Boxing: Samuel Peter vs James Toney

[H2O Man]

On Saturday, Samuel Peter fights James Toney in Florida. This is a return match; Peter won a close decision in their first fight last year.

Peter is 29-1, with 22 KOs. Toney is 89-5-3, with 43 KOs.

The fight will be on Showtime/PPV. The winner is supposed to fight Okeg Maskaev for his version of the heavyweight title.

Both men are reportedly in significantly better physical condition than for the first fight. I think it will be a heck of a match. Any predictions?

[TSIAS]

1. I'll be there on Saturday

I picked Toney to win last time. I thought Toney probably did enough to win the decision, but the judges favored the harder punching Peter.

I remember you were quite excited about the last match. I was too, although the fight wasn't all that exciting.

With Peter, there's always the threat that he lands a fight altering blow. Last time he never was able to land that big punch. I still think Toney can outbox Peter. Toney can't allow himself to be lulled into inaction. Peter got the benefit of a lot of close rounds in their last fight.

My heart wants to go with Peter, but my head says that a better conditioned Toney will win a narrow decision.

... In other news, did you read that Jim Lampley was arrested for domestic violence in California? It was quite a shock to me. I consider Lampley to be the best boxing play-by-play voice in the game today, far better than Showtime's Steve Albert and Nick Charles. I sure hope this story isn't as bad as it sounds.

[H2O Man]

2. Lucky you!

My son really wants to be there! He is bugging me to take him to MSG to watch Shannon Briggs .... i told him to score a couple quick KOs, and I'll reward him.

I thought Peter won the first match. I can appreciate how other people saw it differently. But I do not think Peter was fouling Toney; when the guy turns to avoid a punch, it's going to hit him on the back of the head.

I think fans will be surprised that Peter has made a bigger investment to get in shape than Toney. James is doing a "gimmick" type of thing, and I never like that. A good diet, and hard work is the best thing for preparing.

Jim Lampley! Man! I have come to really enjoy him. I also like Albert and Charles. They were at the Hall of Fame last June, and were the most friendly, out-going guys there. There took a long time talking to my daughters about boxing, and I really liked that.

Friday night ESPN starts up again. I like Teddy Atlas a lot.

[H2O Man]

22. What did you think?

From watching it on TV, it was an exciting fight. I played it again today. Peter is becoming a more skilled fighter, no doubt.

[TSIAS]

23. I was surprised with the one-sided nature

There were only 2 or 3 rounds where it could be argued that Toney won. From the nosebleed seats, it was hard to analyze the fight on a punch by punch basis.

I've noticed a lot of improvement in Peter over the years. I remember watching him on ESPN2's FNF back when he only had a couple of fights under his belt. His balance and the way he throws punches has improved substantially. Stacy McKinley must have done one hell of a job preparing Peter for the rematch.

Toney really does come off like a jackass. I went home and watched the Showtime coverage. Someone tell Toney that it's okay to admit defeat. It only makes him look like an idiot to deny the reality that Peter decisively beat him.

[H2O Man]

24. Earlier in the week,

Toney had said that he has NEVER lost a fight, that there are just fools who judged a couple of his fights. It is a lesson in how what begins as a strength can often become a weakness. Sad to see a guy who was a great warrior, who able to express himself well, become reduced to a jouneyman without a meaningful victory in years, who has difficulty communicating anything but hostility.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

25. One reason I think his Peters) chin is so good is because his neck

is so thick it's harder to get torque with a power shot to his head. His jab is pretty salty too. I think he's #2 in the world (behind Vladomir Klitschko). Their firght was truly great. He almost knocked Klitschko out.

Toney has always been too heavy, but this fight he looked like a blimp. More heart than desire.

[TSIAS]

3. Peter 249, Toney 234

Toney actually comes in 1 pound heavier than last time. I'm pleased to see Peter -8 pounds from September.

I'm beginning to think that the pendelum may be swinging in Peter's favor.

[H2O Man]

4. Have you seen Peter?

He looks mature. The difference may be only 8 pounds on the scales, but it's a bigger shift in excess weight to muscle.

Toney started the gimmick stuff quite a while ago. He isn't going to stick to a strict diet for more than a couple of weeks. It's always hard for me to go against this guy, because he has been such an outstanding warrior for so long. But he is old, and he hasn't been cranking out big wins for a while.

I notice that some boxing writers seem to speak of Peter in less than supportive terms. If he wins, they'll say Toney was old. If he KOs Maskaev, they'll say it was no big deal. I think he knows that he needs to concentrate on each fight, and that he is 3 fights away from the position he wants to be in.

[TSIAS]

5. ...

I saw a picture of the weigh-in. He does look pretty good.

I agree that boxing writers have turned slightly against Peter. They wanted him to be the 2000's version of Mike Tyson. But when Peter didn't come up with devastating KO's of Klitschko and Toney, they started to think he was overrated.

I don't think Peter has the boxing skills that Tyson possessed nearly two decades ago. Still, I think he's improving and showed that he could win a 12-round decision over Toney. If he's able to look spectacular against Toney this time around, the boxing writers will get back on his bandwagon.

I expect that he'd be able to KO Maskaev. I got a chance to watch Maskaev's most recent defense against Okhello. Maskaev is a very ordinary fighter, who is succeptible to the one-punch KO.

The HW division would be better off with a Peter win on Saturday. There are a few interesting fights coming up in 2006. One of the least interesting will be Klitschko's defense against Ray Austin. I will say that Klitschko deserves a optional fight after taking on the tough Calvin Brock.

Briggs versus Sultan Ibragimov could be a very exciting fight in March. Ibragimov showed a lot of fortitude in defeating the aforementioned Austin in an eliminator last year. I'd be a bit worried that he got knocked down by the relatively light punching Austin. Briggs has always had the potential to be a force in the division. A dream fight would be Briggs versus Peter.

The other fight of note is Valuev/Jameel McCline. If McCline shows up and is focused, I could see him taking down the vulnerable Russian, Nikolai Valuev.

Finally, not a great picture, but here is a shot of the weigh-in today at the Hard Rock.

[H2O Man]

6. Friday fights:

TODAY - at Biloxi, Mississippi (ESPN2) - 12 rounds,
lightweights: Anthony Peterson (21-0, 15 KOs)
vs. Juan Humberto Garza (28-2, 23 KOs); 8 rounds,
light welterweights: Lamont Peterson (19-0, 8 KOs) vs.
Juaquin Gallardo (17-5-1, 5 KOs); 6 rounds, light
heavyweights: Dupre Strickland (17-1-1, 7 KOs) vs.
Martin Verdin (14-7-1, 9 KOs).

TODAY - at Las Cruses, New Mexico (Telefutura)
- 10 rounds, lightweights: Jose Armando Santa Cruz
(23-2, 13 KOs) vs. Luis Antonio Arceo (19-4-2,13 KOs);
6 rounds, middleweights: Austin Trout (7-0, 7 KOs) vs.
Cardyl Finley (6-18-1, 1 KO).

TODAY - at Las Vegas (Showtime) - 10 rounds,
super middleweights: Anthony Hanshaw (21-0, 14 KOs) vs.
Jean Paul Mendy (23-0, 12 KOs).


Note: The ESPN card is from 9 to 11 est; Showtime begins at 11.

For those looking for something a bit earlier: at 8 pm, ESPN Classic has Augustus vs Trujillo (4-2-04), while ESPN 2 has Augustus vs ward (7-13-01). Five hours of boxing!

[H2O Man]

8. The FNFs

were really good. I think Hanshaw won by 8-4, but the fight was scored a draw.

The Peterson brothers are both good fighters. I have always thought that body-punching is one of the most important keys to winning tough fights. When I see young fighters who are skilled in the art of a body attack, I am confident that their careers will move forward.

[dr.zoidberg]

9. I agree.

Both shows were great. I was entertained by the opener on ShoBox. Sure it was sloppy at times, but both guys showed me some effort. I had Hanshaw winning 116-112.

[dr.zoidberg]

7. Hey, Peter lost weight!

I'm shocked, I really am. Naturally, Toney lost no weight. I still taking Toney to win by decision.

Now on to what I really wanted to post. As you may or may not know, Jim Lampley apparently beat the shit out of his wife yesterday. I learned about this while at one of my regular internet haunts Sherdog.com. I found this post by Maverick34:

Let's go to Harold Lederman for a description of the upcoming criminal case!

Ha-OK Jim
Tonights criminal indictment is scheduled for THREE CHARGES
Under the uniform rules, of the CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE
We got ONE Felony Domestic Battery, ONE misdemeanor violation of a court order, and ONE count of misdemeanor witness intimidation.
There is NO release on on your own recognizance.
BAIL is set for 35,000 dollars
In case of an accidental mistrial, we go to the Jury's scorecard after 2 counts
Only the JUDGE or DA can drop the charges,
and you CANNOT be saved by the statue of limitations on any count
INCLUDING, the third and final count.
JIM!!!

Now this may offend some, but it doesn't offend me and that is all that matters. The post is pretty funny, too. Just imagine Lederman's voice saying it.

[H2O Man]

10. Just got back

from the first day at the Silver Gloves in Oneonta, NY. There were 27 fights on the card, and 25 were good quality matches. 26 went to the decision.

It was fun for me, because my son and I say ringside with one of my old trainers, who boxed as Carl Dell many years ago. He is in his 90s now. He fought guys like Charlie Burley and Holman Williams. We had a blast talking about the "old days." His friend Willie Pep was the ref for one of my fights. Tons of history with this man. My son loved it.

There are some fights at 9:30 am on Sunday. We're planning to be there.

But first, we have the Toney-Peter rematch.

Man! I told my son: if there really is a heaven, I'll bet there are fight cards every day!

[k_jerome]

11. Peter can take a hell of a punch. nt.

[k_jerome]

12. first i have seen of Peter....

i was pretty impressed.

[H2O Man]

16. He is a work

in progress. He has improved significantly in the past 18 months. Of the young heavyweights, he is clearly the best. And even of the two better top contenders - Klitschko and Briggs -- it seems that Peter will be too young and strong for them within the next 18 months.

[k_jerome]

17. how is his K.O. power...

he seems to be skilled. does he have one punch knockout power? not that it is a requirement.

[H2O Man]

19. Yes.

He has KO power in both hands. When he fights Oleg Maskaev, you'll see it.

There are some good boxing film clips on a site my boys go on. I think it's called "youtube."

(If you go there, be sure to watch Hurricane Carter vs Emile Griffith.)

[k_jerome]

20. i'll check it out...

this may be the guy that gets me interested in the heavyweights again.

[H2O Man]

21. The heavyweight division

will begin to really jell in 2007. Peter adds a a lot to the division. He usually flattens people. In his lone loss, he decked Klitschko three times. I am hoping after he knocks out Maskaev, he fights another contender for experience, and then fights Klitschko in '08.

[k_jerome]

13. didn't catch all of the Toney postfight...

he seemed very ungracious. I think maybe he is done.

[H2O Man]

14. He showed a

lack of class. But he has always been that way. He was a great fighter, but he has moved up in weight, and is 38. There isn't much of a future for him in the ring.

[MessiahRp]

15. Peter was impressive

He seriously made strides tonight to be the best heavyweight in the world. He added an uppercut, still needs work but it was a useful tool... made his jab much stronger, fired it like a jackhammer. He bobbed and weaved and even though he'd get lethargic in the middle of rounds he was still rather fresh throughout the later rounds.

Toney looked outclassed tonight and then repeated that lack of class with his usual, "I won" and "I don't respect nobody" crap.

I thought Toney won the first fight by a point (the point Peter was penalized for the ear clap). This time there wasn't any question.

I did enjoy hearing Peter explain that during the first fight the Showtime commentators were cheerleaders for Toney (and they certainly were) because I felt the same way during the first fight. Also they kept pointing out how Maskaev was the weakest heavyweight but I think that's pretty close with Shannon Briggs. Briggs has power but he has pathetic stamina, gets winded in the first round and can't follow up to even hit combinations. It's one punch, rest most of the round, one punch. He was just lucky Liakhovich had no chin.

Rp

[H2O Man]

18. I thought Peter

spoke for many boxing fans when he made the "cheerleader" comment. I thought that Al B. started out that way again tonight. But Samuel showed he has made progress towards being a complete fighter. I liked the jab; it reminded me of Sonny Liston. The uppercut was nice. I also think the body punches were intense. And though he will deny it, James Toney thought they were intense, too.