Vitali Klitschko vs Samuel Peter

  • last month
Transcript
00:00Some prefer solitude, content to let their accomplishments rather than their words speak for themselves.
00:16Others savor a life in lights, relishing the spoils of their success, constantly craving to be seen and heard.
00:36For years, Chad Dawson has been overlooked by the older, more flamboyant fighters of his division. He now believes it's his time to stand at the summit of fame.
00:51For Antonio Tarver, boxing has always been his stage, and he, its light heavyweight star. And in the final act of his career, he has no intention of relinquishing the spotlight.
01:08With two such diametrically opposed personalities, it's not surprising this clash has turned increasingly personal.
01:16I hate that guy. I can't stand that guy.
01:18His worst mistake would be his disrespect.
01:20I want to punish and humiliate him.
01:22What the hell can Chad Dawson bring to me that I haven't seen?
01:25I'm a great champion.
01:26I'm going to prove myself once again.
01:28Tarver versus Dawson.
01:46Evander Holyfield pulls off a colossal upset.
02:00Corrales comes back, and the fight is over!
02:04Unbelievable!
02:06And down goes Marquez!
02:08Roman!
02:09For Israel Marquez!
02:11Fists are flying!
02:13Firing bombs!
02:14Big action here!
02:15What a heavy right hand!
02:17It's all over!
02:18We've got a new champion!
02:29We are back in Las Vegas, where there's always a buzz and a sense of exhilaration.
02:34Palms Casino Resort plays host to this latest installment of our championship boxing series as evening approaches in the city that lives by night.
02:45We bring you inside to the intimate confines of the Pearl Theater here at the Palms, where tonight this concert venue has been transformed into a boxing arena.
02:54And we are pleased to bring you tonight's intriguing dual-continent world championship twin bill in our main event.
03:00It's the long overdue showdown between Antonio Tarver and undefeated Chad Dawson for Tarver's IVF light heavyweight crown.
03:08And for opener same-day coverage from Berlin, Germany, Sam Peter versus Vitaly Klitschko in a battle of big punchers with the WBC heavyweight belt on the line.
03:19It's fight night in Vegas.
03:29Hello again, everybody.
03:30Steve Albert at the Palms in Las Vegas.
03:32Tonight we have a pair of championship fights that rank among the most anticipated of the year.
03:37Control of the light heavyweight division is at stake when veteran IVF titleist Antonio Tarver defends against young and fresh former champion Chad Dawson.
03:46It's a confrontation almost two years in the making, and yes, it is finally here.
03:50And in a title fight that took place earlier today, power-punching WBC heavyweight champion Sam Peter defended against comebacking former titleist Vitaly Klitschko in the challenger's home base of Germany.
04:03The collision promised to be as unpredictable as any matchup that can be made.
04:08With that, let me bring on my ringside partner Al Burson, and now let's begin with Tarver Dawson.
04:12Should the question be, is Dawson ready for Tarver, or is Tarver ready for Dawson?
04:17The fact that you can ask that question that way is a good indication of how potentially entertaining this matchup is.
04:23What fascinates me is that both these men are very similar but in different venues.
04:28Antonio Tarver is stoic and measured inside the ring.
04:32That's the way Dawson is outside the ring.
04:34Dawson is all about flash and style in the ring.
04:37That describes the verbal skills of Antonio Tarver outside the ring.
04:41These are two left-handers who have everything and nothing in common, which means this is a boxing match that appeals to existentialists and boxing fans alike.
04:49Very rare.
04:50And how often do you hear existentialist on a boxing broadcast?
04:54So it's Antonio Tarver versus Chad Dawson later tonight, but now to the big men.
04:58Sam Peter versus Vitaly Klitschko.
05:00Vitaly Klitschko, Al, some say this was the most significant heavyweight fight in years.
05:05Why?
05:06I think part of that is the fact that when he left the sport almost four years ago, the consensus was that Vitaly Klitschko was the best heavyweight out there.
05:15And then you throw in the fact that Sam Peter is always the X factor in the heavyweight division.
05:19He looks like a man ready to take control of it with his power and his sheer strength.
05:25And today he tries to do that in a very hostile environment in Germany.
05:30All right.
05:31We also want to mention we'll hear from our colleague and showbox analyst, Steve Farhood, who's on hand at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany.
05:39So coming up, get set for Sam Peter versus Vitaly Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title, as Al and I called it earlier today.
05:56There he goes.
05:59Unbelievable action.
06:01With authority.
06:02Oh, big right hand.
06:03And down he goes.
06:04Incredible action.
06:06I don't believe it.
06:08Ladies and gentlemen, meine Damen und Herren, willkommen.
06:27Welcome to O2 World Berlin, where tonight Duba Boxing, Don King Productions and K2 Promotions are proud to present the main event of the evening, 12 rounds of boxing for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
06:51Sanctioned by the BDB president, Dr. Bodo Ekman, WBC president, Jose Suleiman.
06:58At ringside, the three judges scoring this contest, should it go the distance.
07:04From England, John Keane.
07:06From Japan, Ken Morita.
07:09And from Thailand, Anik Hongkongka.
07:12And inside the ring, the man in charge of the action at the bell, from Italy, your referee, Massimo Barbecchio.
07:21And now, meine Damen und Herren, ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble!
07:36Fighting out of the blue corner, wearing black with gold, official weight, 112 kilos.
07:47Professional record, 37 fights, 35 victories, including 34 knockouts and two defeats.
07:55From Kiev, Ukraine, WBC champion emeritus and official mandatory challenger, the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world, Dr. Iron Fist.
08:11Vitaliii Grishko!
08:23And fighting out of the red corner, wearing white with blue, official weight, 115 kilos.
08:29Professional record, 31 fights, 30 victories, including 23 knockouts, only one defeat.
08:37Training and fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, he is the fighting pride of Nigeria.
08:43Presenting the reigning, defending WBC heavyweight champion of the world, the Nigerian Nightmare, Samuel Peter!
09:06Please, remember that this is a dressing room, no headbutts, no rabbit punch, no kidney punch.
09:29Okay, good luck, shake your hands.
09:36And now, the winner of the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, the Nigerian Nightmare, Samuel Peter!
09:46Thank you!
09:59Stay in your line of duty.
10:02Stay in your line of duty.
10:04You're a nice guy.
10:08And the winner of the WBC heavyweight champion of the world, the Nigerian Nightmare, Samuel Peter.
10:16A headline KO ratio of 84%.
10:18Peter, very dangerous early.
10:2015 of his 23 knockouts within the first two.
10:23Of course, some highlight reel knockouts.
10:26And all seven of Klitschko's world title fights, win or lose, ended by knockout.
10:31A crowd of over 12,000 on hand behind their hero, former champ Vitalii Klitschko.
10:36Immediately noticeable, Al, the height difference.
10:39Klitschko 6'7", Peter 6'5".
10:42Also noticeable, Klitschko a bit grayer than the last time he fought, which was December of 2004.
10:50The big question, of course, to lay off for Vitalii Klitschko, ring rust.
10:54But you know, Sam Peter's not the kind of fighter who presses fights right from the get-go.
10:58And I'll tell you, Klitschko is looking very sharp in his first round.
11:02One of the big punches he's using is the left hook, which he saw his brother, Vladimir, hurt Peter with.
11:09Oh, he can land the hook any time he wants, just like his brother did.
11:13He's got Peter wobbled.
11:15And a big right hand by Vitalii Klitschko to the head of Sam Peter here in the opening round.
11:21The 37-year-old challenger, nine years older than Peter.
11:26And given Klitschko's history of injuries, many consider it an upset, he even made it to the ring.
11:33You know, Sam Peter's getting hit with everything here in round one.
11:36He fights, doesn't fight well against big, tall fighters who fight tall, and that's what Klitschko's doing.
11:42Remember, Jameel McCline hurt Peter early, and that's what Klitschko's doing.
11:46Peter's been knocked off balance, good left hook to the side of the head of Sam Peter.
11:51A very, very good opening round for Vitalii Klitschko.
11:57His first fight in nearly four years, or 1,400 days.
12:03As great a first round as Klitschko's having here, we remind you that McCline had Peter all but out,
12:08and he was able to hang in there. He's very resilient.
12:12A lot of people surprised Klitschko didn't take a warm-up fight before this one, but he is starting very fast.
12:22Perhaps he just didn't want to risk getting hurt again.
12:26Under a minute remaining in the opening round, scheduled for 12 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.
12:35Sam Peter is not jabbing his way in at all. He's giving Klitschko nothing to think about,
12:40and that's why Klitschko's able to just pick him apart with those punches.
12:44Yeah, the big wonder how Klitschko would respond if he's hit flush.
12:47And with Peter, who can also hurt you, disorient you, with an unclean punch.
12:53And remember, Vitaly Klitschko never down, never been dropped.
13:04So final seconds of round one.
13:07The crowd in Berlin chanting Klitschko's name, we head for the bell.
13:24The guy's hitting you with a left hook, right hand, okay?
13:28Alright? He knows you're throwing a left hook, Sam.
13:31You got to catch it, but you got to watch for the right hand, alright?
13:34Watch it. He's hitting you with a left hook, right hand.
13:40You know, Vitaly Klitschko, when he put his head down and dreamt about how round one was going to go in his comeback, this is it.
13:48He used every weapon. The jab, straight right hand.
13:51He used a lot of left hooks during that round as well.
13:54Precision punching by Klitschko.
14:22So the first round clearly belonged to Vitaly Klitschko.
14:30Let's see how Peter begins the second round.
14:36One of the things Sam Peter would certainly like to do early in this match is go to the body.
14:40He's a pretty good body puncher, but he hasn't so far.
14:43And you'd want to do that against somebody coming back at age 37, off an almost four year layoff.
14:49Again, it's Vitaly Klitschko scoring with the left hook repeatedly.
14:53Now, a little right uppercut on the inside.
14:57And keeping his distance, his range, from Sam Peter, who can land with that monster right.
15:05That is his signature punch.
15:11They wanted Sam Peter to double jab his way in, so he could move in and then punch from the inside.
15:17He hasn't thrown one jab at a time, let alone two.
15:21You have to wonder, did Peter come in thinking to himself, I'll need a knockout to win.
15:26Could the judges, even though they're neutral, be influenced by the partisan crowd in Germany?
15:35The crowd will very much be a factor when Klitschko does anything.
15:43Klitschko's accuracy here has been ridiculously good.
15:46He's landed just about everything he's thrown.
15:49And you know, Peter, who finally lands a left hand, entered the fight in a very surly mood, but he's not fighting that way.
15:56No, he felt disrespected by the promotion, press conferences all in German.
16:01But there's not anger in the way he's fighting, and he's getting hit with everything by Klitschko.
16:06Earlier in the week, he angrily ripped the WBC belt from Klitschko's hands.
16:11Klitschko holds the nebulous title of champion emeritus, and that has really ticked off Peter.
16:18Klitschko did not lose the belt in the ring, he gave it up, and many feel it doesn't entitle him to this fight.
16:23That said, he's winning it.
16:25You know, when you're a big, tall fighter like Klitschko, and Sam Peter, who is shorter, doesn't attack the right way,
16:34it becomes a very easy fight for you, and right now, that's exactly what it is.
16:38And Sam Peter's defensive liabilities, which he had improved on, are really out there for display now.
16:45And Peter looking very sluggish here in the early going.
16:50Came in weighing 253, which isn't bad for him, which is about 3 pounds after his last fight.
16:58I don't remember the last time I saw a boxing match in which one fighter, nice right hand by Peter,
17:03landed such a high volume of punches as Klitschko is in these early rounds.
17:11Peter coming into this fight looking at it as an inconvenience,
17:14that I have to get through Vitaly to get to Vladimir Klitschko.
17:20A return bout with Vladimir for revenge and unification.
18:04So, a good look here at Sam Peter.
18:06He's got Stacey McKinley and Pops Anderson in his corner.
18:11There's an example of the jab and straight right hand that Klitschko has been landing.
18:15He started out with the left hook, but now he's found a home for the-
18:17There's the double jab they want from Peter, and he'll come with a right hand right, you know, frequently after that punch.
18:23Stacey McKinley had Sam Peter chopping down trees in the Black Forest of Germany
18:28to get ready for this fight to increase his power,
18:30but the man who's doing the chopping right now is Vitaly Klitschko.
18:38Vitaly Klitschko determined to rewrite his legacy as we enter round 3,
18:42scheduled for 12 with a WBC heavyweight belt.
18:45Klitschko wants to fulfill his dream of joining his brother, Vladimir,
18:49as the only siblings ever to be heavyweight champions at the same time.
19:00You know, Sam Peter is really not pressing Klitschko as much as he would like,
19:04so Klitschko, while he's throwing punches, is able to pace himself very much,
19:08so he's not being pressured enough, I don't think, for there to be an energy question as this fight goes on,
19:15unless he's really not in shape.
19:17Now this does not look like a man who is trying to take over the mantle
19:21as a true heavyweight superstar champion, talking about Peter,
19:25who has emerged to this point as a formidable force, primarily on his massive one-punch power,
19:31but we have yet to see it here.
19:33And has shown steady improvement, Sam Peter.
19:35This is a bad stylistic match-up for him.
19:38He's gonna need to land something significant.
19:40He has had his problems with taller fighters in the past,
19:45although he did floor a journeyman, a 7-footer named Julius Long.
19:49That was his last first-round knockout,
19:51but this is not Julius Long in front of him.
19:55The two most notable fights in which he's struggled,
19:57Jameel McCline knocked down and hurt very badly early in the fight,
20:01did come back to win the decision against Wladimir Klitschko.
20:04He had Klitschko down several times, but was outboxed enough to lose a decision.
20:09He needs to cut the distance, Sam Peter, which he's doing,
20:11but then he needs to be busy when he is on the inside.
20:14Peter coming forward a little more, but being attacked by that left jab of Vitaly Klitschko,
20:20Klitschko's leaning his head in.
20:22I mean, he's not even trying to be a defender.
20:27A very languid Sam Peter over the first two-plus rounds.
20:35Tried a right hand there, but it was blocked,
20:37and Klitschko answers back with a series of blows.
20:43So far, and I'm gonna say so far,
20:46all of the technique improvements we saw from Sam Peter in some other fights
20:51have not been evident.
20:52He has really very much slipped back to the place where he was
20:57maybe six, seven fights ago, when people were disappointed in his technique.
21:02Yeah, he was able to compensate for a lack of technique or polish,
21:06yeah, with his brute strength.
21:08But we're not seeing anything right here.
21:11And a reminder that Klitschko coming back after almost four years off,
21:14so as this fight wears on, there will be the question of at 37,
21:19can he sustain throughout an entire fight?
21:22Peter would like to at least test him in that regard,
21:24and good body work by Peter, that's important for him.
21:27The final seconds of round three, ticking away.
21:40Natalia Klitschko's wife, Natalia, looking on in the crowd.
22:11Natalia Klitschko, not just landing punches, but throwing combinations.
22:16That's the part I think that's so impressive.
22:19Look how low his hands are, and Sam Peter just not able to take advantage of him.
22:23That's a jab thrown from an odd angle.
22:26And some support from the crowd, from Natalia.
22:29She's, you know, showing concern, but no reason right now.
22:41Round four.
22:47Well, from just about the very beginning of this fight,
22:49this has looked like a mismatch.
22:51The taller fighter, Natalia Klitschko, dictating all the action.
22:55Left jabs, left hook, straight rights.
23:01Showing a diversified attack against the champion, Sam Peter.
23:06Klitschko is favored, by the way.
23:08You know, when he fought Lennox Lewis, Natalia Klitschko was technically not sound in that fight.
23:15Had he been more technically sound, he might have won that fight.
23:19But in most of his other fights, he's been like this.
23:22Throwing punches correctly, throwing some combinations, doing all the right things.
23:27That's what he's doing here tonight.
23:28That was his only TKO loss as a result of a bad cut.
23:34Even though he did land a lot of good punches in that fight.
23:36I was just about to say.
23:37And he also quieted a lot of cynics in that fight by showing his ability to suck it up.
23:42Yes, you're correct.
23:44Showed great resolve in that fight.
23:46Now, Sam Peter, we said, is resilient.
23:48But how much punishment can he take over the course of these rounds and keep ticking along?
23:55I mean, he has been hit with some monstrous shots already.
23:57It's been so long since we've seen it, but Klitschko's money punch is the heavy right hand.
24:02So long since coming into this fight.
24:04He also has that good left hook.
24:06He's dropped people with it.
24:09And, of course, Sam Peter said to have a very sturdy chin up until the McCline fight.
24:15When Jameel dropped him three times.
24:17But then he came back and took some vicious shots against Moskow.
24:20There's the right hand by Klitschko.
24:23Just drilling away at Peter.
24:26Peter unable to close the distance between the two men.
24:29See, there's a good weapon for Peter.
24:31Even jab to the body.
24:32That's a good idea if you can work yourself in behind it.
24:35Which Peter isn't doing right now.
24:37And also, Al Vitale, after being out for so long, has not lost his preciseness and his accuracy with his punches.
24:44Always known as an accurate puncher.
24:47One of his staples.
24:49And Peter, of course, has shown himself available to be hit.
24:52So we'll see if it all comes together for Vitale.
24:56Klitschko sparred with Sherman Williams.
24:58A very, very good journeyman heavyweight.
25:00Who very much resembles and can emulate Sam Peter.
25:04And I think that also helped him a little bit going into this fight.
25:09Vitale and Klitschko looking to keep that jab in Peter's face to set up the big right.
25:15Intelligent fighter.
25:18But he does have a habit of carrying that left hand low.
25:22And we're just wondering if Peter is waiting for the right moment to unleash the right.
25:28Well, Steve, you hit on it.
25:29Sam Peter is fighting like a man who thinks one punch is the thing that's going to get it done.
25:34Because he's not putting any punches together.
25:36And if you don't pressure Klitschko, the 37-year-old could continue to do this all night to you.
25:53We'll get back to Peter Klitschko in a moment.
25:55A reminder coming up next.
25:57Tarver Dawson for the IBF light heavyweight crown.
26:00The 39-year-old champion Antonio Tarver getting ready.
26:03Always confident, brash, and outspoken.
26:05Nothing different here.
26:06But what is different now, time is running short.
26:10He knows that a loss tonight could be devastating.
26:14And with that, here's a look at tonight's poll question.
26:17Who will win Tarver versus Dawson?
26:19Text 1 for Tarver by knockout.
26:21Text 2 for Tarver by decision.
26:23Text 3 for Dawson by KO.
26:25Text 4 for Dawson by decision.
26:27And text 5 for a draw.
26:29Text your response to SHOTV.
26:31That's 74688.
26:34Standard text messaging rates apply.
26:37And right now, let's get it back to Peter versus Klitschko.
26:44Round 5.
26:50And we begin round 5.
26:52Incidentally, open scoring for this fight.
26:55Courtesy of the WBC.
26:57The scores announced to the people in the crowd after rounds 4 and 8.
27:00And the tally is 40-36 across the board for Vitaly Klitschko.
27:05Certainly no surprise.
27:07He has dominated every single round.
27:09And in between rounds, Stacey McKinley telling Sam Peter,
27:13you've got to break him down to the body.
27:15And I think that is the appropriate strategy at this juncture.
27:19Because he's having a hard time getting to the head of Klitschko.
27:23But the body could be more available to him.
27:25He's got to start now.
27:27And personally, just for the record, not a fan of open scoring.
27:35Over the course of his career, there have been different versions of Vitaly Klitschko.
27:40The confident, intense, aggressive, even brawling Klitschko.
27:45He was very fast-paced and spirited in his last fight versus Danny Williams back in 2004.
27:52But we've also seen a slow-paced, tentative, mechanical, robotic, defensive-minded,
27:58more tactical Vitaly Klitschko.
28:03You know, the interesting thing is,
28:05except for the fact that he put Wladimir Klitschko down,
28:09and the fact that Wladimir Klitschko didn't land as many punches as Vitaly is landing,
28:14this is almost a carbon copy of his fight, of Peter's fight with Wladimir Klitschko.
28:19It's just that Vitaly's doing so much better.
28:21And look at him land those combinations.
28:25But his brother controlled Peter with the jab,
28:28was able to work in the right hand and the left hook.
28:31It's a carbon copy of what Wladimir did against Peter.
28:35The left eye of Peter continues to swell.
28:42The result of those right hands by Klitschko,
28:45and, yeah, ironic, Al, you talked about Wladimir as Sam Peter.
28:50And his manager, Ivalo Gotzev, ridiculed Wladimir for going down three times at the hands of Peter,
28:55yet Wlad was given the win.
28:58There's a good left hook upstairs by Klitschko.
29:01But then after Peter went down three times versus Jameel McCline,
29:04and then outboxed McCline for the win,
29:06they said they understood that you can be dropped three times and still win.
29:10It's true. Those were similar situations.
29:14Sam Peter needs to make something happen, obviously, in this fight.
29:18Now, he's starting to use the jab a little bit more,
29:20but he was not closing the distance.
29:23He is on the outside.
29:24He is in all... the absolute worst strategic situation that he could be in in this fight.
29:32Peter bleeding from the bottom lip.
29:39Vitaly Klitschko in complete command here
29:43as we head to the bell, round five from Berlin.
29:55You got to put pressure on this guy, okay?
29:58You got to fight this guy. You understand what I'm saying?
30:00You got to go to this guy and fight this guy.
30:10They are happy all around the O2 arena,
30:13and Stacey McKinley not happy right now.
30:16The guy is picking you apart, okay?
30:18You got to go out there and get rough and fight him.
30:20You understand what I'm saying?
30:22You got to go out there and get rough and fight him.
30:24You understand?
30:25You got to fight him now. Step up quick with your jab.
30:27The overhand right of Klitschko and the straight right have been very, very effective.
30:35Those are excellent punches.
30:37Those are right hands delivered with a lot of leverage.
30:40I mean, everything is landing.
30:42Those are seven punches in a row,
30:44and much to the delight of his wife.
30:48Interestingly, she's showing concern, it seems, but there is none.
30:52Well, she's a little out of practice.
30:57And here we go into round number six.
31:00Scheduled for 12 for the WBC heavyweight title.
31:04Man, Peter had waited 16 months for the mandatory shot,
31:07and then he came through with a very impressive sixth round knockout over Oleg Moskvya,
31:12but now he's frittering it away.
31:16And this is a dreadful night for him so far,
31:19and there is just no silver lining here so far.
31:23The only silver lining is that Sam Peter, we know, is a big puncher,
31:27and we know that at any moment, he could land something major.
31:30It just doesn't look like he's setting himself up in a position to do it.
31:34In the last round, he did get one overhand right in,
31:37or put himself in position to throw it.
31:39He's not even throwing that punch.
31:41Now, this is a guy who felt very disrespected.
31:45The press conference was in German.
31:47Vitaly Klitschko had the belt,
31:51and Sam Peter being the champion,
31:53but once again, not fighting like a guy who felt he was disrespected.
32:00Sam Peter grabbed the belt away from Klitschko in that press conference,
32:05showing aggression that he's not yet shown here tonight.
32:08Oh, a back slap there by Klitschko, Al.
32:11You know, this is a bad stylistic matchup for Peter,
32:13but the thing that people wondered about was,
32:17could Klitschko perform as he did four years ago
32:20when he was recognized as probably the best heavyweight,
32:23better than his brother and better than the other competition?
32:25He's done so.
32:27Klitschko continues to control the action, the pace, the tempo.
32:31A very tentative, cautious, sluggish Sam Peter.
32:35Looks like he's just waiting for that one drumming punch.
32:41He is, without question, always dangerous, no matter how he looks.
32:47You know, when you look at Vitaly Klitschko, he fights tall.
32:50He's a big, tall man.
32:52Notice how he very seldom leans his head in.
32:54There, just a little, but for the most part,
32:56even when he fans punches, look how he backs up, straight up.
32:59He, Lennox Lewis, his brother a little bit with Emmanuel Stewart's help,
33:04they fight tall, and when they face a smaller fighter,
33:07it's very tough for the fighter like Peter to get something done.
33:10And Vitaly Klitschko is really looking superb
33:14because he's staying out of harm's way and landing.
33:20He's getting that right hand in.
33:22He's getting the jab in.
33:23Things are landing, and then he gets out.
33:26That's what Sam Peter needs to do.
33:28He didn't land that clubbing right as well as he would like,
33:30but he threw three punches at a time and threw an overhand right.
33:34That's one of the problems he has with taller fighters.
33:36It's very difficult to land that clubbing right
33:39to get that fist all the way back behind the taller fighter's head.
33:45So that's a negative for Peter here.
33:48It's not as if Klitschko's hands are high, you know.
33:51Especially that left one.
33:53Very low.
34:02We'll go back to Peter Klitschko momentarily.
34:04A reminder coming up next, Antonio Tarver, Chad Dawson,
34:07for the IBF light heavyweight crown.
34:09And for a long while, undefeated Chad Dawson
34:11thought this night would never come.
34:13Well, here he is making final preparations
34:15for the most important fight of his career.
34:17Yep, it is now just a matter of minutes away,
34:20and the 26-year-old Dawson determined
34:23not to let this incredible opportunity slip away.
34:27And with that, a look at tonight's poll question.
34:29Who will win Tarver versus Dawson?
34:31Text 1 for Tarver by KO.
34:33Text 2 for Tarver by decision.
34:35Text 3 for Dawson by KO.
34:384 for Dawson by decision.
34:40And text 5 for a draw.
34:42Text your response to SHOTV.
34:44That's 74688.
34:47Standard text messaging rates apply.
34:49Now we go back to Peter versus Klitschko.
34:54This is a new round 7.
34:59It is round number 7 from Berlin, Germany,
35:04in a completely lopsided fight for the challenger
35:09and comebacking Vitaly Klitschko.
35:13There is absolutely no doubt that Vitaly Klitschko
35:16has won every single round.
35:18It couldn't possibly be a difference of opinion on this,
35:21and if there is, whoever thinks Sam Peter won a round
35:25is very wrong.
35:27And right now, what they're telling Peter in the corner
35:31is to get to the body, rip shots there,
35:34and then try to go to the head,
35:35which is, of course, inappropriate.
35:37He's just not able to execute right now.
35:40And, Al, if this does extend to the scorecards,
35:43overseas, particularly in locales like Germany,
35:46you really have to beat your opponent decisively
35:49to get the win.
35:50Of course, there are international judges
35:52from all over the world, but there's just no question
35:54when fighters have gone to Germany from other locations,
35:58bad things happen to them.
35:59And right now, Sam Peter's not doing much to help his cause.
36:04The jab of Klitschko has been so effective.
36:08It started right from the beginning.
36:09The interesting thing to me is Klitschko came out
36:12throwing hooks.
36:13Now, there's one of the few hooks he's thrown
36:15in the last six rounds.
36:16He started out landing all those hooks,
36:17but then found he could land the right hand
36:19and didn't need the hook anymore.
36:23And through the halfway point
36:24of this WBC heavyweight title fight,
36:27Sam Peter has not looked like the champion.
36:31Midway through the seventh.
36:40Peter has offered up little or no offense whatsoever.
36:44And one of the byproducts of Sam Peter
36:46not being able to close the distance is,
36:48I don't know that we've had a clinch in this match.
36:54Third man of the ring, Massimo Baravecchio of Italy
36:57has had an easy night.
36:59Good right hand there.
37:00Right cross by Vitaly Klitschko.
37:02That connected.
37:04Peter threw a nice left hook to the body.
37:06And, you know, those have been so few and far between.
37:10It's really lack of aggressiveness
37:13as much as anything by Peter.
37:14He's giving Klitschko nothing to think about.
37:17Now he's throwing a few punches.
37:19You have to throw some punches.
37:21And he started out not doing it, Peter.
37:23You know, there have been moments in his career
37:25where this has been a huge problem for him,
37:28never so much as it has tonight.
37:30If anything, it's been more like a glorified sparring session
37:33for Vitaly Klitschko,
37:34who just landed another right hand.
37:43The eyes swelling up, Sam Peter.
37:46I don't know if Vitaly Klitschko
37:48thought he could possibly produce
37:50as one side of the fight as he is tonight.
37:55Final seconds of round seven.
37:57All Klitschko.
38:11You have to get your hands up.
38:12Close to your face.
38:13Move your head, okay?
38:15And take this fight to this guy.
38:17You understand?
38:18You got to take this fight to this guy, Sam.
38:20You're losing the fight, okay?
38:23You want to keep your title?
38:24You got to go out there and fight.
38:26You got to fight this guy.
38:27Well, as they exhort Sam Peter
38:29to do something to keep his title,
38:32we see why they're saying that.
38:34The Klitschko punches from the outside
38:36have been very, very effective.
38:39When Peter does get in the inside like there,
38:41he just can't make anything happen.
38:46A capacity crowd of better than 12,000
38:49on hand at the O2 World Arena
38:51in Berlin, Germany.
38:54And they are seeing their favored fighter
38:59who is not...
39:01who is favored in this fight,
39:03Vitaly Klitschko,
39:05way ahead of Sam Peter.
39:07You know, a point worth making
39:10is that the last time we saw
39:13Vitaly Klitschko against Danny Williams
39:15in 2004, he gave a performance
39:17very much like this.
39:19It was a dominating performance
39:20in which he really controlled the fight.
39:23Oh, he was very impressive in that fight
39:25against the Mike Tyson conqueror,
39:28Danny Williams, from England.
39:31All right, round eight,
39:32and I'm telling you, Al,
39:33Sam Peter is reaching a point in this fight
39:36where he has to be thinking,
39:38I got to put this guy away.
39:40He is so far behind right now.
39:42I think he's lost every round,
39:44so he would need multiple knockdowns
39:46or a knockout, obviously, to win this,
39:49and he has shown no inclination
39:52to throw enough punches.
39:53Now, there's a couple of double jabs.
39:54They were short, but he didn't move in
39:56behind those jabs.
39:58Peter.
40:01Blood started flowing from Peter's lip
40:03midway through round five.
40:04His eyes are swollen.
40:07He continues to miss
40:09or he's just too far away from Klitschko
40:12to land.
40:14Now, finally, some aggressiveness from Peter,
40:16warded off by Klitschko.
40:19Generally, this crowd,
40:21better than 12,000, as mentioned,
40:23seems kind of quiet
40:26for as impressive as Klitschko has been.
40:28Of course, they come alive
40:29when Klitschko does something.
40:33That jab repeatedly scoring by Klitschko,
40:37just a pesky jab,
40:39stays in the face of Sam Peter.
40:43Keeps him off balance.
40:45And you know what Klitschko does?
40:46Just enough movement
40:48to give Sam Peter angles.
40:50That's what you need to do against him.
40:52He's not using a large amount of lateral movement.
40:56He's certainly not
40:58quick of feet.
40:59He's not a Larry Holmes, Muhammad Ali mover.
41:01But he's done enough lateral movement
41:03to create angles.
41:04And he's able to hit Sam Peter at will because of it.
41:11Sam Peter also has pushed his punches tight.
41:14There, there's an example.
41:15His jab is pushed.
41:16His right hand is pushed.
41:17They're just not thrown appropriately.
41:19You know, if we said at this point of the fight
41:22there is a concern about conditioning
41:24If we said at this point of the fight
41:26there is a concern about conditioning,
41:28about stamina,
41:29which is the fighter you thought we'd be talking about?
41:31Yeah, of course, the 37-year-old Klitschko
41:34after a four-year layoff.
41:35It's Peter who is sucking air.
41:39And it's because he's been hit with so many punches
41:42and taken so much punishment.
41:48Again, you see the right hand just pushed by Peter.
41:50And as this fight goes on, of course,
41:52his technique really getting worse.
41:54Finally, a left hook landing by Sam Peter.
41:56He had to lunge in to get it done.
42:02About 15 seconds remaining in the round.
42:10Final seconds of round eight.
42:12Another one for Klitschko.
42:23Klitschko doing what he has done all throughout this fight.
42:26Each round is a mirror image of the one that preceded it.
42:30Now there, Sam Peter tried to throw a jab.
42:33It was a very lazy jab, and Klitschko countered it.
42:36What's very impressive about what Klitschko has done,
42:39and I'm sure impressing his brother Vladimir,
42:42is the combination punching of Vitaly.
42:46It's been very, very impressive
42:48during the course of this fight.
42:50Very, very impressive during the course of this fight.
43:21It looks like Peter has said stop it.
43:26He doesn't want to continue out, and that's it.
43:28It's all over.
43:32It's all over.
43:34Vitaly Klitschko with a successful comeback
43:37as Sam Peter has quit on his stool in Germany.
43:43You know, there are so many parts of this that are improbable.
43:46It's hard to know which one to lead off with.
43:49The precision of Klitschko,
43:51the fact that Peter gave such a lifeless performance
43:55and stopped on his own volition,
43:58a lot of issues here.
44:03So after round eight, this one in the books
44:06in favor of Vitaly Klitschko,
44:08stunned looks on the faces of the Sam Peter people
44:11as manager Ivano Gottschalk.
44:15And once again,
44:17this could be the product of the open scoring
44:20because the fighters, like the fans there in Berlin,
44:23able to hear the scores announced,
44:25so maybe he just figured,
44:26hey, I'm just too far behind in this fight,
44:29and there's no cause to continue.
44:31Well, that would raise an interesting issue
44:33about the idea of open scoring for this reason.
44:35And of course, hugs and kisses all around for the family.
44:39Sam Peter still had a puncher's chance,
44:41and he is a puncher.
44:42So at any given moment,
44:44he could have scored a knockdown or knockout,
44:46but this man produces an astonishing comeback
44:51after nearly four years off in the sport.
44:55But interestingly, it could set the,
44:58as Vladimir Klitschko goes crazy in the corner there now,
45:02they're the only siblings in boxing history
45:05to hold World Heavyweight titles at the same time,
45:08and there's the big embrace between Vladimir and Vitaly
45:11but it could set the heavyweight division
45:13into more of a malaise
45:14because the two brothers have vowed
45:16never to fight each other,
45:17so they can't unify, Al.
45:19That's exactly right,
45:20and so for people that talk about excitement
45:23in the heavyweight division,
45:24in their minds, this may feel like a setback,
45:27but you have to give Vitaly, of course,
45:30credit for a great performance,
45:32and the question is,
45:35what does it do for the division,
45:37and does it help it move along?
45:39But he doesn't care,
45:40and nor should he.
45:41This man gave a great performance.
45:54Ladies and gentlemen,
45:56the red corner retires.
45:59Referee stops the contest at the end of eight rounds.
46:03The winner,
46:04the Sieger
46:06und neuen
46:08Weltmeister
46:10Vitaly
46:12Doktor
46:13Eisenfaust
46:15Klitschko!
46:24A completely lopsided victory
46:26for Vitaly Klitschko,
46:30who wins back the WBC heavyweight championship
46:34in front of his adoring fans
46:37in what has to be described as a non-compelling fight,
46:42a listless performance by Sam Peter,
46:44who loses his belt by quitting on the stool
46:46after round eight,
46:47but what a tremendous story
46:51for Vitaly Klitschko.
46:53And I think there are a couple of headlines.
46:55One, how sharp Vitaly Klitschko was yesterday
46:58Yes, it was a good style matchup for him.
47:00Yes, Sam Peter has some defensive liabilities.
47:03He was as sharp as he could be in the other headline.
47:06This is a fascinating thing when you really think about it.
47:08He has 36 wins as a pro.
47:10Klitschko, 35 have come by stoppage.
47:13That's impressive.
47:14And both of Peter's losses
47:16at the hands of these two men,
47:18Vitaly Klitschko on the left,
47:19Vladimir Klitschko on the right.
47:21A career is resurrected, reborn.
47:24In his first fight since December 2004,
47:27Vitaly Klitschko reclaims the title.
47:34So there you have it.
47:35From Berlin, Germany,
47:36our same-day coverage of Sam Peter
47:38versus Vitaly Klitschko
47:39as we welcome you back live
47:41to the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.
47:43Coming up next,
47:44our main event,
47:45Antonio Tyver versus Chad Dawson
47:48for the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship.
47:51And before we get to that,
47:53our Steve Farhood had a chance
47:55to speak with the winner,
47:56Vitaly Klitschko.
47:59Vitaly, four years off.
48:01Is there any way you could have imagined
48:03that you would be as effective
48:04as you were in this fight?
48:06Thank you very much for everybody for support.
48:09Today was not easy fight.
48:11After three and a half years,
48:12I come back.
48:13This was not easy fight.
48:14This was not easy preparation.
48:16I have in past time so many injuries,
48:20but right now I'm double healthy.
48:22And I show good performance in the fight.
48:25I make my long year dream
48:28together with Vladimir
48:29to be the same time world champion.
48:32This was not in history.
48:33It's very important to be the first one.
48:37Did you feel physically any different
48:40than you did four years ago?
48:41No.
48:42I have my skills.
48:44I can use my skills.
48:46I'm double healthy.
48:47If I healthy,
48:48I can show very good performance.
48:50Now, no one in boxing history
48:51ever did what you did.
48:53Four years away from the ring,
48:54come back without any tune-up
48:56and win a championship.
48:57What does it mean to you personally?
49:00If you want very much,
49:02and if you have big will,
49:05and you have support from your team,
49:07from my brother and from my family,
49:09I can do everything.
49:10Now, you accomplished your goal,
49:12which was to reign as heavyweight champion
49:14the same time as your brother.
49:16Is there any reason for you to keep fighting?
49:18And will you keep fighting?
49:20You know what?
49:21It's just a couple of minutes ago
49:22the fight is over,
49:24and that's why I'm not ready to give you answer.
49:27Give me time, please.
49:28But anyway,
49:30we have one more dream.
49:33We have one more belt.
49:35Not in family, not in Klitschko family.
49:38But you will never fight your brother
49:39so we cannot unify the titles, correct?
49:41That will be a belt.
49:44Vili Klitschko, fantastic comeback fight.
49:46Thank you very much.
49:47Congratulations.
49:48Thank you very much for your support.
49:51And that was Steve Farhood
49:52reporting earlier from Berlin, Germany.
49:54We bring you back live to the Pearl Theater
49:56here at the Palms in Las Vegas
49:58in a non-competitive fight.
50:00Let's see how the official judges' scorecards
50:02looked for Peter Klitschko.
50:04And Al, it is astonishing
50:06that the Thai judge, Anik Hanggangkam,
50:09gave one round to Peter.
50:10In all honesty,
50:11that's one of the more amazing things
50:13I've seen a judge do in years
50:15because Sam Peters has had a terrible night tonight
50:18and there was not one round he could have won.
50:20Well, with open scoring,
50:21as mentioned during our call,
50:23we wonder if being so far behind
50:25on the scorecards affected Peter's decision
50:28not to continue.
50:30Our Steve Farhood spoke with Peter's promoter,
50:32Dino Duva.
50:35Dino Duva, promoter of Sam Peter.
50:37Who stopped the fight, Dino?
50:38Sam's corner stopped it
50:40and I have to agree with him.
50:42It just wasn't Sam's night.
50:44Was the open scoring any reason to do it
50:47because you knew he was behind?
50:48No, I didn't need to hear it announced
50:50to know he was behind.
50:51I mean, it just wasn't Sam's night.
50:53He's a warrior.
50:54In my opinion, he could have
50:56and would have finished the fight.
50:58But it just wasn't his night.
51:00He wasn't really, from a standpoint
51:02of having a chance to win the fight, in it.
51:05And we believe in the mercy of a fighter
51:08and we don't want to see anybody get hurt.
51:10Samuel is the most important fighter in the world
51:12and I agree with it totally.
51:14He'll be back.
51:15Dino Duva, thank you.
51:19Well, Steve, Farhud talked to Peter's promoter
51:21because neither Peter nor his trainer would come out
51:24and Al, let's get your thoughts
51:26on the abrupt end to the fight.
51:28Well, as Dino Duva suggested,
51:30the corner initiated the idea of stoppage.
51:33Obviously, Sam Peter didn't protest that.
51:35We saw him shaking his head,
51:36no, he didn't want to continue.
51:37But in his defense, he took a monstrous amount
51:40of punishment from Vitaly Klitschko
51:42who fought a brilliant fight after that long layoff.
51:45And so, it's understandable
51:47that he may have just had enough.
51:49Obviously, now, for those folks
51:52that are interested in debating the idea of open scoring,
51:55this may add some fodder to the debate
51:57because he was behind.
51:58But the fact of the matter is,
52:00as we heard, Peter certainly knew he was going to be behind
52:03whether he heard the score or not.
52:04And he's a big puncher, so we'll see.
52:06And we should also point out that
52:08despite the fact that Peter was battered
52:10and beaten down in almost unmerciful fashion,
52:12he never actually went to the hospital there in Berlin,
52:15went straight back to the hotel.
52:17So, that's the story there.
52:18A remarkable feat, Vitaly Klitschko coming back
52:21from nearly four years off to regain the title.