Peter wins main event on Bally’s fight card

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

As the 10th and final round was about to begin, a hint of anxiety surfaced in the corner of Samuel Peter.

The same cornermen who had spent the evening bolstering the transplanted Nigerian's confidence were a little less confident themselves as Monday's main event at Bally's reached the final round. Charles Shufford was giving their man a tougher fight than expected, and there was some concern that the outcome was far from a foregone conclusion.

Earlier praises gave way to a harsher reality. Instead of hearing "He's just a stepping stone for us" or "He's hurt" or "He doesn't want to fight you anymore," Peter was confronted with an even greater motivating remark.

"Do it for your mother," he was told, a reference to Peter's family back in his home country.

Well, his mother would be proud -- sort of.

Peter won the final round and won the fight by decision, yet it was hardly the performance he and his handlers were looking for as he was showcased atop the Cedric Kushner card. The judges saw the fight similarly, as Dick Houk scored it 99-91, Chuck Giampa 98-92 and Carol Castellano 97-93; the Sun's scorecard was the same as Castellano's.

Peter, who lives in Las Vegas, advances to 19-0 but keeps his knockout total at 17.

Shufford, a lifelong Las Vegan, falls to 20-6.

Peter received $20,000 and Shufford $12,000.

There were no knockdowns and no close calls as Peter controlled the fight early and late, allowing Shufford to gain some momentum in the middle rounds. Each man hit the other squarely on occasion, but neither did it often enough to cause any lasting damage.

A decent crowd at Bally's, bolstered by the ongoing Teamsters convention, seemed to appreciate the fight and there was no questioning the decision despite the apprehension that was obvious in Peter's corner as the fight wound down.

Four other fights were held, with these results: Ray Austin, 21-3-2, stopped Gilberto Martinez, 18-7-2, at 2:29 of the fourth round of a heavyweight bout scheduled for six; Terrance Marbra, 5-0, sent Todd Diggs, 4-9-3, into retirement by stopping him at 2:48 of the first round of a heavyweight bout scheduled for four; Fabio Maldonado, 3-0, stopped John Turlington, 4-2, at 1:42 of the third round of a heavyweight bout scheduled for four; and in a bleak women's exhibition, Veronique Tyler was awarded a victory when Tricia Wilds quit after the first round.