Samuel Peter
| Samuel Peter | |
|---|---|
Peter (left) vs. McCline, 2007
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|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Samuel Okon Peter |
| Nickname(s) | The Nigerian Nightmare |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Reach | 196 cm (77 in) |
| Nationality |
|
| Born |
6 September 1980 Akwa Ibom, Nigeria |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 42 |
| Wins | 36 |
| Wins by KO | 29 |
| Losses | 6 |
Samuel Okon Peter (born September 6, 1980) is a Nigerian-American professional boxer who held the WBC heavyweight title in 2008. He rose to prominence in his early career following a string of knockout wins, at a time when the titles of the heavyweight division were largely fragmented. In March 2008, Peter won a portion of the world heavyweight championship by knocking out Oleg Maskaev to win the WBC title. In October, in what would be his only defense of the title, Peter lost to a returning Vitali Klitschko, who stopped him in eight rounds. Peter is known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers, having faced Wladimir twice (in 2005 and 2010) and Vitali once.
Originally, Peter's preferred sport was soccer. In 1992, some boxers came to Peter's school to train. The curious young 11-year-old stopped by and asked if he could train along with them. He was put up against an experienced amateur and knocked him out. This marked the beginning of a successful amateur career for Peter.
Samuel Peter won the Nigerian amateur heavyweight championship and the Africa Zone 3 Heavyweight championship. He faced stiff competition as an amateur (including a knockout victory over 2000 Silver Medalist Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan). However, he prevailed and was given the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney, Australia Summer Olympics.
Peter lost in the quarterfinals to Italian Paolo Vidoz by decision. However, his performance was noted for being very impressive from such a young pugilist and hence more excitement was generated for him than the eventual Gold Medalist, Audley Harrison, to whom Peter had lost a very close decision just a few months before the Olympics.
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