Samuel Peter to fight on June 23rd

By Boxing News - 05/29/2012 - Comments

Image: Samuel Peter to fight on June 23rdBy Dan Ambrose: Former WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter (34-5, 27 KO’s) will be back in the ring on June 23rd against an opponent still to be determined at the Seminole Hard Roch Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Peter, still only 32-years-old, hasn’t fought since being stopped in the 9th round by heavyweight contender Robert Helenius last year in April. For Peter, that was his second consecutive stoppage loss, and in hindsight it seemed like a really bad idea for a fight given that he’d been stopped in his fight before that by IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight chanmpion Wladimir Klitschko.

Peter isn’t too old to still win a world title, but he’s got to be steered in the right direction away from the Klitschkos and giant heavyweights like Helenius and Kubrat Pulev. Before running into Ukrainian Klitschko in 2010, Peter had reeled off four consecutive knockout wins and he was looking very good. Peter was basically doing what Tomasz Adamek has been doing by facing 2nd tier guys and blowing them out to get a world title shot. Where Peter made a mistake is facing Helenius after the Wladimir fight. That wasn’t a good career move for him. He needed to get back on the 2nd tier trail to work his way back to another title shot, preferably against WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin. That’s the guy that Peter needs to be gunning for, not the Klitschkos.

Peter still hits with a ton of power. However, he’s got to keep in good shape, because he didn’t do himself any favors by coming into the Helenius fight weighing 260 lbs. That was too much weight for Peter, the second highest of his career. He came in at 265 lbs for his loss to Eddie Chambers in March 2009. His trainers had to know something wasn’t right by how heavy he was. He can’t continue to do that because he’ll ruin what’s left of his career unless he keeps himself fit.



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