Samuel Peter

At 43 years old, Samuel Peter has this physical status:

Samuel Okon Peter (born 6 September 1980) is a Nigerian and American professional boxer.

When he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds in 2008, he claimed the WBC heavyweight championship.

He was known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers in his prime, having met Wladimir twice (in 2005 and 2010) and Vitali once.

Peter is known for his punching ability and has a 78.9% win rate.

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Early years and amateur career

Peter used to play football. Any boxers wanted to learn at his school in 1992. The oblivious young 11-year-old stopped by and asked if he could train with them. He was put up against a veteran amateur and knocked him out. Peter was at the start of a fruitful amateur career.

He has been named in both the Nigerian Amateur Heavyweight Championship and the Africa Zone 3 Heavyweight Championship. He faced strong competition as an amateur, with a knockout win over 2000 silver medalist Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan). However, he triumphed and was granted the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Peter was disqualified by a decision in the quarterfinals to Italian Paolo Vidoz. However, his performance was noted for being quite impressive from such a young pugilist, and therefore more buzz was generated for him than the eventual gold medalist, Audley Harrison, to whom Peter had lost a close decision just a few months before the Olympics.

Professional career

Ivaylo Gotzev as Peter's boss immediately after the Olympics, and Andy "Pops" Anderson became his mentor. They were then able to secure a promotion with Dino Duva Boxing.

Peter made his professional debut against Bulgarian fighter Georgi Hristov in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on February 6, 2001. By a first-round knockout, Peter won the match. In 2001, he had seven fights, one of whom was a winner in the first round. Peter took a step forward in action the following year, losing his first fight of the year against Marion Wilson. The match was scheduled for four rounds. Wilson was known for his tenacity and toughness, with no loss inside the range but occasionally pulling upsets, such as victories over Corey Sanders and Paea Wolfgramm or a split draw against Ray Mercer, despite his 11–37–3 record. Peter was victorious by a majority decision in the contest.

Peter was in his next fight 19 days against Julius Joiner (2–0–1, 1 KOs). This was Peter's first televised match, as it was televised on ESPN2. The match was on the undercard of the tournament that featured James Toney's face Sione Asipeli and Lamont Pearson against Orlando Salido. Joiner did not qualify for the second round of the tournament, prompting the referee to declare Peter the winner by corner retirement. In 2002, Peter had three more fights, winning by second-round stoppage and then having the former two combatants televised by ESPN2.

Peter did not enter the ring for 8 months before meeting Dale Crowe for the WBC's Youth Heavyweight Championship. Crowe, a 26-year-old Crowe, had a 24–6–2 (15 KOs) record going into the fight but had only been stopped by DaVarryl Williamson. Crowe became well-known after fighting against former world heavyweight champion Greg Page, who pushed Page against the ropes, resulting in Page being partially paraphrased. This was Peter's first professional match scheduled in ten rounds. The game was shown on ESPN2 and ESPN2. Before stopping Crowe in the fourth round, Peter secured every round on all scorecards.

Peter returned to the ring three months later, taking on Lyle McDowell (227–9-1, 18 KOs) on June 21, 2003 in a match televised by HBO as part of the card that featured Lennox Lewis against Vitali Klitschko in the main event. In the fourth round, Peter stopped McDowell. Peter finished the year with two second-round defeats, bringing his total victory count to 16 fights, with 15 of them within the distance. Clay-Bey signed him to face Lawrence Clay-Bey (18–2, 13 KOs) in December in a box televised by ESPN, but Clay-Bey canceled due to injury. Dino Duva accused Clay-Bey of faking an injury in order to prevent him from facing Samuel Peter.

Peter took a big leap forward in competition when facing former WBO world heavyweight champion Charles Shufford on May 17, 2004 after scoring two back-to-back victories against Chris Isaac and Jose Arimatea da Silva, with the former being the first time Peter went beyond the fifth round. This was the first time Peter was in the main event of a card. The case was the third installment of Heavyweight Heroes: the Hunt for the Next Great Heavyweight, a monthly subscription boxing series developed by Cedric Kushner Promotions and broadcast on In Demand for $19.95. Shufford had a record of 20–5, 9 KOs going into the fight, and he was 3-3 in his last six fights. For the first time in his career, Peter triumphed by unanimous decision in a ten-round match. The bout was 91–91, 92–93, and 97–93 by three judges. Peter landed more total and power punches in every round than Shufford; in all, Peter fired 569 shots (32.2% accuracy), with 277 of them being power punches (272 percent accuracy).

Peter became a member of the Serbian heavyweight Jovo Pudar on August 5 in Hollywood, Florida, three months later. Jovo Pudar, 33, had a record of 22–2 (12 KOs) entering the fight and had never been suspended in his professional boxing career. In his last six fights, he was 5-1, with his only loss coming at Taurus Sykes' hands. Showtime, the fight was broadcast live on Showtime as part of the ShoBox: The New Generation boxing program. "enough about Dominick Guinn and Joe Mesi and the rest of them, i'm sure" this fight would make him "the next true heavyweight king in the minds of boxing followers," Ivaylo Gotzev said in the run-up to the war. Samuel Peter will be a disaster, I swear." Lawrence Clay-Bey, who was coming off a fifth-round TKO victory over former IBF world cruiserweight champion Imamu Mayfield as Peter's next opponent, expressed his concern for his neighbor.

Although Peter was unable to stop Pudar, he did a smear on his nose and eventually triumphed in a unanimous decision. The contest was judged 100–90 (twice) and 98–92 by three different judges. According to CompuBox, there were 1,281 punches exchanged between two fighters. Peter fired 239 shots out of 690, while Pudar received 162 punches out of 591. In all of the ten rounds, Peter defeated his opponent in each round, but third and ninth (even) connected on more power shots in all of the rounds.

On December 4, 2004, Peter will meet former WBO world heavyweight champion Jeremy Williams (41-41-41, 35 KOs) at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, to end 2004. Williams had a record of 6–0–1, 4 KOs in his last seven battles, with Henry Akinwande and Brian Nielsen behind him, winning back-to-back upset victories against rising prospects Andre Purlette (35–1, 32 KOs) and Attila Levin (29–1, 23 KOs) and drawing against former IBF world cruiserweight champion Al Cole. Jose Luis Castillo vs. Joel Casamayor's undercard match was broadcast on Showtime on Saturday.

Both boxers got into combat quickly. Williams retreated to the outside, first attempting to bob and weave but then shifting his focus to circling around Peter and working behind the jab after the bob-and-weave scheme didn't work. When Williams was at mid-range, Peter was stalking his foes, digging his way inside and laying heavy pressure on Williams' body. Peter threw a one-two combination into the second round as Williams ducked under Peter's right hand, Peter turned around and landed a left hook, but Williams was square-footed and moving out of the mid-range. For several minutes, Williams was out cold. Peter was proclaimed the champion by a second-round knockout, winning the vacant WBC-NABF heavyweight title. According to ESPN, the victory was voted as the Knockout of the Year. According to the WBC, Peter was ranked No. 9 candidate by December 2004.

Peter defeated Cuban heavyweight Yanqui D'az, who had a record 13–1, 8 KOs going into the match on January 22, 2005. This was his second appearance in a twelve-round match. Due to his long and successful amateur career, D'az was regarded as a "hero among the Cubans," according to boxing boss Wes Wolfe. D.az started a five-fight winning streak against Tony Thompson, an undefeated former world cruiserweight champion, and a split-decision win over Vaughn Bean after an unexpected loss to Tony Thompson. By January 2005, he was ranked No. 13 by the WBO. The match took place on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Henry Bruseles, and was broadcast on HBO.

Peter patiently followed D.az across the ring and finding his way inside, while D.az attempted to remain outside, fight behind the jab, and circle around his heavier adversary. Peter took the Daz down with a right hand in the first round. In the second round, he did it again, but was suspended two points for deliberately hitting Daz while he was down, but then was suspended two points for intentionally hitting him while injured. Peter pinned D'az against the wires and then knocked him down in the fourth round. Dáz stood up, but he was sent with a left hook to his body. Peter dropped Dáz for the fifth time in the upcoming round, prompting Daz's corner to toss in the towel. Peter obtained the vacant IBF-USBA heavyweight title by beating Daz. Peter was ranked No.5 by the WBC in April 2005, while the IBF ranked him No. 6 by the WBO and No. 9 by the IBF.

He defeated a journeyman Gilbert Martinez (18–8–3, 7 KOs) by third round TKO in a tense fight broadcast by ESPN2 on Friday Night Fights. By the Ring's rankings, Peter was ranked No.9 heavyweight contender by June. Both the IBF and WBO also ranked him at No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Peter, who had a record of 230-0, 20 KOs, was predicted to have a promising future in the heavyweight division, with the media often comparing him to Mike Tyson due to his build and punching ability. When Mike Tyson was interviewed by ESPN in 2005, he cited Peter and Calvin Brock as his top fighters from the new crop of heavyweights.

Peter was more than three months later when he met WBA-NABA heavyweight champion Taurus Sykes (23–1–6 KOs) in Reno, Nevada, on July 2, 2005. It was the first time Showtime had televised a card. The demonstration was held as part of the Showtime Championship Boxing Club's Showtime Championship Boxing Program. Sykes was 5–0–1 in his last six fights, most notable losing another Nigerian heavyweight Friday Ahunanya by default in a competitive match and scoring a draw against Imamu Mayfield. Sykes accused Peter of ducking the battle with him before. Both fighters engaged in a verb clash, with Sykes' insult of Peter continuing to be insulting, but it's all good. My whole life has been like this. Everybody I've encountered was supposed to beat me, but I came out on top. I'd kill him and outthink him. I'm going to be a sleek, crafty boxer. I know he has never really fought anyone like that. Everybody who has fought is trying to get a check and leave. Sam is getting all hyped up. That's how I'm going to pull him out of the game. I'm going to bust him down and then I'll just walk away with a smile."

The match lasted two rounds. Sykes were trying to keep away from Peter by circling around, reading behind the jab, and mainly throwing one-two combinations, when Peter was playing his way inside, going back and forth between combinations, trying to push Sykes against the ropes. In the following round, the same pattern continued. As Sykes attempted to start a clinch, Peter hurt Sykes with a right hook in the middle of the second round. Peter immediately fired back with a barrage of punches, refusing to allow Sykes to stay away and recover from the assault, which eventually knocked him down with just one minute left. Sykes was unable to get up, causing the referee to call the fight and announce Peter as the champion. Peter became the holder of regional titles of three major sanctioning organizations, IBF, WBA, and WBC with a victory over Sykes. Peter, who was already ranked by the WBC, IBF, and WBO as of August 2005, was ranked No. 9 by the WBA.

He met Wladimir Klitschko in an elimination match in Atlantic City for the IBF's fifth title, in which Peter's WBC-NABF crown was also on the line. Klitschko was considered the underdog entering the fight by many, against the 7-to-5 favorite Peter, who had won all of his 24 matches, with 21 of them ending within the distance. Samuel Peter was regarded as one of the best prospects in the heavyweight division going into the fight. Peter will win, according to renowned boxing coaches Angelo Dundee and Teddy Atlas. Wladimir's crew, including his brother Vitali, were worried about Wladimir and they did not want this war to happen. However, Wladimir persisted in defeating Peter, claiming that defeating a tough, hard-hitting fighter like Samuel Peter would help him regain his status and make him a mandatory challenger for two heavyweight belts.

The first four rounds were tentative, with Peter not being to close. Peter Stachne with a solid left hook at the end of the third installment of the tournament. In the fifth, Klitschko was hit again with another left hook, bringing Klitschko and Klitschko's rabbit punch to the canvas. It was declared as the knockdown by the referee. After Klitschko got up, Peter went for the gun, thinning him with the rabbit punch. It was the second time the referee scored it as the second knockdown. Peter was outboxed from sixth to ninth rounds, aiming for Klitschko with the rabbit punch when recovering from a clinch. Wladimir staggered with a firm right hand, eventually leading Klitschko to the canvas with a different right as Wladimir was backing away from the field. Klitschko was trying to hold Peter at bay by using straight punches in the 11th and 12th rounds. In the last round, Peter hooked Klitschko with a left hook, but he was unable to profit from it. Rather, Klitschko hit him with a brutal counter left hook of his own, stuning Peter for the first time in the fight.

Peter was eventually defeated by a unanimous decision, and the fight was finally over (UD). The judges scored the match identically 114–111.

Peter defeated Robert Hawkins (221–4–0, 7 KOs) in a stay-busy match in which the WBA-NABA championship was also on the line less than three months after losing to Klitschko on December 15, 2005. The match was part of the heavyweight triple-header, which culminated in undefeated Sultan Ibragimov facing Lance Whitaker, as Peter's promoter Ivaylo Gotzev's hopes that the winners of the two tournaments will meet each other in the near future. In the build-up to the war, Robert Hawkins said, "This war shows Sam Peter is a true soldier not afraid of anyone." "Global Warfare" took place in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, and was broadcast on In-Demand PPV for $19.95.

Peter's aggressive strategy got the ball rolling. He knocked Hawkins down midway through the first round, but he was more cautious afterward, patiently stalking Hawkins across the ring and fighting behind the jab. After Sultan Ibragimov's coach Panama Lewis collapsed due to a heart arrest, the match was called off in the fourth round. The delay lasted 11 minutes. The following round only lasted one minute after the games were replayed. Peter was forced to fight with a split in the back of his trunks after the sixth round. After the seventh round, Peter stepped up his fire. The Hawkins faced the majority of the war on the back foot and appeared to be unable to withstand Peter's pressures for the most part. In the end, the match went the distance, with Peter being declared the champion. The judges scored the match 99–90 (twice) and 98–91, all in favour of Peter. Peter was ranked No.9 heavyweight in the world by The Ring at the end of 2005. Peter was ranked No. 6 in the world by BoxRec as the world's No.6 heavyweight.

Despite the fact that Long was unranked by the WBC in a fight televised by ESPN, Peter defeated 7'11" journeyman Julius Long (14–7, 12 KOs) for the NABF heavyweight championship on April 28, 2006. Long was 4–2 in his last six fights, coming off the loss of a UD loss to Terry Smith (24–1–1, 16 KOs). Peter was regarded as the strong favorite against Long, who despite his height, was mainly an insider and threw punches at strange angles. Long made a quick death of him by 80 seconds into the first round and then clobbering him by a three-punch combination, which culminated in Long collapsing face first on the canvas, causing the referee to call the fight off.

On September 2, 2006, Toney's next fight was a match against heavyweight champion James Toney in Los Angeles for the right to face WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev. Peter will win by a split decision; however, the WBC will have ample reason to order a rematch.

Manny Masson was brought in to prepare Peter for the match against Toney.

Peter defeated Toney in a rematch by unanimous decision on January 6, 2007. Official judges' scorecards read 119–108, 118–110, 118–110, 110–110.

He had earned the right to face the WBC heavyweight champion after beating Toney. On October 6, 2007, a match against Oleg Maskaev was scheduled. Maskaev did not recover from the fight due to a back injury. The WBC announced Peter Carter as their interim heavyweight champion.

Jameel McCline had been scheduled to face Vitali Klitschko on September 22 for a championship dismissal. However, the match was called off due to Klitschko's back injury in preparation. Peter and McCline were able to meet under these circumstances. Peter stepped into the ring as the champion defending his title. Until McCline was accused of using illicit drugs in 2005 and 2006, there was a lot of controversies, but the organizers decided to let the game happen despite this. A lab report will be available about 5 days after the war is complete. Peter almost dropped out of the fight due to a hand injury he suffered during his preparation camp in the Poconos, but Manny Masson restored control of Peter's hand-wrapping.

Peter was knocked down three times by McCline in the second and third rounds, who had a height advantage of nearly 6 inches, on October 6th in Madison Square Garden. Though Peter appeared to be seriously injured in the third round, he was able to lift the trophy and keep it as the WBC's interim heavyweight championship. Peter's victory was due to his triple jab, footwork, head control, and combination punching, which is also attributable to his handler Manny Masson. In the final minute of each round, he kept Mccline off with the jab and then coerced him backwards. Mccline was possibly drained from throwing so many power punches early on. Nevertheless, Peter outlasted him for the better part of nine rounds.

He was a mandatory contender for the WBC belt held by Oleg Maskaev, who had been inactive since December 2006 due to injury. On March 8, 2008, the much-anticipated brawl took place in Cancn, Mexico. Peter TKO, with the referee ending the match with just a few seconds remaining in the sixth round. From the first round onwards, Peter had much less energy than he had in his previous two encounters against Maskaev. Peter staggered Maskaev in round three and was then stunned in return. Maskaev had no intention of offending Peter. In the sixth, Peter used his jab to pursue Maskaev, who eventually broke through with a strong right hand. Maskaev staggered backwards, and Peter joined them in the finish. While Oleg attempted to alert Peter about rabbit punches, he continued to pummel Maskaev on the ropes. As Maskaev staggered backwards into the corner, the referee stepped in with seconds remaining. At the time of the stoppage, Peter was ahead of all three judges' scorecards.

Following his victory over Maskaev, Klitschko openly challenged IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Wladimir Klitschko to a unification bout, as well as his second matchup with Peter (which culminated in a unanimous decision win for Klitschko). By court order on April 29, 2000, three of the four major championships would have united three of the four major championships, the closest the division had been to an undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis relinquished the WBA title (one of the three he later held) by a judicial order. Klitschko said he might fight Peter, but he suggested that Peter take on Vitali first. Vitali Klitschko had retired as the WBC's champion emeritus in November 2005 and was deemed the WBC's champion emeritus, granting him the right to challenge the WBC's code if he wanted to fight again. Vitali was the most influential factor in his division at the time of his retirement. Both were aspiring to be the rightful WBC belt holder. However, the fight was given more significance; if Vitali were to win, it would mean that both brothers would fulfill their dream of being heavyweight champions at the same time. On the other hand, if Peter wins and then face Wladimir in a rematch, it would bring the heavyweight division closer to the first undisputed title holder in years. Peter accepted the WBC's decision, and the match was scheduled at O2 World Berlin on October 11th.

Klitschko had a memorable ring entrance, with five former heavyweight champions all appearing to wish him luck in his comeback. Klitschko will reclaim his position in this burgeoning style. Klitschko was upbeat from the first bell even though he was recovering from a four-year absence. Peter had been supposed to set the pace and pursue Vitali, but instead he spent time outside trying to box his way in. Klitschko found Peter a nimble object in the ring and found him in the middle of the fight. In the second round, Peter had two strong right hands, but they had no effect on Vitali at all. Peter's face was swollen and his corner was becoming bloated after four rounds. Vitali's corner begged him to let his hands go and push Vitali back. Peter managed to recover in the sixth round, but Klitschko's counter punches made him even more vulnerable. The seventh round was extremely painful for the defending champion, who ate many left hooks, right crosses, and jabs. After a few rounds, Peter seemed to be unresponsive to his corner's direction. The ring announcer read out the scores of the fight as his corner continued to give him directions. Klitschko was ahead of schedule by 80–72, and one by 79–73. Peter told the referee that he did not want to continue, causing the referee to call the fight off and declare Klitschko the champion.

Peter was attempting to return to the heavyweight title picture after losing to Eddie Chambers on March 27, 2009. The confrontation took place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and was broadcast on ESPN2. Chambers broke his right thumb early in the third round early in the third round, but he was able to outbox Peter for the majority of the match, causing him to be able to stop most of Peter's shots using his gloves and armes. As a result, the judge pronounced Chambers the winner by majority vote, with the judges determining the match 99–91, 96–94, and 95–95. Any observers sluggish in the 95-95 score, feeling that Peter did not do enough to win more than three rounds.

In the third round of the third round, he defeated Marcus McGee in Mexico on July 25, 2009, knocking him unconscious. For this fight, he weighed in at 243 pounds.

His next fight was against Ronald Bellamy on September 15, 2009. Peter was defeated in the second round by a second-round knockout. He then met journeyman Gabe Brown and won by the fourth round postponement.

Following his three triumphs over journeymen, Peter took a giant leap forward in his IBF eliminationist match against Nagy Aguilera (Aguilera had earned the position against former champion Oleg Maskaev) on Saturday. Peter weighed in at 237 pounds, the lightest since his seventh pro match. Nagy led the first round to an exciting first round before he sent Aguilera down in the second with a right hand counter, but the count was stopped soon after as he was hanging against the ropes and firing heavy weapons.

Peter then aimed for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko or a final IBF eliminator with unbeaten Alexander Povetkin. Peter, Sensing that Povetkin was unable to face Klitschko, became a replacement foe for the tense battle. Both Peter and Povetkin were ranked as the top IBF candidates.

Peter defeated Wladimir Klitschko again at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, on September 11, 2010 for the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. Peter weighed in at 241 pounds, two pounds lighter than his first fight. Klitschko came in at a weighty 247 pounds. In the pre-fight build-up, both fighters had promise knockouts. Peter began the war in a bob and weave fashion that he had never before battled in. Klitschko had a solid left hook in the first round, but Klitschko was unshaken. Klitschko had a good round. Klitschko caught Peter with three strong right hands, one of whom seemed to stun him. In the third round, both fighters fought to land punches, and there was a lot of clinching in what was a physical match. Referee Robert Byrd, who suffered with Peter on the break or struck to the back of the head, was not allowed to punch him on the head. The match became one sided after four rounds, with Peter's right eye closing. Peter was unable to locate the target and started lunging with wild fires, his legs had slowed drastically and he was firing heavy bullets. In round six, he did get through with a strong right hand, though. Klitschko will face Peter in the middle of the fight and have him physically dominate him in the clinches rather than going backwards as he did in their first battle. After eight rounds, Peter was completely exhausted, and he was receiving harsh punishment. After the ninth round, Peter's cornerman Abel Sanchez threatened to call the match off and then promised to give him one more round. Klitschko was ordered to play combinations by Emanuel Steward. In the tenth, Peter swung wildly, and Klitschko opened with a sarcastic combination that nearly floored him. Referee Robert Byrd did not start counting and waved the fight off, giving Klitschko the win by knockout. Klitschko's ninth successful title defense.

The rematch's defeat to Klitschko may have ended Peter's career as a top-level fighter. He was drafted out of his position as a result of his performance. Despite this Peter's boss's promise that they would seek other major fights in the conflict against people other than the Klitschko brothers.

Peter and his team made an invitation to Tomasz Adamek, who was promoted from Top Rank, in an IBF elimination match. Peter refused Adamek's challenger money of $150,000, causing the fight to fall apart. Peter then started talks with Tye Fields, which unfortunately didn't turn up. In March 2011, it was announced that Peter would fly to Germany to face undefeated Finnish prospect Robert Helenius. Peter was expected to be in training with Jeff Mayweather, but Mayweather was not present for Peter's fight against Helenius. Peter weighed in for the contest at 260 pounds (120 kg), 18.5 lbs heavier than the Klitschko battle. Peter was neither a reputable trainer or even a cutman for the fight. Peter had a fair start in the first half of the tournament, winning many of the first six rounds; however, after that point, Peter began to tire. Helenius fell to the ground on round nine, and Peter was sent back to the canvas, where he had remained for a long time over the ten-second count. Many people have called for Peter's retirement from boxing due to the circumstances of Helenius' death as well as Peter's difficult physical health.

On September 27, 2014, Peter made a strange return to the ring against journeyman Ron Aubrey. Peter was battling to walk when the bout began, and he was a career heavyweight (271 pounds (123 kg). In the first round, Peter brought Aubrey unconscious thanks to a powerful right hook.

Peter had been contracted to fight several opponents during his four-year absence from inactivity, but all of the fights had been cancelled. He had been supposed to participate in the Super 8 boxing tournament but had to cancel due to injury. He was due to meet former champion Alex Leapai, but he had to cancel as the match got closer. He signed to sparring Alexander Ustinov, but the match was called off only days before. Peter was close to agreeing to face Luis Ortiz before being forced to fight him.

Peter returned to the ring on October 23 in Mexico after a two-year layoff, defeating unknown boxer Juan Carlos Salas (6–9) in three rounds. Peter was 622 pounds at birth. If Peter would be returning to boxing full-time, it was also uncertain.

In Sofia, Bulgaria, on November 1, there were early reports that Peter will be facing Kubrat Pulev, the world championship champion. Pulev, who was ranked no. 2 in the IBF, recently defeated Derek Chisora by a vote in May. Team Sauerland announced a fight between Peter and Pulev on December 3 in Bulgaria five days later, five days later. Pulev's anticipated European title defense against Polish boxer Mariusz Wach will be a stumbling block. On November 22, Pulev vacated his European title. Pulev defeated Peter via fourth round corner retirement (RTD) to win the vacant WBA InterContinental heavyweight title in front of 15,000 people at the Arena Armed Club. Peter was adamant throughout the game, but Pulev's jab was a little offputting. After round three, the match was called off as Peter dislocated his right shoulder while throwing a huge punch. He returned to the corner leaning towards the right side, but the injury eventually compelled him to leave.

On February 22, 2019, Peter returned to Mexico for the second time in two years. He appeared at the Cheers Bar & Grill in Tijuana, knocking out Gerardo Escobar in less than 44 seconds of the game being initiated. Peter signed a promotional deal with Salita Promotions on March 26 and was announced to face Mexican journeyman Mario Heredia (15–6–1, 13 KOs) in Atlantic City on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs. Christina Hammer on April 13 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Heredia was 2–5-1 in his previous eight bouts before the fight. At the Adrian Phillips Theater, Peter lost an eight-round split to Heredia. Peter was sent by a knockdown in round three, but Heredia, who battled and triumphed by scores of 77–74 and 76–75, was unable to finish Heredia, who lost by a 79–72 margin.

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