(October 6, 2007) New York, New York (Madison Square Garden)—-

Perhaps they should change his nicknamed from the "Nigerian Nightmare" to simply Lazarus.

Interim WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter climbed off the canvas three times before he was able to get squared away and start hammering back at his challenger Jameel McCline and score an improbable but commanding 12 round unanimous decision.

Despite getting knocked down; for the first time in his career at the end of the 2nd and then twice more in the 3rd, the powerfully built Peter rallied with hard straight right hands and enough riveting shots to pound out the victory over McCline. Peter was initially set to challenge Oleg Maskaev for his WBC crown but when he fell out with a back injury the Nigerian heavyweight was given the title WBC interim champ and McCline was chosen from the usual suspects in the division.

Following his repeated trips to terra firma in the early going, Peter rallied from the 4th round on and after continuing to bounce heavy artillery off of the challenger's skull he was awarded the somewhat miraculous win and McCline has now failed in four attempts to win a world title.

Judge Bill Costello had it 115-110, while Julie Lederman had it much closer 113-112 and Steve Weisfeld scored the contest 115-111, all for the resilient Nigerian heavyweight.

Despite his three early trips to the floor there was little doubt in Peter's mind at least, why he was able to come back and win.

"Because I am the WBC World Champion. I got this belt and I've got to defend it," Peter said after the victory. "I felt his power. I got caught with good punches, but I slipped on the paint as well. He's heavy, 280 pounds. If you don't fall down, you can never stand up."

As for who is next on the list of scheduled opponents, well, they will probably have to wait a bit because the WBC champion Peter all ready has other plans.

"I am going home to bring the heavyweight belt to Africa. I am going home," Peter proclaimed.

For the 37-year-old challenger McCline it was probably his last shot at winning the title that just earlier in the evening had seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

"I could see a split decision or a one point loss," McCline said after the defeat. "But a unanimous decision, come on. I thought I had him (in the third). He got away and that's why he is the champion."

--Happy Landings--

Peter (29-1, 22 KO's) opened early in the 1st, with hard left jabs to the body and then upstairs, as McCline (38-8-3, 23 KO's) elected to pick his spots before opening up. With 27-seconds remaining in the round, Peter (250) scored with a short right hand on the inside and he drove McCline (266) back several steps. Seconds later, the challenger connected with a hard left jab of his own but Peter, Akwaibom, Nigeria countered and scored with another chopping right hand to the jaw that hurt McCline.

Peter, 6 ‘ ½", seemed well on his way to doing the necessary things required to defend his title when the wheels came off the wagon and left the muscular heavyweight floundering in the ring. Late in the 2nd, the champion scored with a series of ramrod left jabs to the face, however, McCline, 6'6", returned fire and nailed Peter with a crushing right uppercut to the chin. The champion's legs gave and he crashed to floor and almost bounced off the deck on his backside following the stunning knockdown at the sound of the bell. The referee Michael Ortega sent the challenger to the neutral corner and then administered the mandatory eight-count to the dejected and stunned Peter as he returned to his corner and his stool.

Peter answered the bell to open the 3rd, and landed several well-timed hard left jabs. However, McCline, West Palm Beach, Florida, countered with a lead right uppercut that caught Peter flush and he staggered back towards the ropes. With the Garden fight fans screaming, Peter attempted to clinch and grab McCline around the waist but the challenger managed to get free and connect with three scalding right hands to the face including one brutal right cross square on the jaw.

Peter hit the canvas face first and he tumbled to the deck on his hands and his knees. The roar of the fight fans in the Garden was deafening but somehow Peter managed to struggle to his feet at the count of six. Peter gulped in several deep breaths and he looked to be on shaky wheels when the action resumed. At the 1:59 mark of the round, McCline jolted and rocked the champion again with a stunning left hook to the jaw. The challenger connected with three more clubbing blows to the face that stood Peter straight up in the center of the ring. Peter tried to clinch several times but he continued to tilt sideways and he appeared to be out on his feet.

With 1:04 to go in the 3rd, McCline, who appeared to be out of gas himself; caught Peter with two more hammering right hands to the face. Peter crashed to the canvas next to the ropes, with his legs stretched out in front of and his head listing badly to his left. Slowly and with great resolve, Peter used the same ropes for leverage and he pulled himself upright at the count of five. There were 42-seconds remaining in the round but McCline simply couldn't land the final shot that would give him the crown.

--Long Road Back--

Peter regained his fire and determination and began hammering away with both hands starting in the fourth round. Just before the bell to end the 4th, Peter sank a right hand under McCline's heart, reloaded and then nailed the challenger with a left hook to the head and another wicked right hand to the body that sounded like cannon fire off the side of a sheer cliff. The challenger turned around at the end of the round and slowly walked back to his corner sucking in air.

In the 5th, Peter was back on target and he tagged the slower moving McCline with a crisp counter right hand over his left jab that jolted the veteran heavyweight. McCline dropped his gloves and started to retreat but Peter bounced another lethal left jab off of his chin for good measure. Peter still proved to be a rough customer and later in the round he was warned by the referee Ortega; about holding and hitting behind the head.

The challenger's punch output dropped dramatically by 6th, and he appeared to be breathing through his mouth and sucking in air whenever possible. Peter returned to landing hard left jabs and then digging hooks to the ribs that repeatedly caught McCline full force. Later in the round just before the bell, McCline stood his ground and nailed the champion with a three-punch salvo that rocketed off of Peter's profile. Nevertheless, as he returned to his corner McCline seemed almost exhausted and he was reduced to gulping in much needed oxygen as he leaned back against his stool.

In the 7th, Peter returned to scoring with his left jab and he jolted the challenger with yet another hammering right hand over the top that drove McCline back into the ropes and forced the taller man to hold on. McCline rediscovered his right uppercut in the 8th and after doubling up twice with the blast he forced the champion to clinch after nailing Peter with two hard shots.

If body language is any indication how a fight is progressing, McCline along with his lead had started to erode and then begin to vanish by the end of the ninth round. Sitting on his stool with his arms draped over the ropes and his head slumped down McCline simply looked dejected and tired as he struggled to regain his wind.

In the 10th, Peter rocked McCline once again after doubling up with his left jab and then followed with a blistering overhand right cross that caught the challenger high on the left side of his skull. Peter drove the challenger into the ropes and began muscling the taller man around the ring and dominating almost every exchange. Peter found his own uppercut in the 11th, and several times he jolted the challenger with thundering right hand hammers that caught McCline under the chin and wobbled his tiring legs. The champion was still tough in close quarters and he was warned by the referee Ortega for nailing McCline with yet another scalding right hand after given the command to break.

The champion zeroed in with his jab to open the 12th and final round and he continued to snap hard left hands off of the challenger's chin. Peter was simply the busier fighter over the last three minutes and along with all the tugging, wrestling and struggling to land clean blows it was the champion who still managed to score with several heavy shots before the sound of the bell.

Samuel Peter had returned from the land of the living dead to prevail. In the end, however, it was somewhat ironic that a man who stands six-foot-six still managed to come up short.