My calls: Haye by mid-fight KO.
Diaz UD.

I give Maskaev a real shot against Peter. Both fighters are flawed, especially on defense. It's a matter of who lands that big shot first to set things off. Peter will be hungry--he's been waiting too long. I guess I give Peter the edge closely because he's more durable than Maskaev, but the Vegas odds on this are outrageous at 3-1.

Referee: John Keane

Mid-ring tactical hand-holding, and WHAM, Macca counters Haye with a left hook that stings the shit out of Haye right away. Haye went for that big right, and BAM.

Long jab from Haye, wild haymaker left hook misses for Haye. This feels like a powder keg.

Haye misses a lead right, and these two are cautious, but when they do throw, they're doing so with purpose. Crowd is outstanding.

Right from Haye, countered again with the left hook. Haye slips the right hand in, a counter shot of his own. Sneaky jab from Haye. Macca's jabs aren't getting home, but there he avoids Haye's big right again, and gets in an uppercut that doesn't land at full strength.

Right to the body from Haye. Couple of potshots by Macca, and the bell sounds. These guys aren't brawling, but looking for the big punches.

Maccarinelli 10-9

BIG right hand from David Haye, and Haye slams Macca a couple more times. MACCA FIRES BACK with the left hook! Haye DESTROYS Macca with a BRUTAL right hand, and Maccarinelli just takes it in stride.

Hook from Macca. HUGE RIGHT FROM HAYE!

MACCA IS DOWN!

He's out on his feet. What's the referee doing?

It's over!

David Haye TKO-2

Good Lord.

Nope! "I just didn't box the plan. Enzo Calzaghe's gonna crucify me. ... It was a cracking shot. ... I got caught by a good fighter."

Eddie Chambers would make a good testing opponent to test his skills at HW.

Referee: Jesus Salcedo Lopez

This ring announcer is not so great for English. Not that I really care.

Well, Diaz comese out punching and punching, and Campbell is MEETING HIM, which is what failed Julio Diaz and Freitas.

Jesus, you can't call this. Punching, punching, punching. Campbell is punishing Diaz's body, which could be a major difference maker. Diaz goes right back to the body, as usual.

STINGING rights to the body from Campbell. The referee -- Lampley: "We've never seen him before" -- separates the two of them while they're still fighting.

Diaz with several strong lefts and rights, and they are just not stopping for even a second. No matter where they're at, they punch and punch. WHAM, Diaz with a left to the body and right to the dome.

Chopping right from Diaz, and Campbell fires back with one of his own. Diaz is already bleeding above the left eye.

Diaz with more combo shots inside. There is no distance fighting here whatsoever. Diaz and Campbell are punishing one another. This is a hell of a rough and tumble opening round. Someone's body is going to just give out on them before this ends.

Excellent opening round for both guys.

Campbell 10-9

Diaz threw about 80 punches in the first round, Campbell 114.

They go RIGHT BACK TO IT. Manny and Jim also question Campbell's ability to keep doing this. We all know Juan can, but Nate has never really shown it before.

Campbell continues to land the better shots, really. People might look at this and be seeing Juan fighting his fight and controlling, but Campbell is the one pressing this. Well, there goes Juan, and Campbell doesn't look like he's going to have the energy.

Nevermind, Nate fires back on him and lands some solid stuff. And then Juan Just EXPLODES with his effortless punching in bunchings.

Campbell now really is looking a little fatigued. This is not his pace. But I think Nate is making the right call -- Juan proved that Popo Freitas and Julio Diaz could not beat him by fighting their games. They got overwhelmed. The only way to beat Juan Diaz really may be beating him at his own game.

I admire the nuts that Campbell is showing, in short.

Another good round -- and Nate talks shit right after the bell. "ALL NIGHT!"

Diaz 10-9
19-19

Diaz with another combo, two to the body, one upstairs. Right now Diaz is beating Nate to the punch, while some lady somewhere repeatedly screams, "STICK HIM, STICK HIM, STICK HIM!"

There's a little more distance between the two now, though not a lot. Campbell continues to lay brick with those rights to the body, and Diaz fires back downstairs, then lands another shot upstairs. That lady is just out of her mind. She shouts at the same pace Diaz punches.

Diaz's left eye is swelling, but he keeps landing. There are two great punches that land to the head after Campbell blocks to to the body.

Diaz 10-9
Diaz 29-28

Good fight so far.

Campbell with a couple of potshots as they lean and fight. Diaz is blocking and playing good defense this round, and it's serving him well. The more Campbell punches, the more tired he gets.

Diaz isn't landing a whole lot himself. Actually Campbell might be landing more clean punches this round.

Nice right upstairs from Diaz, but he hasn't once hurt Campbell. Diaz is no puncher.

Slower round, and tough to score.

Campbell 10-9
38-38

More of the same -- rough fighting in close, occasional break-ups by the referee when there are no clinches, which leads to both fighters looking somewhat bewildered as they just go right back to the tight quarters fighting, and punching and punching and punching.

Let's credit Campbell: He has fought much harder and much better than either Freitas or Julio Diaz. He earned this shot and he's making the most of it.

Another hard-fought round, and again hard to score. This is a damn good fight. Max calling it a Fight of the Year candidate is a bit much, but it's really good.

Diaz 10-9
Diaz 48-47

Turns out that both guys are seeing their bodies wear down. This is as close to Juan Diaz fighting himself as you can get. Juan now knows what he's been doing to everyone else.

Jesus, they will not stop going at one another.

Woops -- Campbell is warned for a headbutt, which REALLY busts Diaz's eye open.

Campbell gets a point taken away -- the referee must've thought it was intentional, or he's biased.

Diaz gets five minutes to tend to the cut. That is really nasty.

And Juan comes back quickly.

Max: "It was a punch."

Lederman harshly criticizes the referee for letting Diaz's cutman work the cut during the break. It's all true.

Bell sounds for the round.

And now we get a replay -- tough call.

Diaz 10-9 round
-1 for Campbell

Diaz 58-55

That is a huge swing.

Nope, that angle shows it was a clean punch. Ugh.

Campbell gets warned for holding. He wasn't, as far as I could tell.

Lampley already questions the judges based on their lack of experience. "Markedly inexperienced group of judges. MARKEDLY inexperienced. ... For a fight of this level, you may be shocked to see the histories of these judges."

The cut is really taking Diaz out of his game. Campbell is easily winning this round, as Diaz just isn't in his comfort zone anymore.

This is getting interesting on a lot of levels.

Campbell 10-9
Diaz 67-65

Campbell is able to take Juan's flurries now, as they're coming slower and with less zip, and that's saying something because Campbell has not once been bothered by Diaz's power.

Campbell looks like the fresher fighter -- but losing blood like that will do that.

Campbell is winging right hands to try and exacerbate the cut, but Juan's keeping his hand up there. Still, without those landing solidly, Diaz is being out-fought now.

Diaz with a straight right, but then he goes back into as close to a shell as he gets, fighting just in bursts. If anyone's will is being broken, it's Juan Diaz's. Nate Campbell is fighting for his career, and this is the second straight round he has CONVINCINGLY won.

Campbell 10-9
Diaz 76-75

Diaz is putting the leather back to work, but Campbell is countering him pretty well. And by countering Diaz, he slows him down. This is a hell of a test of Diaz's will. This is a hell of a good fight.

Diaz is now getting caught flush with good punches upstairs, and Juan better hope something bigger doesn't land.

This is deep water for Juan Diaz. Nate Campbell is outfoxing Diaz. This is a really impressive performance from Campbell.

And this is now the THIRD straight round he is easily winning. Diaz started strong, but Campbell took the round over in spades. He's really pounding Diaz. That cut has been a huge factor.

Campbell 10-9
85-85 through nine rounds

Juan is silent, looks weary, and is just being talked at. Campbell is confident, conversing with his team, and just looks stronger.

Campbell with body shots, and he is now kicking Juan Diaz's ass. This is really pretty amazing, the effort that Campbell has put forth, and Diaz's inability to deal with the adversity of the cut.

But Diaz will not back down. He's continuing to fight, or at least trying to. He's a tough, tough kid.

Campbell has gotten into Diaz's head and he is clearly winning this fight. Juan Diaz looks lost.

Campbell 10-9
Campbell 95-94

They're talking about stopping it in Diaz's corner.

Campbell, I pray, isn't going to wind up on the shit end of something like 117-110 scorecards. Lampley and Co. are talking like this fight is in the bag -- I have Campbell winning, and totally dominating portions of this fight, but he's up a point on my card. A point.

Nate continues to land harder punches, but God bless Juan Diaz, he's trying to stay in there as best he can. Even totally discouraged and with this fight losing steam that was making it seem like it could be a great one early on, he's trying.

Campbell 10-9
Campbell 105-103

Diaz with a Diaz-like combination, and Nate responds in kind. Diaz has not been allowed to build any serious momentum tonight. The cut made it all worse and really turned it for Nate Campbell, but Juan was never the destroyer tonight that he was last year and previous.

But if he is to lose -- and I think he lost this fight -- he should stay proud and look to the future. He's still a wonderful young fighter.

Really good fight, and a win for Nate Campbell. Juan Diaz doesn't raise his arms after, and doesn't seem like he wants that bullshit corner lift in the air. Campbell won this fight.

Campbell 10-9
Campbell 115-112

Bays for Diaz (missed the score)
Clancy 116-111 for Campbell
Garcia 115-112 for Campbell

NATE CAMPBELL VIA SPLIT DECISION

What the fuck fight did Rick Bays watch?

Nate Campbell took it to Juan Diaz tonight and won the fight without question. The point he had taken away wasn't even deserved. Congratulations to Nate Campbell, the new IBF lightweight champion.

Haye-Maccarinelli... Mac. almost fell and the ref did not stop for the knockdown.

Diaz-Campbell... samething the ref seemed to act like he was keeping everything organized maybe its a Don King thing.

The Vazquez-Marquez fight... samething the ref kept on with the warnings and point deductions for the low blows.

Another one well might. I think Maskaev and team pulled some reall bullshit delaying this fight, but I do like him.

Max is trying to hype this fight up. Don't these guys ever learn with the heavies?

Bell sounds and Maskaev looks a little less than enthused about, you know, fighting.

30 seconds pass by and they have each thrown something resembling a jab.

A minute goes by and nothing has landed that is worth noting.

Peter tries for a left hook. Max keeps trying to sell us on "tension" and "excitement." Don't feed me shit and tell me it's chocolate mousse.

Two minutes in, nothing has really happened.

Chopping right from Peter, so now he's winning the round easily. And there's two big rights from Peter, really crushing shots with plenty of steam on them. Maskaev glancingly lands a right haymaker and a left hook after it.

Peter 10-9

Well...it beat the hell out of the first round of Wlad-Ibragimov.

Slow, lazy punching from Maskaev, though he did land a nice counter left hook. Peter continues to sort of press action..you know, every now and again.

So far tonight we've seen a couple of 200-pounders bang out an exciting five minute fight, two tough lightweights put on a hell of a good fight, and now this.

Maskaev wants nothing to do with Peter. Peter is going to knock him out as soon as he gets him caught in a corner or against the ropes or just with one big shot. Maskaev is overly tentative and fearful of Peter's power.

Peter 10-9
Peter 20-18

Peter keeps getting warned for hitting Maskaev in the back of the head.

There's a short little right uppercut from Peter. Big right from Peter, and he's winning the trades.

Maskaev is hurt. There's the corner, and he's getting PUMMELED

That was a hell of a block job from Oleg Maskaev. Peter threw everything but the kitchen sink at him.

MASKAEV ROCKS PETER WITH A LEFT HOOK!

Well where in the hell did that come from??!

This is an ugly streetfight, but fuck it, I'll take a fun, ugly streetfight over the usual heavyweight B.S.

BIG right from Maskaev. A straight right lands, and Peter counters. Well kiss my grits, but this round woke me back up.

Maskaev 10-9 -- great comeback after he was almost floored
Peter 29-28

Harold thinks you HAVE to give Peter the last round thanks to his huge flurry -- none of the punches, you know, landing.

There's a nice exchange of hard shots, but then they clinch. In that regard, heavyweight fighters come off as the biggest weins in the sport -- in no other divison do you so frequently see the response to good punches landing being, "HUG ME!"

Sneaky little left from Maskaev cuts off what might have been a knockout type punch from Peter.

Sharp right from Maskaev.

Tough, slow round, with some action.

UGH -- open scoring is in effect. This is the stupidest thing in boxing, and that's saying something.

Maskaev 10-9
38-38

They're throwing big bombs, but they're needed more to wake the viewer up than anything. It's extensive lulls stopped by two or three good punches.

Maskaev with a big right, Peter answers in kind. Manny thinks as the fight goes on, Peter will get sloppy. He's going to GET sloppy?

Peter takes a nasty shot and comes back again. Another up-and-down round.

Peter 10-9
Peter 48-47

The commentators are trying hard to make this sound exciting every minute or so when someone lands a decent right hand, but the fight stinks. It's better than Klitschko-Ibragimov, but so was the dump I took earlier.

Lots of off-balance wobbling from Peter, nothing due to Maskaev's slow punches. Stiff lead right from Peter, and now he's hurting Maskaev.

Peter is popping him with right hands, and Maskaev tries to complain about the back of the head again. Maskaev takes HUGE shots to the face, and he's not getting his hands up anymore.

STOP THE FIGHT

And Lupe Garcia does -- Peter beats Maskaev down to end the bout.

Samuel Peter TKO-6

"That's a real heavyweight knockout," says Steward. I guess, man. Peter stomped Maskaev in this round, and ended the fight very well. Congrats to Sam Peter, who long ago had earned this fight.