MASSIVE MASKAEV

The pound for pound game has just gotten better. Suspense, Tension, Hope has come alive. The boxing fraternity has waited for a long time to witness an exciting heavy weight clash.

The two gladiators are few of the world’s best performers in recent times .Dreaming is normal for anyone who is asleep, how about someone who is not, and walks the streets dreaming? Well that has become my case, there is virtually no day that I don’t dream about the October 6, 2007 epic, destiny fulfilling fight between Samuel
(The Nigerian nightmare) Peters and the Russian Oleg Maskaev.

However, I dropped my anchor when I realized that Samuel Peters is up against one hell of a fighter, reality dawned on me, reasoning also caused me to take a close look at the man Oleg Maskaev .My reason for taking a close look at the Russian was strongly challenged by the spirit of patriotism but thank God for my left hook that leaves every emotional opponents on the canvass.

The man Maskaev has seen the high and low of life ,worked in a farm back in the days, had a stint with the Russian army ,rose to the position of lieutenant .This was before he turned to boxing and since then there has been no stopping the one I call the “Rushing Russian”.

Having been mismanaged by his team it came to a point, his fair-whether friends deserted him, his promoter left him and his trainer advised him to quit boxing. It was a moment of despair, a psychological blow, circumstance was about to hand him a knockout but the man knew what it means to never give up as he hung on, something dramatic took place. Maskaev was called by another trainer, who assembled a team for him what followed immediately was simply amazing. He won 9 fights in a row, 8 by knockout and David Defiagbon was one of the victims. According to B.Bradly, he is one of the few foreign boxers who have scored unanimous decision in Germany, in over 30 years.

In his fight against Hassim “The Rock” Rahman, he showed class. In the first fight, Rahman led on points but in the 8th round, he scored a knockout in what has been described as one of the finest knockouts in boxing history .Maskaev’s right hand ensured that Hassim slipped through the ropes, landed on the television table before landing on the floor. In the second fight he floored Rahman in the 12th round ,when Rahman got up to continue ,he wished he never did for he was smothered with a barrage of punches and referee Jay Nady had no choice but to save the victim. That victory over Rahman was not just another upset, it was an example of a man who found inner strength within himself and triumphed over agony and adversity.

Having said that, another question that must be given answers is “what makes Maskaev thick both as a boxer and as a person?” The answer is not far fetched. As a boxer, Maskaev has got a great team behind him, from Dennis Rappaport, Manager Fred Kesch and trainer Victor Valle and all others, have helped shaped the one time no good boxer to a man that is simply amazing. Outside boxing, he is a devoted Christian, a family man with 4 children and a loving husband. He is also a very strong investor in Real Estate.

The man is complete; he has the quality any one would dream to have. He is fearless, has a strong will, focused and an indomitable spirit. Oleg Maskaev is not a boxer one can push over, today his life is described as that of a Cinderella. His career has produced 34 wins, 26 knockouts, 5 Loses. No draws. As the battle comes closer, I advice Sam Peters to remain, focused and work more on his reflex its my utmost belief that the Nigerian will come out tops as I had dreamt and keep dreaming.