Samuel Peter yesterday became Nigeria’s first world boxing heavyweight champion when in Cancun, Mexico he stopped reigning champion Oleg Maskaev in the sixth round of their title fight. The fight in the Plaza de Toros - “Bull Ring” Cancun’s bull fighting centre saw Peter entering the ring with a record of 30 wins, 1 defeat and 23 knockouts and Maskaev with 35 wins, 7 losses and 26 knockouts.

The fight saw Peter the dominant of the pair, his trademark heavy punches proving increasingly decisive and by the sixth round a flurry of 12 unanswered punches completely pummelled Maskaev forcing the referee to wade in and stop the fight.

The victory makes Samuel Peter only the fourth African to win a heavyweight championship belt following in the footsteps of South Africans Corrie Sanders, Francois Botha and Gerrie Coetzee, although Nigerian-born Henry Akinwande in the 90’s won the title fighting for Britain.

Samuel Peter had been named interim Heavyweight champion last year after a previously title fight with Maskaev was aborted, after Maskaev’s claims of injury. This win by Peter opens the way for a possible unification match between Peter and IBF and WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko.