fourth round, Peter pinned Díaz against the ropes and eventually knocked him down. Díaz got up but was sent to the canvas with a left hook to the body. Peter dropped Díaz for the fifth time in the following round, which prompted Díaz's corner to throw in the towel. By defeating Díaz, Peter won the vacant IBF-USBA heavyweight title. By April 2005, Peter was ranked No.5 contender by the WBC, No.6 by the WBO and No.9 by the IBF. On April 29, 2005, he defeated a journeyman Gilbert Martinez (18–8–3, 7 KOs) by third round TKO in a stay busy fight televised by ESPN2 as part of the Friday Night Fights series. By June, Peter was ranked No.9 heavyweight contender by The Ring. He was also ranked No.4 by the WBC and No.5 by both the IBF and WBO. Having a record of 23–0, 20 KOs, Peter was predicted to have a bright future in the heavyweight division, with the media often comparing him to Mike Tyson due to his build and punching power. When interviewed by ESPN in 2005, Mike Tyson picked Peter and Calvin Brock as his favorite fighters from the new crop of heavyweights. Peter vs. Sykes Less than three months later, Peter went on to face WBA-NABA heavyweight champion Taurus Sykes (23–1–1, 6 KOs) in Reno, Nevada on July 2, 2005. This was the first time Peter headlined a card televised by Showtime. The event was part of the Showtime Championship Boxing program. Sykes was 5–0–1 in his last six fights, most notably defeating another Nigerian heavyweight Friday Ahunanya by decision in a competitive bout and scoring a draw against Imamu Mayfield. In the build-up to the fight, Sykes accused Peter of ducking the fight with him previously. The pre-fight conference call saw a clash of words between both fighters, with Sykes continuing to insult Peter: "I know I am being underestimated, but it is all good. It has been like this my whole career. Everybody I have fought was supposed to beat me, but I came out on top. [...] I will outsmart him and outthink him. I am going to be a slick, crafty boxer. I know that he has never really fought anybody like that. Everybody he has fought is running from him, looking to get a check and leave. [...] Sam is getting all hyped. That is how I am going to