Toney Loses a Split Decision

When Saturday’s heavyweight elimination bout between James Toney and Samuel Peter ended, the Staples Center crowd of 9,852 was chanting, “Tone-y! Tone-y! Tone-y!”

Toney was standing on the ropes in the corner, soaking in the accolades.

But there were at least two people in the arena outside of Peter’s fans and handlers who weren’t impressed -- and they were the two who counted most.

Judges Alejandro Rochin and Richard Flaherty each gave the fight to Peter, 116-111, even though Peter had a point deducted in the ninth round for hitting on the back of the head, a tactic he resorted to throughout the match.

Peter won by split decision, with the third official, Gale Van Hoy, scoring the fight for Toney, 115-112.

An informal poll of writers and broadcasters ringside found only one writer who gave the decision to Peter.

One boxing official on hand as a spectator, asked his opinion of the decision, pretended he was zipping his lip.

Toney, angry in the best times, was predictably infuriated. He had to be restrained from going after Peter’s handlers in the ring long after the final bell had rung and the decision had been announced.

“He didn’t do ...,” Toney said. “I didn’t lose this fight. I took everything away from him. I am not done, I am not fat and out of shape. This is not over. We are going to protest.”

Toney’s promoter, Dan Goossen, was pushing for a rematch.

“You had the media and the public feeling that the decision went the other way,” Goossen said.

Dino Duva, Peter’s promoter, found no fault with the decision. “James Toney was so slick that he lost by five points on two scorecards,” Duva said. “Are you kidding me? Give Samuel Peter some credit.”

Duva said he was more interested in seeing his fighter take on World Boxing Council champion Oleg Maskaev.

“I want Oleg,” Peter said. “Toney never hurt me. I’m solid like a rock. My game plan was to stick to the jab. He picked off some of them, but it was working all night.”

Coming into the fight, the question was whether the 38-year-old Toney (69-5-3, one no-decision, 43 knockouts) would be able to prevail by using the experience he has gleaned from 18 years in the ring to nullify the strong punching power of Peter (27-1, 22), a 25-year-old Nigerian who started his career in 2001.

Regardless of the decision, it was clear that Toney was able to use his experience to blunt much of Peter’s aggressiveness. Toney jabbed consistently, counterpunched effectively and covered up constantly, often leaving Peter resorting to his favorite, though illegal, weapon -- an overhand right to the back of the head.

It got so bad that, on one occasion, Peter hit Toney in the back of the head with both hands at the same time, like a musician pounding two cymbals together.

Referee Raul Caiz Sr. took the point away from Peter in the ninth round for the illegal blows.

Peter staggered Toney several times with his right hand, but by the middle rounds it was the younger fighter who was breathing heavily, his nose bloodied by Toney’s jab.

When it was over, however, Peter was breathing a sigh of relief. Some could question the decision, but nobody could question the fact it was Peter’s hand that was being raised in triumph.

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In the semi-main event, Robert Guerrero (19-1-1) the North American Boxing Federation featherweight champion, added the more prestigious International Boxing Federation title to his resume by defeating IBF champ Eric Aiken (16-5) on an eighth-round TKO in a dominating performance.

Before Aiken’s corner stepped in to stop the match before the start of the ninth round, Guerrero had won every round on the scorecard of judges Raul Caiz Jr. and Lou Moret, and all but the fourth round on the scorecard of Steve English.

Aiken said after the fight that he had suffered a broken right hand. He also had swelling above his left eye beginning in the fifth round.

“His hand was hurting, and it did not look like he was going to turn it around,” Aiken cornerman Jerry Paige said.

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steve.springer@latimes.com