Samuel Peter

Samuel Peter in our words

Samuel Peters (Samuel Okon Peter) is a Nigerian-American boxer that was born on 6th of September 1980 in Akwa Ibom, State Nigeria. Peter held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title in 2008.

Samuel Peter became a popular boxer after his competition with Ukrainian heavyweight boxers, Klitschko brothers (but once with Vitali Klitschko, the brother to Wladimir Klitschko collectively called Klitschko brothers) and Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Klitschko twice, in 2005 and 2010.

He fought 47 professional fights between 2001 and 2019, winning 38 (31 by knockout) and losing 9. He has also won many titles such as the one of March 2008, when he won the WBC title in the world heavyweight championship by defeating Oleg Maskaev.

From Akwa Ibom to Sydney

Samuel Okon Peter was born on 6 September 1980 in Akwa Ibom State. A footballer as a boy, he walked into a boxing session at his school aged 11 and knocked out an experienced amateur. He became Nigerian amateur heavyweight champion and boxed for Nigeria at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals.

“The Nigerian Nightmare”

Turning professional in 2001, he won his first 24 fights, most by knockout. In 2005 he knocked Wladimir Klitschko down three times but lost on points. On 8 March 2008 in Cancun he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds to become WBC heavyweight champion, only the third Nigerian-born boxer to win a major world title. He lost the belt to Vitali Klitschko later that year.

Legacy

Peter fought until 2019, finishing with 38 wins (31 by knockout) in 47 fights. In 2023 The Punch named him among the 20 greatest athletes in the history of independent Nigeria.

Key fights