WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter and mandatory challenger Vitali Klitschko have agreed to fight in October, the WBC announced on Friday.
No date, venue or purse was announced for the fight, which will be Peter's first title defense since posting a sixth-round technical knockout of then-champion Oleg Maskaev on March 8 in Cancun.
Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) must first defeat the older Vitali Klitschko before setting up a potential unification bout with younger brother Wladimir Klitschko, who currently holds the IBF, WBO, and IBO belts.
‘All of them are going down,’ Peter said after taking the crown from Maskaev. ‘I can beat any boxer in the world. I'm the best heavyweight. I'm undisputed.’
Peter suffered the only loss of his career to the younger Klitschko on September 24, 2005, in Atlantic City.
Following his loss to Wladimir, Peter recorded a pair of notable victories over James Toney. He then outpointed Jameel McCline on October 6 despite being knocked down three times in the first three rounds.
Known as the ‘Nigerian Nightmare,’ Peter lived up to the nickname against Maskaev.
The 27-year-old pummelled the native of Kazakhstan in the third round but was unable to score a knockdown before unloading numerous power shots again in the sixth, forcing the stoppage.
Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) will returning to the ring after nearly four years.
The former WBC title holder last fought on December 11, 2004, when he scored an eighth-round TKO over British boxer Danny Williams.
On November 9, 2005, Klitschko announced his retirement from professional boxing and vacated his title.
He cited regrets about his suddenly-mounting injuries, a desire to leave the sport while still on top and political aspirations in his home country of Ukraine.
