KFDM COOP Posted July 2, 2006 Report Posted July 2, 2006 www.espn.com Peter to fight Toney in September title elimination bout The long-discussed heavyweight showdown between top contenders Samuel Peter and James Toney is now official. Samuel Peter puts his 26-1 record on the line against James Toney Sept. 2 in Los Angeles. They will meet Sept. 2 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Showtime, which will televise the 12-round fight, announced it Saturday night. The bout will be a title elimination fight with the winner earning a mandatory shot against the winner of the Aug. 12 fight between beltholder Hasim Rahman and Oleg Maskaev. Peter (26-1, 22 KOs), a Las Vegas resident from Nigeria known for his tremendous power, has won two fights in a row since scoring three knockdowns but losing a decision to Wladimir Klitschko last fall. Klitschko went on to capture a version of the title in his next fight. "Sam clearly illustrated that he belongs with the heavyweight elite in his match against Wladimir Klitschko last year," promoter Dino Duva said. "Considering the many lethargic, non-exciting televised matches recently featuring so-called champions and contenders, Sam is the best heavyweight out there to put on a great show because of his electrifying punching power." Toney (69-4-3, 43 KOs), who lives in Los Angeles, is a former middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight world champion. But he has come up short in two heavyweight title fights. In his last bout on March 18, Toney came into the fight grossly out of shape at a career-heavy 237 pounds and many thought he was fortunate to get a draw with Rahman. In April 2005, Toney's decision win against then-titlist John Ruiz was changed to a no decision because Toney tested positive for steroids in a post-fight drug test.
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