BoxingExclusive.com

April 2, 2007

EXCLUSIVE:

Maskaev Camp Will Not Pay Peter To Step Aside

So WBC Is Poised To Mandate Oleg vs. Sam Peter Fight

By William Trillo & Nat Gottlieb
Foto Folly: Bret "The Threat" Newton

It appears that WBC Heavyweight Champ Oleg Maskaev's desire to cash in on a fight with WBC Champion Emeritus Vitali Klitschko is about to derail, and it’s all thanks to Maskaev’s own promoter Dennis Rappaport, who has been unwilling to sign the agreement for step aside money for mandatory Challenger Sam Peter.

It was widely reported for several weeks that a $2.5 million step aside had been offered along with a guarantee to no matter who won the Maskaev/Klitschko fight that Peter would be next and would get a 50-50 split

A Peter camp source has confirmed that money for Peter to step aside has not been signed off on. A major announcement on this matter from the Peter camp will be forthcoming early this week.

Meanwhile Pound4Pound got confirmation from WBC President Jose Sulaiman that the step aside money has not been paid and the sanctioning body is about to order a Maskaev-Peter mandatory fight for the WBC Title.

Sulaiman told us exclusively, “The problem that has come to my attention is that Oleg Maskaev´s representative Dennis Rappaport objected to sign the agreement and being that the case, once it is confirmed, the WBC will order immediately his defense against Peter…”

So it appears at this point that Rappaport clearly only has one course of action, and that is to have Maskaev make his defense against Peter. If he doesn’t, Maskaev will be stripped, and all the luster of a Vitali comeback fight for the title would be removed and certainly, HBO, the money machine here, would have ZERO interest in a Maskaev vs. Vitali non-title bout.

Posted at 3 am EST

Stay tuned to Pound4Pound.com as we will bring you any updates on these comments as we get them.

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