BERLIN, Oct 12: Vitali Klitschko defeated Nigerian Samuel Peter to win back the WBC heavyweight title on Saturday, three years after injury forced him into retirement.

Peter suffered at the end of Klitschko’s longer reach throughout the fight and decided not to continue after an update of the scores at the end of round eight showed all three judges had marked the Ukrainian ahead.

Klitschko’s win means he and younger brother Wladimir are the first siblings to simultaneously hold versions of the world heavyweight title. Wladimir is the IBF and WBO champion.

“Today I have realised one of our dreams and we will carry on dreaming,” Klitschko told a post-fight news conference, which Peter did not attend. “It would be great to take all the world titles in the Klitschko family.”

Klitschko, 37, began his comeback fight by slowly taking measure of Peter, jabbing away at the defending champion, who was left flailing at times as the cry came out from his corner to “stay low”.

Klitschko gradually raised his intensity, patiently waiting before landing a series of crunching rights that left Peter looking increasing desperate as he nursed a cut lip and tried to land a big punch that looked like his only chance of winning.

Klitschko won the WBC title in 2004 but had not fought since a successful defence against Briton Danny Williams later that year. In 2005, he withdrew from a fight to defend the title.

Klitschko said he was surprised Peter stopped fighting.

“I was surprised because I promised to stop the fight. I had to stop the fight, not Samuel Peter.”

Peter would come back, his manager Ivaylo Gotsev said.

“Rest assured, just like he came back from his previous loss, you can be sure he’s going to be back again,” Gotsev said.

“Samuel never gives up. Tonight wasn’t his night. Vitali was superior. His (Peter’s) corner said stop the fight. He would never quit.”

Asked if they would ever fight each other, Klitschko and his brother Wladimir joked about who was stronger, but did not seriously answer the question.

However, Don King, Peter’s promoter, ruled out any prospect of a world heavyweight title unification bout between the two Ukrainian brothers.

“Vitali and Wladimir will never fight – that you can forget about,” King said. “They will never fight.”—Reuters