Ivaylo Gotzev; “Whatever rust there is, Sam Peter is going to beat it off Maskaev’s chin”
 INTERVIEW By Gabriel Montoya (July 27, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
Earlier this evening (7/25/07), Ivaylo Gotzev, fresh from the signing of the long delayed Oleg Maskaev vs. Sam Peter fight for the WBC Heavyweight Title, took a few moments to speak with DoghouseBoxing.com about the fight as well as the future plans for Sergei Lyakhovich.
Gabriel Montoya: It must be a big relief after all this time to finally have it signed.
Ivaylo Gotzev: Oh yeah. The quiet storm has been building. Finally we got it signed and we are ready to go. Sam has been in the gym quietly getting ready and patiently awaiting the showdown. We are basically ready to go October 6th.
GM: Do you think there will be any rust considering Sam is coming off such a long layoff?
IG: Well, whatever rust there is, he is going to beat it off Maskaev’s chin so I’m not worried about it.
GM: Do you think Maskaev’s been running this time because he is scared to fight Sam Peter? Do you think if it was Vitali he was supposed to fight the fight would have happened sooner?
IG: I honestly don’t think he was scared. I think he is a true warrior and one of the best champions out there right now. He’s got heart and one thing I don’t thing I don’t think he has done is run. But his promoter made it a little complicated in the way of negotiating and going for the Klitschko fight. I think it was Dennis Rappaport [Maskaev’s manager] than the champ. I believe that Maskaev would have fought anyone put in front of him.
GM: What finally broke the camel’s back? What made the deal go through?
IG: I think that everyone realized that enough was enough was enough. That the Klitschko goose chase was done a while ago. There was pressure from everybody. Legal trips from both camps. The bottom line is that this fighter was due. He qualified to be number one contender twice. Not once but twice so there was no denying us this time around. The fact is he earned his position. The tried to cash Maskaev vs. Klitschko but that didn’t work. Now the right thing is going to happen in facing the number one contender.
GM: How do you see the fight playing out?
IG: I honestly think it is going to bombs away. Both fighters are bangers and I know Maskaev is going to have one game plan and that is to try to survive and hit Samuel. Samuel is going to have one and one thing only on his mind and that is to knock Maskaev out. So look for fireworks. It’s going to be two big punchers squaring off in the middle of the ring. I don’t think anybody is going to run. I don’t think either guy knows how to run. It’s going to be a real test of wills and who is the bigger banger in there.
GM: Is there any animosity from Sam to Oleg or is it strictly at Mr. Rappaport?
IG: There’s no animosity but somebody’s got to pay come October 6th. I mean we waited so long. If you look at Peter’s record there’s never been anything like this. 9 months layoff. It’s never happened in his career. The long layoff. He’s really eager to fight. He wants to knock somebody out and Maskaev is going to the one standing in front of him. Whether it’s Rappaport that caused the delays only one man is going to pay and that is Maskaev.
GM: How is Sergei [Lyakhovich] doing?
IG: “He’s [Sergei Lyakhovich] doing great. He is all the way back as far as his strength and conditioning. He’s recovered real nice from the injuries. He’s going to be a world champion without a doubt. In fact, we’re looking for a showdown with the giant for hopefully this fall. They will fight for the WBA interim title or WBA regular title because they have that unification and the WBA has that super champion deal going. So we are going to line up Sergei vs. the chance at the WBA belt. “
GM: That’s a great fight:
IG: It’s a wonderful fight. It’s a great fight between two fighters who are well recognized and both ex champions. I think it is what needs to happen in boxing. More matches like this.
GM: It seems like the welterweight division has the boxing world on fire, getting everybody excited.
IG: Well that’s what is going to happen in the welterweight division. You know you can’t keep a good man down. Sam and Sergei. You got a lot of good fighters out there. Chagaev. That kid from Russia. Povetkin. A few hot prospects out there. Same thing is going to happen in the heavyweight division. Ex Soviet Union fighters are coming on strong. And now we’re going to throw a little Nigerian Nightmare in the mix, too, you know? It’s not going to be an all Soviet Union party. Somebody’s going to get knocked out. I promise you that.
GM: Like the United Nations, Nigeria will be represented.
IG: Nigeria is going to be right there in the mix. I believe Sam is going to be everybody’s worst nightmare.
GM: After Maskaev, will you go for unification?
IG: Part of the Champion Emeritus situation that was created around Vitali Klitschko, part of our deal is that the winner fights Vitali Klitschko. And we would love that fight. We just hope that Vitali is for real and he’s going to basically come in a face the music.
GM: I look forward to seeing all of it. Good luck.
IG: Thank you.
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