WBO welterweight titlist Paul Williams wasted little time in his middleweight test against Andy Kolle tonight, crushing the Minnesota fighter in the first round with long left hands, and scoring his 26th career knockout on Versus.

Williams (35-1, 26 KO) is now slated to defend his title at 147 pounds on November 29th on HBO, pairing again with heavyweight Chris Arreola, who came in overweight and highly out of shape against 38-year old Israel Garcia, but had no trouble putting him away in the third.

Williams' middleweight "debut" (he's fought at the weight before, but this was the first time he's done so in years) saw him just completely outclass Kolle, a game fighter who once gave Andre Ward a fine test. The way his body looked, more filled out with the 11 extra pounds he weighed in with, I think Williams could step up to middleweight and give anyone a fight. His reach is ridiculous, that of a heavyweight, and he could be a stylistic problem there almost as much as he is at welter. He's not freakishly tall at 160, but he's still monstrously long.

For now, he'll move back to welterweight. But if this is any indication, he and promoter Dan Goossen are right -- he can move up easily if he wants to. Whether or not he finds quality opponents easier to come by is another question.

Tonight's Versus Network card starts at 9pm ET, and we'll be here discussing the card live, scoring both featured bouts, round-by-round. Paul Williams is going up to middleweight to face Andy Kolle, and Chris Arreola returns to action against another schlub he should walk through.

Paul Williams hasn't found it easy to locate opponents willing to take his challenges.

That's why the WBO welterweight titlist will take to the ring this Thursday night at middleweight to face Andy Kolle, live on the Versus Network.

Williams, 27, made his professional debut in 2000 weighing in at 156 pounds, and fought around 160 for his first 13 bouts. In late 2001, he got near the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, and he's stayed there ever since.

It was a 2007 win over Antonio Margarito that put Williams on the global boxing map for real -- he was already 32-0 and looked dangerous, but this cemented it. With his long, lanky frame, he would be trouble for any welterweight out there.

Carlos Quintana did upset him this February, but Williams avenged that loss with a first round TKO four months later. Having slayed the only man to ever beat him, Williams was back to calling himself the most avoided man in the sport, and with good reason in some respects.

He attempted to land a fight with middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, but the money wasn't right. He called out Margarito when Margarito beat Miguel Cotto, and got little response from Margarito or Top Rank.

Now, with no suitable welters available, Williams will attempt to back promoter Dan Goossen's claim that his fighter is dangerous at any weight between 147 and 168.

Kolle, 26, is no stiff. Though he's hardly proven to be world-class just yet, his only loss came against Andre Ward back in 2006, and he gave Ward a pretty good test. Since that loss, he's 8-0 (5), bringing his career record up to 17-1 (12).

While you should certainly consider the more accomplished Williams the prohibitive favorite, I think there's something fairly notable to see this Thursday night. Williams is confident in his ability to be a world champion in four different weight classes. He's made waves at 147, and now he's going to give 160 a shot, though for the time being it's more stay busy in nature than anything else. Williams is slated to return on November 29 on HBO, defending his WBO title.

But if Kolle knocks him off, who knows what could happen? We've seen upsets this year, and we've seen Williams as the victim of one of them. Could it happen again?

Hey, this is boxing. You never know.

In Dan Rafael's most recent notebook, he notes that WBO welterweight titleholder Paul Williams will be having a stay-busy fight later this month to be broadcast on the Versus Network.

While it's notable that Versus is broadcasting another fight that people might actually care about, the really intriguing thing is that Williams will be fighting at middleweight for the bout. Though it's unlikely that Williams will face anyone particularly dangerous, he may be auditioning his body for an eventual move up the ladder to 160 pounds, where he could stay for good. There were negotiations earlier this year, of course, for Williams to take on middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik.

On the same card from San Jacinto, Calif., Chris Arreola will take on 38-year old tomato can Israel Garcia in a heavyweight bout. If Williams and Arreola win as expected, they will reunite for a card on HBO in November.