TalkingBoxing Articles
Nigerian a dream, but officials prove to be the nightmare
TUE September 5, ROGER GORDILLO - The consensus was split on who would emerge victorious in the days leading into the nights main event, a WBC title eliminator between James “Lights Out” Toney 69-5-3, 43 KO’s and “The Nigerian Nightmare” Samuel Peters 27-1, 22 KO’s. One side viewed the young challenger as too raw while the other side viewed the veteran as over the hill and out of shape.
As it would turn out both sides proved to have some semblance of truth as Toney’s extra weight probably cost him the official decision. Samuel Peters lack of ring generalship and technique lost him the fight in the eyes of most astute students of the game.
As the fight began Toney was getting outworked on the receiving end of big power punches. Although most of the Nigerian’s haymakers were blocked or had little to no effect, the few that made their way through cleanly would catch one’s attention. Peter’s aggression, if kept up would likely out hustle and outmuscle the aging veteran into submission either consciously or unconscious.
Toney punches landed clean and crisp but against the higher output and harder punches of Peter, it was difficult to give James a round until Toney became busier in the fourth. Where the L.A. based fighter began to show his flare for the Sweet Science picking apart the less experienced fighter blooding his nose and mouth.
Toney continued his rise to the call as the fight continued peter would have little success versus the master boxer with the fifth round being the exception as peter landed a big shot but failed to capitalize as Toney fought his way back into contention for the round.
With Toney in the driver’s seat the Nigerian seemed to grow frustrated in his failure to dispatch his older foe. As was evident in the ninth when Toney in a rare instance had Peter against the ropes, Peter would take both hands and punch both sides of Toney’s head at the same time sandwiching Toney’s head between the punches. Forcing Referee Raul Caiz Sr. to deduct a point from Peters for the act.
Despite Toney’s control of the rounds, the occasional clubbing hand or haymaker landing made it an always questionable outcome.
In the final two rounds, Toney would take the eleventh but would give up the twelfth as he let his foot off the gas in the final and historically most important round of a match.
As the scores were read it was announced that Peter had gotten the nod via split decision by scores 115-112 for Toney and 116-112 twice for Peters. In almost psychic fashion Toney leaned down on the ropes, sullenly feeling the inevitable was ahead of him as the form of Split decision was announced as the type of victory even before the actual scores were read aloud.
Finishing the fight unscathed Toney would later remark “Look at me I don’t have a mark on me you guys saw what I did to him, he looks like the Elephant man”. I didn’t lose the fight I took everything away from him.
Peter appeared giddy in his success and the prospect of fulfilling his career goal of capturing the green Heavyweight belt. “"I'm ready for Oleg," "Toney never hurt me. I'm solid, like a rock. My game plan was to stick the jab”.
In watching Toney perform in his recent fights it seems apparent to me that Toney’s added poundage is affecting his balance and when hit at times seems to be thrown off his posture to easily and perhaps giving others and officials the impression that punches are much more effective than the case may be making rounds deceiving to the untrained eye.
Possible solution to this ongoing problem could be to have officials attend a mini camp where each state board would assemble a team of trainers, exfighters, and possible even writers, to review films with officials dissecting the fights subtleties. Along with ring displays of counterpunching, defense, ring generalship, etc. and there cause and effect on both opponents and the fight. Sort of like the keys to victory Teddy Atlas acts out in his Friday night fights shows only in a much more detailed manner.
This might not be the solution but until we do something, we can expect the same results and even more uncertainty and less closure to defining true Champions.
Forum
