LAGOS - In the wake of the loss by Samuel Peter in Saturday’s WBC heavyweight boxing title fight, via an eighth technical knockout against Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine, The Nigerian Nightmare has been labeled an amateur boxer.
Passing this verdict is top boxing manager, Onyeka Elum, who noted in a telephone interview with brilafm.net that Peter fought a giant and succumbed to the tactics of serving his Ukrainian opponent body shots.
“Vitali is a giant, and you don’t expect a giant to hit you with body shots. In return, you too should not go for body shots, because he will get your head instead.
”That’s exactly what happened to Peter. He wanted to fight, he was determined to make his mark, but he was fighting like an amateur,” Elum stated.
While advising the Akwa Ibom State-born pugilist to go ahead and prepare for a rematch, Elum suggested that Peter should sack his current trainer and get a better technical man to prepare him for his next bout.
In the same vein, ex-international boxer, Jeremiah Okorodudu has expressed shock at the unexpected loss of Peter to Klitschko, and admitted that the Nigerian boxer’s strategy against the tall Ukrainian was wrong.
“It was sad to see that Peter got everything wrong for his fight. Instead of fighting from inside, Peter fought from the outside. You just can’t fight a taller opponent that way, because he can also outdo you with his reach,” said the former national boxing coach.
He concluded with a counsel to Peter’s corner to objectively review the tape of the bout and chart the way forward for The Nigerian Nightmare.
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