By Dave Lahr: Samuel Peter could have beaten IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko last Saturday night. All Peter had to do was get evil with Wladimir every time the big Ukrainian grabbed him in one of his many clinches that he did every round. Peter had like 10 chances per round to knock Wladimir out each time he dove in and clinched the Nigerian slugger.
But Peter played it nice and didn’t elect to tee off on Klitschko the way that he could and the way that he should have. The South African Corrie Sanders had no qualms about unloading on Wladimir when he tried his clinching business with him.
Sanders just took one look at Wladimir when he was reaching over to hold him and promptly tagged Wladimir with the shortest and most powerful right hand I’ve ever seen. Peter should have done the same thing when Wladimir was grabbing him and mauling him all night long.
All Peter had to do was tag Wladimir while he holding onto him. The referee even told Peter that his hands were free and giving him a huge hint that he could punch if he wanted to. I don’t know what the disconnect was for Peter in this case.
He was being given permission from the referee to keep fighting while Wladimir was holding on and leaning all over him, yet Peter failed to swat Wladimir and get him off of him.
It if it was me, Wladimir would have clinched for exactly one or two times in the first round, but once I tagged him in the clinch, he would learn to stay away. I think Peter was just too kind of his own good. He had the win staring him in the face each time Wladimir would grab a hold of him and just stall.
Peter could have lit him up with huge shots and Wladimir with his glass jaw would have been flat on his back on the canvas counting stars. At this point, I don’t know what Peter can do. He’s not going to be getting another shot at Wladimir or his brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko any time soon.
Peter is going to get much meaner if he’s going to be successful from now. If I was his trainer I’d have him eating nails tearing up sparring partners one after another in the meanest way. The guy would be a champion after I got through training him.
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