With the most intriguing heavyweight match-up of the year just three weeks away, one that pits James “Lights Out” Toney against Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter in a WBC elimination bout, SHOWTIME is airing a 30-minute preview show highlighting the significance of the bout and showcasing the colorful personalities of the contestants. SHOWTIME will air the preview show, entitled: “Toney vs. Peter: Here They Come” more than 15 times including on September 2, the night of the live telecast from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
In addition, SHOWTIME On Demand is offering previous fights featuring the two exciting heavyweights. Since August 11, SHOWTIME subscribers have access to the following bouts in their entirety:
Toney vs. Dominick Guinn (Oct. 1, 2005);
Evander Holyfield vs. Toney (Oct. 4, 2003);
Jeremy Williams vs. Peter (Dec. 4, 2004);
Peter vs. Taurus Sykes (July 2, 2005)
And for non-SHOWTIME subscribers with access to Free On Demand, these bouts have been available since August 15. All are available through September 2.
In “Here They Come,” viewers get a compelling look into each fighter’s boxing ability and the stylistic match-up that could re-define the divergent heavyweight division. The winner of Toney-Peter will become the No. 1-ranked contender in the WBC and be poised to face the newly crowned champion Oleg Maskaev in coming months.
Complete with exclusive never-before-seen interview footage of Toney, “I want to give the fans what they want – blood and guts,” and Peter, “When I hit him, he will regret everything in his life,” as well as highlights of the incendiary July 11 announcement press conference in Los Angeles, the show primes viewers for what is sure to be an explosive fight.
Some of the sport’s leading journalists, broadcasters, trainers and fighters weigh in with analysis, predictions and commentary on what this fight means for the future of the division.
“Stylistically, this is the ultimate boxer versus puncher match-up,” proclaims Eric Raskin of The Ring magazine. “You have James Toney, a pure boxer, if ever there was one and Sam Peter, the complete opposite.”
“He is relentless,” said Maxboxing.com’s Doug Fischer of the 26-year old Peter. “He wants to get in there. He wants to take you out. And he is going to stop at nothing until he beats you into submission.”
“He is a pin-point puncher in terms of accuracy,” touts ringside analyst Al Bernstein of Toney, a former world champion in three weight divisions. “And he understands the sport of boxing almost better than anyone.”
“Both guys deserve a lot of credit for stepping up,” said renowned boxing reporter Kevin Iole, “because this is a fight that did not have to be made. And it’s a sign of good things in boxing when the best fighters want to fight the best.”
The featured song, “Here I Come,” is performed by The Roots featuring Dice Raw & Malik B, and is on the forthcoming album Game Theory from Island Def Jam.
Toney vs. Peter: Here They Come will air on SHOWTIME as follows:
Monday, August 14 1:30 AM
Tuesday, August 15 11:00 PM
Wednesday, August 16 11:20 PM
Friday, August 18 11:50 PM
Saturday, August 19 2:50 PM
Sunday, August 20 6:40 PM
Sunday, August 20 3:00 AM
Friday, August 25 11:55 PM
Saturday, August 26 6:20 PM
Monday, August 28 1:30 AM
Wednesday, August 30 11:30 PM
Thursday, August 31 12:55 AM
Friday, September 1 2:00 AM
Saturday, September 2 7:00 PM
The 12-round WBC elimination fight is being presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions, Duva Boxing and Don King Productions.
The evening’s co-featured bout will match IBF Featherweight Champion Eric “Mighty Mouse” Aiken defending his title for the first time against NABF 126-pound titleholder Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero.
SHOWTIME On Demand is a monthly subscription service, allowing consumers unlimited viewing of more than 130 different SHOWTIME programs every month. And unlike pay per view or movies on demand, SHOWTIME On Demand does not require customers to pay separately for each title they watch. SHOWTIME On Demand offers over 120 hours of programming at any given time including exclusive hit box office movies, original series, family originals, boxing, and behind the scenes extras.
