Eddie Chambers Defeats Samuel Peter

Los Angeles, California - Eddie Chambers used a steady diet of jabs and clever defense to overcome a right hand injury and defeat heavyweight contender Samuel Peter by majority decision in the first boxing event held at the Nokia Theatre. The victory over a true "name" fighter broke new ground for Chambers in his continued rise to the upper ranks of the heavyweight division, and eventually could put him in line for a title shot with one of the Klitschko brothers.

The three judges' had the fight officially scored 95-95, 96-94, and 99-91 for Chambers. The 99-91 score prompted several reactions of disbelief among the gathered media. However, what should have been more strongly questioned was the 95-95 score.

Although Peter was the aggressor and came forward most of the fight, most of his activity was fruitless. He was a step slower than Chambers, and thus, could not cleanly land his power shots. In addition, Chambers' defense was outstanding as he blocked numerous punches with his gloves and arms. For those few times when Peter did connect, Chambers was able to shrug off his punches and continue unharmed.

In many of the rounds, Peter increased his otherwise low activity with late flurries in the last 20 seconds. Because of those late flurries, Peter might have stolen a few rounds in some eyes, causing many to feel that the fight was much closer than the 99-91 score.

In addition, Chambers partially fed into the criticism himself by not letting his hands go after having Peter set up with his jab. Still, it was Chambers' ring generalship, rather than Peter's aggression, which ultimately controlled the dynamics of the fight. Quite simply, Chambers consistently outboxed the plodding Peter.

Chambers' lateral movement turned Peter all night, and had the Nigerian Nightmare ineffectively chasing him around the ring. When Peter did corner him on the ropes, his shots were largely insignificant. Moreover, Chambers was able to effectively counter Peter during those exchanges thanks to his superior hand speed.

Overall, Peter did little to erase the memory of his last debacle loss to Vitali Klitschko. Although he made efforts to push the action, he provided few fireworks offensively and once again had trouble figuring out how to connect against an opponent. Skill-wise, Peter brought nothing new to the table since the Klitschko fight, as there were no significant new wrinkles in his attack.

In retrospect, the more ludicrous score was the 95-95 draw, as Chambers lost maybe 2 or 3 rounds at most. To say that Peter's slow attack did enough in and of itself to win him 5 rounds, is simply absurd.

Here is TheDailySportsHerald.com's round by round account of the fight:


Round 1

Both opened the fight with caution, carefully jabbing their opponents. Chambers caught Peter with a solid 1-2 combination. Peter retaliated with a stiff jab. Chambers then scored with a clean countering right hand. Peter threw a 1-2, but it was blocked. Another Peter combination at the ropes near the end of a close round was also ineffective. 10-9, Chambers

Round 2

Peter opened with a double jab. Chambers hit Peter with a left jab, followed by a scoring left hook. Peter then scored with a jab, and blocked 2 Chambers' jabs. Chambers circled to his left, and scored with a nice jab. He then hit Peter with a clean double jab to the body and head. Peter ended the round with a 1-2. 10-9, Chambers

Round 3

For the third straight round, Peter was the aggressor, chasing Chambers. In this round, Peter concentrated his attack on the body, letting his hands go when he had Chambers on the ropes. Chambers, however, countered that aggression effectively, hitting Peter with jabs. Chambers then hit Peter with a big 1-2. Late in the round, Chambers nailed Peter again with a double jab to the body and head. Peter finished with another minimally effective combination on the ropes. 10-9, Chambers

Round 4

Chambers opened with a clean jab. Peter came with a jab and then threw a right hand lead. Peter threw a combination that was largely blocked by Chambers. Chambers landed a low-high double jab. He then nailed Peter with a left hook. Chambers scored again with a clean right, and finished with a solid 1-2. That last exchange got Peter angry, causing him to come back with a clean shot of his own. 10-9, Chambers

Round 5

Chambers actively started the round by tripling up on his jab. Peter responded with a jab, only to have Chambers deliver another triple jab. Peter got in a right hand lead. Peter pressed forward and had Chambers on the ropes once more, but Chambers beat him to the punch with a solid left hand counter. 10-9, Chambers

Round 6

Chambers again scored early with multiple jabs. Peter responded with a combination. Both fighters then looked for openings with their jabs. In this round, Peter began to walk his opponent down in a more effective manner. He landed a right hand, and then threw a big shot at the bell. Chambers' activity decreased, costing him the round. 10-9, Peter

Round 7

Chambers tripled up on his jab again to open the round. Peter threw a combination. Chambers then came with a double jab. Peter hit Chambers with a left uppercut at the break. Midway through the round, the roles reversed and Chambers began to walk Peter down. Peter was active at the bell, hoping to steal the round. 10-9, Chambers

Round 8

Chambers once more started the round with a flurry of scoring jabs. Peter responded by increasing his activity and trying to land shots against his opponent. Chambers then hit Peter with a three-punch combination. He followed with a double jab, and then a scoring 1-2 combination. After another clean double jab by Chambers, Peter threw a 3-punch combination. Peter concluded the round with a 1-2 combination at the bell. 10-9, Chambers

Round 9

Both fighters opened the round by throwing jabs, but Chambers' jab was more accurate. Peter threw a combination that was blocked. Chambers began to walk Peter down, backing him up with clean shots. Chambers landed a good 1-2, followed by two clean right hands. Peter finished with a clean, countering right hand. 10-9, Chambers

Round 10

Chambers started with a jab. Peter returned a jab of his own, and then unleashed a 3-punch combination. Peter landed a jab, followed by a 1-2 combination. Chambers scored with a clean right. Peter threw 2 more 3-punch combinations in his most determined and active round of the fight. Chambers finished with a double jab, followed by a 1-2 combination. 10-9, Peter



The Undercard

The undercard featured three young prospects from the stable of Goossen Tutor Promotions.

2008 Olympian Javier Molina showed good speed and activity in his pro debut, scoring a second round knockout victory against Jaime Cabrera. The young Molina is a local product, who attends John Glenn High School in Norwalk.

Fellow 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada demonstrated his exciting, power-oriented style by scoring a knockout over Ray Craig at 1 minute and 41 seconds into the first round. The victory moved Estrada's record to 3-0. He will be fighting again in two weeks.

John Molina Jr. tallied another impressive victory, knocking out an aggressive Carlos Vinan 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the second round of an action-packed fight. Molina exhibited a new facet to his game, as much of his bout involved extensive infighting on the ropes. The victory moved Molina to 16-0.



Post-Fight Notes and Comments

1. Boxing character Repo Ric made a front and center appearance at this event, pushing out three ripe tomato cans for the undercard. He also demonstrated some versatility in his apparel, coming out in different outfits for some of the fights.

2. Chambers won the fight with essentially one hand, as he jammed his right thumb early in the third round. It also partly explains why he did not throw more power shots after having set up Peter with his jab.

Chambers said that even with the hand injury he "should have thrown it more" because the adrenaline carried him through the fight.

3. After the fight, Peter issued a statement that he was "very disappointed" and that he "disagreed with scoring." Peter felt that he had pressed the action in the fight.

4. At the post-fight press conference, Chambers' promoter, Dan Goossen, got into a testy exchange with the promoter of undefeated fighter Sergei Lyakhovich. Lyakhovich is seeking a matchup against Chambers. Goossen essentially told Lyakhovich that the matchup had not occurred due to lack of television interest, and also because of his personal dislike for Lyakhovich's manager.

Chambers said a fight with Lyakhovich would be a good opportunity for both men.

5. After the fight, Chambers stated that because of his effective jabs, he froze Peter "a few times." Chambers said that the jab had Peter "leery about throwing punches, and had him thinking a little more."

On Peter's speed, Chambers said that his opponent "was a little faster than he thought."

6. After the fight, I spoke with Shawn Estrada. He commented on the transition from amateur boxing to the professional ranks, saying that in amateur boxing you have to throw many more punches because "you only have 2 minutes in four rounds. But, in the pros, you can take your time, and the ref will let you fight a little bit more. You can be aggressive. It's different."

When asked what he needed to do to improve his game, he replied that he needed "to get more experience, and keep active."

By Mike Elliott
Staff Editor for TheDailySportsHerald.com

Photographs by Tri Le
Photography Editor for TheDailySportsHerald.com