Peter Unanimously Outpoints Toney

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Samuel Peter never liked the idea of fighting James Toney again, insisting that he clearly beat him the first time around.

After what happened Saturday night in their second fight, Toney might not want another rematch.

Peter beat Toney for the second time in three months Saturday night, getting a unanimous decision in a WBC heavyweight elimination bout and perhaps the chance to fight Oleg Maskaev for a championship.

Peter (28-1, 22 knockouts) was ahead on two cards by scores of 118-110; he led the other card 119-108.

When it was over, the fighters seemed to disagree again on the outcome, with Toney raising his right fist in victory and Peter dancing around his half of the ring.

But deep down, Toney (69-6-3, 43 KOs) probably couldn't have believed that he would emerge the winner.

"First time, I knew I beat him," Peter said. "I won the first fight."

He took this one, too.

When the fighters last met in Los Angeles on Sept. 2, both men claimed to have won convincingly. And observers, too, couldn't agree on the real winner.

Peter was the winner by 116-111 margins on two judges' cards that night, but Toney was ahead 115-112 on the third card - and many ringside viewers also thought he won the bout. So the WBC intervened and, by a vote of its board of governors, ordered a rematch with the caveat that the winner would get a title shot.

With a few guys who know about winning championships - Shaquille O'Neal, Bernard Hopkins, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini and Hulk Hogan - sitting ringside, Peter's approach was simple: He absorbed Toney's best shots, while keeping the former IBF middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champion near the ropes as much as he could.