Highly-regarded Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter is by no means the only top-flight heavyweight in the stable of Duva Boxing and promoter Dino Duva. Here comes undefeated Mike “The Italian Stallion” Marrone, who will show his considerable talent on the under card of the big Peter vs. Toney show at Staples Center on Saturday night, September 2, in Los Angeles.

 

         Unbeaten with a powerful knockout punch, Marrone (14-0, 11 KO’s) will square off against Ralph “Wild Wild” West (16-8, 13 KO’s) of Jamboree, Kentucky, in a six round heavyweight affair. The Vero Beach, Florida, puncher looks to extend his unbeaten streak to 15 on the major fight card.

 

“Mike has established himself as one of the most exciting and electrifying heavyweight prospects in the world,” said Duva. “He has tremendous knockout power in both hands, and always brings the fans to their feet with his dominant performances.”

 

The six-foot-two bomber is managed by Dino’s father, the Hall of Famer Lou Duva, and is just 20 years old, so sky’s the limit. In fact, in eight of his victories Marrone has scored with a first round knockout, clearly illustrating his devastating punching power.

 

Meanwhile, in the evening's main event, WBC No. 3 Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter squares off against WBC No. 2-ranked James “Lights Out” Toney as the 20-year anniversary of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING continues in spectacular fashion (10 p.m. ET/PT).

 

The most significant non-title heavyweight fight of the year, a WBC eliminator, holds tremendous upside for the winner. With Toney’s well-rounded technique and Peter’s aggressive style, this match-up figures to be thrilling from start to finish. The winner of the 12-round eliminator, presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Don King Productions and Duva Boxing, will become the mandatory challenger to WBC champ Oleg Maskaev.