Heavyweight champ Samuel Peter finally reaches deal to defend against Vitali Klitschko

2008-05-10 01:15:07 -

Samuel Peter will defend his WBC heavyweight title in the fall against former champion Vitali Klitschko after the fighters' camps finally reached a financial agreement for the long-awaited fight.
Dino Duva, Peter's promoter, and Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel reached the deal in Mexico City on Thursday, just hours before the fight was scheduled to go to a purse bid, in which any promoter could have paid for the right to stage the WBC-mandated bout.
«The deal was made at the 11th hour, and we're all delighted,» Duva said. «It's the best possible deal for all concerned.
Klitschko, the older brother of IBF and WBO heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko, was entitled to a fight with Peter because the WBC named him its «interim champion» nearly four years ago when he first left the sport with a series of injuries.
Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs), who lost his WBC title to Lennox Lewis by knockout in June 2003, hasn't fought since reclaiming the WBC title by knocking out Danny Williams in December 2004. He announced a comeback last year, but hasn't been healthy enough to fight since then.
Klitschko, who will turn 37 in July, also is running for mayor in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and his hometown. The election is May 25.
Duva, who partners with Don King, will be the fight's lead promoter alongside the Klitschko brothers' company, K2 Promotions. The promoters haven't determined a site or date, but Duva is open to holding the fight in Germany, where heavyweight boxing and the Klitschko brothers are quite popular.
Peter (30-1, 23 KOs), a native of Nigeria who lives in Las Vegas, claimed the title with a sixth-round knockout of Oleg Maskaev in March in Cancun, Mexico.
Though he still craves a unification rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, who handed Peter his only defeat in September 2005, the champion has said he'll be patient for his shot at both brothers.
The deal also allows Peter to fight an interim bout in July, but Duva hasn't decided whether the champion will take on a warmup opponent before facing Klitschko.