Fireworks erupted earlier than expected on Saturday night's boxing card in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. In the preliminary bout between upcoming star Miguel Cotto and the previously-unknown (and unbeaten) replacement fighter, Ricardo Torres, Cotto absorbed a hailstorm of power punches and suffered a knockdown - along with a couple near-knockdowns on his difficult path to victory. But to Cotto's credit, the Puerto Rican favorite returned enough fire to win by knockout in a fight that lasted seven brutal rounds.
   After Cotto won an exchange in the opening round that left Torres on the canvas, the Colombian underdog came back to rock Cotto, leaving him dazed and confused for the better part of round one. The impact of Torres' power carried over into the second round as he continued to jostle Cotto with power shots. Two minutes into the round, Cotto went down after receiving one too many of Torres' hard punches.

   Round three saw Cotto return with determination and artillery. Coming back from near disaster, Cotto began getting the better of the exchanges. While focusing on the body, Cotto landed below the belt line a few times. At one point in round four, Cotto hit Torres blatantly low. This elicited a warning from the referee and gave Torres valuable recuperative time. The two junior welterweights continued to engage in furious combat during round five, but one solid combination from Torres did noticeable damage and put Cotto into survival mode for the remaining minute of round five. Amazingly, it was Cotto who returned to do the most damage in round six as he knocked Torres down. But in the true see-saw nature of this fight, Torres came out swinging and connecting in round seven. However, the Cinderella story would not come full circle for replacement fighter Ricardo Torres. Cotto struck Torres with a right hand that ended the battle. Torres did not get up in time for the ten count enabling Cotto to overcome his toughest test to date.

   The night's main event followed suit when almost-forgotten-about Wladimir Klitschko took on upcoming power-puncher Samuel Peter in a back-and-forth heavyweight battle that seemed to mirror the ebb and flow of the preliminary fight. Despite landing on the canvas three times, Klitschko fought his way to a decision victory through superior ring generalship and a highly effective jab.
   Klitschko won the first two rounds by pelting Peter's face and keeping the "Nigerian Nightmare" at bay with a jab reminiscent of Lennox Lewis'. Clearly, trainer Emanuel Steward (formerly w/ Lennox Lewis) had a hand in Wladimir's new jab. By round three it was becoming clear that anytime Peter breeched the safe distance that Klitschko aimed to keep, Klitschko would clutch onto Peter until referee Randy Neuman separated the two. While Peter was not connecting cleanly in round three, would still knock Klitschko back a few steps when the Ukrainian fighter blocked Peter's shots. Soon, the crowd began booing Klitschko's defensive tactics.
   In round five, Peter decided that he'd had enough of Klitschko's actions, so he forced his way through Klitschko's defense by power punching with reckless abandon. In his rampage, he battered Klitschko to the canvas twice. Some punches may have hit the top or back of Klitschko's head, but this was not Peter's fault. The taller Ukrainian fighter kept holding Peter while ducking and turning his head. Referee Randy Neuman, notorious for his reluctance to take away points, did not penalize Klitschko for his incessant holding and ducking. Nor did he deduct any points from Peter for accidentally hitting Klitschko on the top and on the back of Klitschko's head.
   After taking a shellacking in round five, Klitschko made round six look like the opening round, where he dictated the action. Blocking Peter's shots and hitting him with straight rights and lefts, Klitschko won rounds six and seven soundly. While Peter landed solid shots in the rounds seven and eight, it was Klitschko who scored more frequently and controlled the action.
   However, round ten was another round where Peter summoned the energy to counter Klitschko's strategy by the use of sheer force. Once again, Klitschko tried to hold, but Peter's swinging hooks proved to be juggernauts as they deposited Klitschko onto the canvas for a third time. Despite getting off the stool with two swollen eyes, Peter's tenacity and power won round ten.
   Round eleven looked like the majority of the rounds; Peter chased Klitschko while Klitschko lead his opponent around the ring and racked up points with an on-target jab. Peter connected a few times with thunderous punches but found himself out-connected and kept at a distance.
   Peter opened the final round by rocking Klitschko, but Klitschko showed moxie by coming back with a left hook that staggered and dazed the Nigerian power puncher shortly after. Klitschko took the final round and won a unanimous decision, 114 - 111 on all three cards.
   Peter suffered his first loss, but his career will not suffer from such a gutsy performance. And Wladimir Klitschko, the fallen "heir apparent" to the heavyweight crown, proved that he is still a threat in the heavyweight division.