By Jim Dower: It seems like ages I’ve waited for this match-up to occur, and finally we have a date set – October 11th – for WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) to defend his title against former WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs), the older brother of current IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
For a short period of time in 2004 (okay, a really short period of time, I know) Vitali was considered by many boxing fans to be the best heavyweight in the division. However, he had his potential greatness taken from him by a failing body, which in 2004 was ravaged by one injury after another sustained while trying to train for his title defense against then challenger Hasim Rahman. Vitali ended up retiring from boxing in early 2005 after a string of injuries, all sustained while in training. At this point, there are serious doubts that Vitali will every make it into the fight, with most knowledgeable boxing fans feeling that he won’t make it in one piece.
Peter, 27, won the WBC heavyweight title in March 2008, stopping 39 year-old Oleg Maskaev in the 6th round. The outcome was expected due to Maskaev’s age and his recent injuries to his back that had postponed an earlier title defense against Peter. Of the top heavyweight champions, Peter may be the most powerful, a fighter that is capable of taking out any fighter in the first five to six rounds.
However, his boxing skills are average at best, and he tends to take a lot of shots as he comes forward. His power, however, allows him to get away with his many weaknesses. His lack of speed is also an issue for him, making it very easy for his opponents to hit him with shots as he plods slowly around the ring. He’s recently developed a jab, but it’s not much of a weapon and still rarely uses it in fights.
If Vitali can make it into the ring in one piece, he may have enough left to take Peter’s title, if he doesn’t tire out in the second half of the fight. Though Vitali hasn’t seen action in quite some time, he started using an uppercut shortly before his retirement, which he threw often in his 8th round TKO of Danny Williams in December 2004. Peter likes to crowd his opponents on the inside, and because of his limited height at 6’0″, he’ll be vulnerable to Vitali’s uppercuts at close range.
Even at a distance, Vitali is good at throwing uppercuts, not to mention powerful right hands and jabs. In essence, he’s a better version of his brother Wladimir, with a sturdier chin, stronger right hand and a powerful uppercut. With this weaponry, Peter is going to be having a lot of problems unless he can hurt Vitali with one of his big flurries early in the fight.
As the fight progresses into the later stages, Peter will have a tougher time, because he’ll be taking a lot of punishment and there’ll be a greater chance of him getting stopped on cuts or from one of Vitali’s big shots. I don’t suspect that Peter will be able to hurt Vitali with anything, because he’s been hit by equally powerful punchers like Corrie Sanders, Ross Puritty and Lennox Lewis, and never showed a hint of being hurt.
Peter has problems against taller fighters, losing to Wladimir Klitschko and almost being knocked out in the fight, and getting knocked down three times before rallying to defeat 6’6″ Jameel McCline by a 12-round unanimous decision in October 2007.