26th September, 2014
In the championship tagged “Rumble on the River” at OKC Downtown Airpark in Oklahoma City, hard-hitting former WBC Champion Nigerian Samuel Peter (34-5, 27 KOs) will return on Saturday for the first time in three years to face former ECHL hockey enforcer turned heavyweight KO artist Ron “The Iceman” Aubrey (12-3, 12 KOs) from Oklahoma City.
Having been on the world stage for most of his career, the 34-year-old Peter will have the edge in experience, but Aubrey will have his army of fans in his corner, cheering the powerful strongman onto pull the huge upset. Someone is surely going home sore and disappointed in this war of big men.
“I am happy to be back in boxing,” said Peter, who hails from Akwa Ibom State ahead of the night’s eight-round heavyweight “bombs away” co-main event packaged by Ivaylo Gotzev and his Epic Sports and Entertainment. “I will dedicate myself to winning the heavyweight championship once again. I’m ready to knock out anyone who stands in my way.”
“We have a well-rested and recommitted Sam Peter eager to return to the ring in one of the main events,” Gotzev said.
Peter, who lives in Las Vegas, will be fighting for the first time in 3½ years and is being matched extremely softly against Oklahoma City club fighter Ron Aubrey (12-3-1, 12 KOs), 47, an enforcer on the ice during a 12-year minor league hockey career.
Peter, who turned 34 this month, won a world title in 2008 by knocking out Oleg Maskaev but lost the belt in his first defence when he was punished for eight one-sided rounds by Vitali Klitschko later that year.
Peter has not fought since suffering a ninth-round knockout loss to Robert Helenius in 2011, his second knockout loss in a row. In the previous fight, Peter was stopped in the 10th round challenging heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali’s younger brother, in 2010. Aubrey has not fought since 2012 and his opponents had a combined record of just 9-39-1 when he faced them.
Aubrey says he has a surprise waiting for Peter.
“He’s got more experience,” admitted Aubrey, “but I’ve been in hundreds of brawls in my lifetime. I’m not intimidated by him. He’s the better boxer, but I’m the better brawler and that’s what kind of fight it’s going to be. I’ve already got 12 knockouts in the ring and Samuel Peter is going to be my lucky number 13.”