Nigerian Samuel Peter said he executed his plan to perfection on Saturday to win the WBC heavyweight title and set himself up for a clash with one of the Klitschko brothers. Peter unleashed a fierce barrage of power punches on Russian Oleg Maskaev at the end of the sixth round, forcing the referee to stop the scheduled 12-round bout.
"I feel great," Peter told Reuters.
"I knocked him out and I ate him alive," added the Nigerian, who had been made WBC interim champion after Maskaev was unable to fight him for more than a year, primarily due to a back injury.
"I thank everyone in Nigeria and Africa. They have a heavyweight champion of the world." Peter, 30-1, wants to avenge his only professional defeat, a unanimous points loss to current IBF and WBO champion Wladimir Klitshcko in September 2005, during which he had knocked the Ukrainian down three times.
The WBC, however, has said Vitali Klitschko, an emeritus champion who relinquished his crown because of injury, is next in line to fight Peter.