In ESPN’s  “Friday Night Fights” from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California,  “Fast”  Eddie Chambers (33 Wins with 18 KOs and only 1 loss) lived up to his nickname by out speeding an overweight, out of condition  Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare”  Peter (30 Wins with 23 KOs and 2 losses) over 12 rounds.   The only nightmare for a totally under trained Peter was whether he would have enough stamina to finish the fight.  

      Making his first appearance since surrendering  his “WBC” Heavyweight title to Vitali Klitschko while sitting on his stool in October 2008, a clearly out of shape Peter could not keep up with Chambers’ fast hands and defensive skills.  Weighing a rotund, SUMO-like 265 pounds, the heaviest of his career and 13 pounds more than in his loss to Vitali Klitschko five months earlier,  Peter simply could not match his opponent’s punch output. 

      By the end of the third stanza,  Peter was already breathing very heavily and looked like a defeated and confused fighter as he slowly lumbered back to his corner.   The pattern was the same through out the entire fight, as a faster and better-conditioned Chambers dictated the pace and controlled the action with his educated left jab.  Peters never took the initiative, allowing Chambers to punch whenever he wanted with little counterpunching in return.  The Nigerian’s  punches did not have any snap to them,  and his feeble attempt at throwing combinations were simply too slow for Chambers’ defensive skills and quickness.   He never landed any telling blows on Chambers, whose left jab constantly found the mark and kept  Peter at a distance.  The loser was never able to display any of the skills or land any of the punches that made him one of the most feared fighters in the Heavyweight division.    

      Chambers was declared the victor in a majority decision, as the judges voted 99-91 and 96-94 in favor of  “Fast” Eddie, with the other judge inexplicably voting the fight a 95-95 draw.  Although appearing to be carrying a few extra pounds himself,  Chambers ( now 34 Wins with 18 KOs and only 1 loss)  showed good boxing skills, fast hands and enough defensive skills to position himself as a viable challenger for any of the division’s top fighters. 

      For Samuel Peter (now 30 wins with 23 KOs and 3 losses),  it was a very disappointing effort that reflected a lack of commitment and a desire to bounce back after the disastrous performance in the loss of his title only months earlier.   His lack of conditioning and fight preparation was surprising, and he’ll need to re-evaluate his career path if he wishes to return to his championship days or at least once again become a serious contender to the title.  

3-27-2009