger of a “rusted skill level” is much less important as say a long lay-off for someone like Sugar Shane or Oscar.
Vitali is a “seek and destroy” fighter, who will depend on simple skills like knocking your (Peter’s) block off. He doesn’t intend for the fight to be fancy: Of course, neither does Samuel Peter. There won’t be a lot of setting-up or strategy involved. It will simply be “the sooner the better”. Vitali never has demonstrated the timidity of his brother Wladimir, which is something that has frustrated fans’ opinion of Wlad greatly. Fans know he has more to offer.
No, this fight is going to be what Sugar Shane Mosley said after his last second knockout of Mayorga. He said that it was what the fans came to see (a knockout), and he wanted to give it to them. A prophetic fan pleaser is what this Saturday night collision protends. In this case though, it’s not so much about these two annihilators wanting so much to please the fans, as it is about a basic primal desire to destroy each other. The result will be the same. It will please the fans.
Everyone knows that Vitali has two losses, and is far from being considered as some one who has cleaned out the heavyweight ranks. It is important, though, to consider that his two losses were due to injuries. Equally telling is the way he has scored his victories over named fighters. He went right after them with no fear or trepidation. In fact, it’s more like he’s crepitating……i.e. to rattle and crack!
Some analyst point out that Peter is a much better fighter now, having improved considerably as a result of his fights with James Toney. His jab is better, as well as his hand speed. Toney is very hard to hit cleanly, and is a great counter-puncher. Peter did well to beat him. But, the fact remains, Toney doesn’t have the size or wallop of a 6’8″ Vitali. Vitali withstood some very hard shots from Lennox Lewis, and in some viewers’ opinion was leading the fight when it was stopped, because of a very bad cut to his eyelid.
Peter is a tree trunk, with a huge short neck that gives the impression his head is sitting on his shoulders. He’s made to withstand punishment; however, he has been rocked several times, and has shown his synapse(s) can be snapped, and impulses interrupted. After Samuel put Wladimir down, he too was badly hurt with a good left hook. Although he didn’t go down, he definitely was on “queer street”. In addition, in his fight with Jemeel McCline, it was almost lights out. In fact, if “Big Time” had better stamina, he might have been singing sans souci
Sages predict that whoever lands first will win, and that claim has a good chance of being true. However, put your money on Vitali to have a better chance of resisting the effect of that initial impact, and being around to further thrill us with his colossal wallop. Just don’t stand too close to the ring when either of these guys fall to the canvas. It’s probably going to register about a “6” on the Richter scale and send shock waves reverberating through the heavyweight division. Fans will be pleased!