Two title fights lived up to advance billing in Cancun on Saturday night. In the headliner of the Plaza De Toros card, Sam Peter took Oleg Maskaev's WBC title belt with a TKO in the sixth round, proving himself to be the quicker, more agile and harder-punching fighter of the two heavyweights. Still, the fight was competitive through the first four rounds. Maskaev scored with his jab consistently and landed occasional hooks. The problem for Maskaev was that his power punches took light years to land, leaving him looking all of his 39 years of age. As the fight wore on, Peter increasingly beat Maskaev to the punch.

    Peter staggered Maskaev in the second and third rounds but Maskaev answered back with power punches of his own on both occasions. That pattern ended in round six when Peter's barrage overwhelmed Maskaev. Peter connected with just about every right and left that he threw while Maskaev stopped punching and began looking dazed. Referee Guadalupe Garcia jumped in front of Peter and called a halt to the action with four seconds left in round six, just in time to prevent the dazed Maskaev from incurring any serious harm.     Peter fought more aggressively and than he did against James Toney and Jameel McCline. Peter was lucky not to have lost a point for the number of times he hit Maskaev behind the head. This fight featured open scoring. However, the benefits and pitfalls of open scoring were not tested as Peter ended the whole event after almost six rounds - and on his terms.

     The bout preceding Peter vs. Maskaev took on a different hue but proved just as exciting. The 36-year-old challenger Nate Campbell outclassed the favored Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz. Considered the top lightweight in the world before the fight, Diaz went after Campbell head-first, attempting to smother Campbell. The first two rounds were fast and furious, making themselves candidates for rounds of the year. In the first five rounds of the fight, Diaz smothered and bullied Campbell in the way that Roberto Duran infamously bullied Sugar Ray Leonard around in their first historic fight. However, Diaz was not as successful as the prime Duran was. The Baby Bull found himself unable to use his close-quarters tactics to wear down the Galaxy Warrior the way he had done so with all of his previous opponents. Campbell found ways to slip punches and counter punch. The veteran also showed a very solid chin, taking Diaz' firepower better than any of Diaz previous opponents ever had.

    Campbell's ability to block punches and deflect their momentum thwarted Diaz' vaunted body attack. Even after taking several of Diaz' body shots, Campbell never withered. It was clear that not only was Campbell on top of his game, he also showed up in peak shape.

    By round eight, Diaz was struggling to fight on while hampered by a cut and swollen left eye. The Galaxy Warrior looked as sharp as ever as he dominated the final five rounds. Just before the final bell, trainer John David Jackson urged Campbell to be careful for the final three minutes of the fight. Campbell responded, "I'm going to work!" Insisting on fighting through the final round was probably a wise idea for Campbell since this was an 'away' match. While the fight did not hinge on the final round, the Cancun judges awarded Campbell a close split decision. A unanimous decision victory was clearly in order for the Galaxy Warrior.

    Also on the undercard, “Quiet Man” John Ruiz quietly resuscitated his career with a unanimous decision over Jameel McCline.