Chad Dawson may not be the biggest name in the sport, and unlike Showtime, I won't now tell you he's the world's best light heavyweight. Joe Calzaghe is still THE light heavyweight champion of the world, and Dawson's résumé is simply one that is being built steadily and even rapidly.

His wide unanimous decision win last night signaled a couple of important things, though.

For one thing, we saw the end of Antonio Tarver as a legit top-flight light heavyweight. Frankly, we saw the end of it when Bernard Hopkins beat the daylights out of him in 2006, but the world continued to believe in large part that Tarver was the fighter he briefly was before.

Tarver, if you've never gathered (somehow), has not exactly been one of my favorites over the years. He's a loud, big-talking guy with a couple of great wins. Had he not knocked Roy Jones out with one fluky shot, would we even be here? That was a highlight reel moment for anyone, let alone Tarver slamming the pound-for-pound king.

Since Hopkins, he's done nothing of merit. Wins over Elvir Muriqi and Danny Santiago mean little, if anything. Neither fighter is anywhere near Tarver's class, yet Antonio got a tough fight from Muriqi, and looked incredibly slow against an undersized, far overmatched Santiago, who had no business being in the ring with Tarver. A fight that night with Danny Green -- a solid, not special guy -- may have given Tarver far more than he could handle.

He beat Clinton Woods easily, but I'll always say, since it was obvious, that Woods just wasn't into that one, whatever his reasons were.

Dawson made him look old, slow, and like part of the past, while Chad was clearly the future and the present of the division all rolled up in one. Dawson (27-0, 17 KO) took Tarver's IBF (and IBO) titles with relative ease, winning on scores of 118-109, 117-110, and 117-110. I had it 119-108 for Dawson, though there were a couple of rounds I debated but thought Chad landed cleaner, better shots.

But with all the dissing of Tarver, I want to again make this point: outside of his whining in the 12th round that he didn't go down (his gloves clearly touched the canvas, and that's a knockdown, "Magic Man"), Tarver didn't have any Tarver moments. He was humble and classy in defeat, passed the torch in essence, and also fought like a fighter, not a guy looking to hang on at any cost.

Tarver (27-5, 19 KO) did not clinch with Dawson, who skillfully backed away from Tarver all night, forcing Tarver into the role of pursuer, which is not his strong suit. Tarver threw everything he had at Dawson. It just wasn't good enough to beat a younger, stronger, fresher, faster fighter. Dawson's gameplan worked brilliantly. He was superb.

But Antonio Tarver, even in a lopsided loss, kept the fight moving, kept the action going, and though you might not class it as a warrior loss, I'll say he went out on his shield. In the final round, he unleashed his hands and tried to find any KO he could. He didn't look for the perfect shot, he looked for any shot. That's admirable. He did everything he could to win.

There is no better photo than Herbert Knosowski's AP snap to the right to describe Vitali Klitschko's win over Samuel Peter. Klitschko's fist, what you can make of Peter's face.

To call what Vitali Kiltschko gave Samuel Peter yesterday in Germany a "boxing lesson" would require the thought that Peter had ever signed up for boxing school. To call it, simply, an "outclassing" is saying too little of the match, which was as one-sided as you could have possibly dreamt it being.

Samuel Peter (30-2, 23 KO) looked as though he had absolutely no business in the ring with Vitali Klitschko, who is going to be lauded, somewhat rightfully, for a great performance. Truth is, any tall heavyweight that knew how to control distance was going to beat the crap out of Peter.

Samuel Peter's head movement was at an all-time low. He didn't jab, and he couldn't jab. He never got inside. He tried to bull-rush a few times, and all that came of it was some wild, missed swings, and then Vitali re-finding his range and pop-pop-popping Peter until the Nigerian titleholder could takes no more, quitting after eight Klitschko-owned rounds.

Was it fear? Is it a simple case of Peter being overrated thanks to the landscape around him?

As for the latter idea, that's not his fault. What is he now at worst? Still a top five heavyweight. I wouldn't take him to beat either Klitschko and I also think Valuev's size would have its way with Peter, but I'd take him over cement-footed Chagaev, a guy he could catch clean at some point.

Peter is David Tua with less excitement. He's a lumbering, squat, straight-forward fighter that just cannot handle a good, tall fighter. Jameel McCline got him in trouble, and McCline is hardly any great shakes.

All respect to Vitali Klitschko, new WBC heavyweight titlist. Watching him and Wladimir get ready to make another weird bunch of photos after the fight was a bit much for me, and it troubles me that we're now even further away from a heavyweight champion being crowned. Had Peter beaten Vitali, all it would've taken was a Peter-Wlad rematch, and you're damn right I think Wladimir would've tried to avenge his brother. After all, big bro beat up bullies Corrie Sanders and Ross Purritty when they were done with Wladimir, and Wladimir twice hammered Chris Byrd, who holds a win over Vitali.

With Peter, you're also seeing what the future holds for Chris Arreola, like it or not. A big, thick, sturdy guy that likes to mix it up, whose power isn't Tyson-esque or anything, and whose simple boxing skills lack crispness. Plus, frankly, neither exactly goes out of their way to be in the best possible shape.

Meanwhile, giant fitness freaks the Klitschkos rule the roost at heavyweight on the strength of their jabs. There ain't nothin' wrong with either man as a fighter, if you ask me, but if it's a sensational and dynamic heavyweight champ you're looking for, keep waiting.

Quick n' dirty, and we'll have MUCH more tomorrow:

1. Vitali Klitschko dominated and forced Samuel Peter to quit after eight rounds of one-sided action in Germany. Peter was never in the fight. He was horrible.

2. Chad Dawson won a unanimous decision over Antonio Tarver, who was uncharacteristically humble and honest in defeat. Dawson was masterful, and I'll give Tarver credit: he didn't clinch, he didn't punk out. He fought. He was out-fought by a better, faster, stronger, younger fighter. He took it like a man, and in the final round after getting knocked down, he threw everything he had. It was a respectable defeat, one-sided as it was.

Again, a reminder: DO NOT post spoilers of the Peter-Klitschko fight as it happens live in Germany. The fight will be broadcast at 9pm on Showtime here in the United States, and we're waiting for that to catch any of the results so that we can cover it "live" via tape delay.

As always, odds are taken from Bodog.

Fight thread will get bumped up later -- I just wanted to put something up for people to not post spoilers.

The books have Vitali Klitschko as a -200 favorite over Samuel Peter (+160). Both guys are decent bets, really. Maybe Peter catches Klitschko cold and rusty. Maybe Klitschko just plain catches Peter.

It's also a sucker's bet because there are so many intangibles and unknowns. Who knows what Klitschko has left in the tank? If he fights like he used to, I think he knocks Peter out cold, because he's simply a better fighter.

The over/under for rounds is 9 1/2, with even money on the under and -140 on the over. I'd bet it won't go that long. They're going to be throwing too many bombs for it to last very long. I don't see it going over seven, honestly.

In Vegas, Chad Dawson is the favorite (-260) over 39-year old Antonio Tarver (+200). The biggest news might be the fact that the 2,000-seat arena at the Palms isn't even close to sold out, which means that neither man is any sort of attraction. Tarver, like Shane Mosley, never really has been, no matter how good he is. Neither has ever been an A-side attraction. And Dawson just isn't a big enough name yet.

Still, not being able to fill 2,000 seats? Pretty embarrassing. Promotion for the fight didn't seem great, but I don't really think that's it. Not being able to find 2,000 boxing fans willing to pay for a major fight, and a legitimately interesting bout at that, is pretty amazing. It is also a one-fight card, really, which might have something to do with it.

Who knows? All I know is that neither man is going to have a Vegas attraction bargaining chip for any fight after this one.

Truth be told, this fight should not be in Vegas, with Dawson based in Connecticut and Tarver in Florida. What's wrong with the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville? One of the sites in Tampa? Maybe AC? Vegas makes the best offers, but it doesn't always make it the best home for a fight.

Note: Those that stop by tomorrow prior to the U.S. airing of Peter-Klitschko on Showtime at 9pm EDT, please do not say anything about the fight, as BLH will be waiting for the U.S. tape delay to watch the fight so that it can be covered "live" with other U.S. viewers participating. Thank you in advance.

via espn-i.starwave.com

Ahhh...the heavyweights. Those most tantalizing of boxers, they of the most lore and historical noteworthiness. The big men. The prize fighters.

The division of Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, Floyd Patterson, John L. Sullivan, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes.

And the division that continues to paint boxing as a "dead" sport to the mainstream media, because nothing interesting ever happens. None of the best fights are at heavyweight anymore. None of the best fighters, sans Wladimir Klitschko, ply their trade in these ranks.

While sportswriters of a certain vintage likely grew up as boxing "fans," they were really fans of the spectacle that can be the heavyweight division at its best. The pomp and circumstance, the showmanship, and the clash of the titans feel that a great, important heavyweight fight can give.

Tomorrow night, Vitali Klitschko, retired four years, will return to the ring to face WBC titleholder Samuel Peter, yet another effort by the boxing world to capture some energy in its heaviest and most historically profitable division. Like many of today's biggest heavyweight title fights, the match will take place in Germany, held at the O2 Arena in Berlin.

For Peter, it's a chance to force Vitali's little brother, Wladimir, to face him again, which is the lone fight that could crown a true heavyweight champion. Wladimir beat Peter once, but it was a rough win, and one of the few memorable heavyweight scraps of recent years.

For Vitali? It's a payday. It's a return to the ring which will be treated by his biggest fans as something akin to a great warrior returning to his home city to defend the castle once more.

He's tried to come back before, of course. Just last year he was supposed to face Jameel McCline, then backed out due to yet another injury. When Peter's fight with then-WBC titleholder Oleg Maskaev fell through around the same time, it was Peter that stepped in to fight McCline, something he did not have to do. He got a bad scare from McCline, but ultimately prevailed. Later he would destroy Maskaev, the man Vitali tried to fight instead, attempting to use his "champion emeritus" status to the fullest degree.

Peter wouldn't budge, though. He was the #1 contender, and he took his shot. He cleaned house on Maskaev in March, and here we are, one day away, and Vitali Klitschko isn't hurt yet.

The fight will go on. We're talking hours at this point.

It is of less concern to me the intangibles of the matchup than the fact that it's taking place to begin with. Vitali may not have gotten it as quickly as he wished, or against the fighter he desired, but he has, for certain, returned from a long absence to cash in "champion emeritus" and walk right into a title shot. In a business -- yes, business -- you can't expect any less. Outside of perhaps Wladimir, there is no bigger money opponent for Samuel Peter than Vitali Klitschko. I'm sure Peter is perfectly happy to fight Vitali for big money than someone more "deserving" and get less.

As for the matchup, it's all a big mystery. What does Vitali have left? How strong is he? Is he really 100%, or close enough to it? How rusty will he be?

How good is Sam Peter, anyway? Even with a four-year layoff, is Klitschko still better than Peter? Prime-against-prime, I'll take Vitali every time. He's taller, stronger, and hits just as hard, if not harder. Peter's punching power has probably been overstated thanks to a lack of big-time finishers in the division. Among the riff raff, Peter scores the best knockouts at the top level.

If you ask me, this is about as likely to end on a Vitali injury as anything else, but here's hoping we get a show. If Peter comes out ready to throw bombs, Vitali may have no choice but to throw them back, which could erupt into quite a spectacle.

Who do you like tomorrow?

I'm not Jay-Z, so I don't have 22 2's. I do have 15, though, which should make me only slightly less wealthy. In a perfect world, anyway.

1. Too much Showtime hyperbole in promotion of Tarver-Dawson, an intriguing fight but hardly "the most anticipated fight of the year." Showtime's undying, unbelievable slobbering over Tarver has gotten way out of control. Remember when they tried to hype Tarver-Santiago as being for "the light heavyweight championship"? Hey, remember when they got burned hyping Tarver-Green instead of Tarver-Santiago, but then Tarver had never actually signed to fight Danny Green? Remember Tarver-Muriqi? Remember Tarver getting a boxing lesson of a lifetime from Bernard Hopkins? Showtime does not. Showtime has only seen Antonio Tarver against Roy Jones. Showtime is unaware of the existence of other Antonio Tarver fights. Showtime presents, "Antonio Tarver: Greatest and Most Important Fighter on Earth."

OK, he did beat Rocky...by split decision.

2. Too many fears from me, personally, that Vitali Klitschko will drop Samuel Peter like a bad habit this Saturday. Why fear? Because then there's no unification in the heavyweight division past Wladimir perhaps fighting Nikolai Valuev at some point. I like Vitali Klitschko as a fighter because he was a hell of a good one. At his best, he was way better than Sam Peter has ever been or ever will be. And even with the long layoff, I still worry that a couple good shots will just knock Peter the hell out, the same thing that happened to 34 of Vitali's 35 past victims. The man can punch, to say the least.

And what if Vitali does win? Is the 37-year old really going to keep the belt and fight on? It's a freaking miracle that he hasn't been hurt in training camp. Knock on wood, too, because there are still a few days left. I hope for the sake of boxing and the dreadful heavyweight division that Peter beats Vitali and does so convincingly, so that Peter and his management can really get on Wladimir Klitschko about a rematch. It's the only fight in that division that truly matters.

3. Too many papered seats coming your way on November 8 for Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones. Jones' drawing power in New York is nowhere near what it was in his heyday, and Calzaghe, good as he is, is not quite an A-side guy in America. I'm not trying to insult anyone that thinks Roy has a legit shot in this fight, but if you don't see a Calzaghe cakewalk decision with maybe one or two moments of Roy electricity sneaking in there, I don't know what to tell you.

Calzaghe's younger, fresher, far more confident than Jones has been in years besides his exhibition fight with a blown-up Tito Trinidad, and he's much faster now, too. Prime versus prime, I think Roy knocks Joe out in the mid-late rounds. This isn't prime versus prime. This is an aging Calzaghe that can still go with the best of them against a washed-up Roy Jones. There is no other sane way to look at Roy Jones. He is washed the hell up. I like him, too. But I'd rather pay money to watch replays of his old fights than watch this farce against Calzaghe.

Am I getting too mean about this fight? I don't know, I might be. But I literally give Roy maybe a 10% chance to beat Joe. They've talked a lot about how great it is to put this card on without promoters, and I think they're also finding out why promoters are employed. This fight is a dead zone for ticket sales, reportedly, and I guarantee you they lose a lot of money on this one, even with HBO behind them, and with HBO doing all they can up to and including a "24/7" series on the fight. There is not much legitimate intrigue. Very casual boxing fans have caught a passing wind of the fight's happening, and have asked me, "Roy Jones still fights? What is he, like, 40? I didn't know he still fights." They also don't really know who Calzaghe is.

Oh, and given that we're a month away, HAVE YOU TWO FIGURED OUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO PIECE TOGETHER AN UNDERCARD?

4. Too many pay-per-views, period. And too many people lately trying to come to the defense of this many pay-per-views. In an economy like ours in the United States, who wants to pay 50 dollars to see Bernard Hopkins?

5. Too much hype for Yuriorkis Gamboa, and I know how we all love to watch the young man fight. When mildly criticizing the Gamboa hype the other day, I wondered if I was being too harsh, trying to spoil the fun for everyone. I'm not. Honest! I like watching him, too, because like many of you, I like to see him throw his hands, and I like to wonder if maybe he's about to get caught with a bad one.

The thing that convinced me that those that expect Gamboa to climb to the top of the P4P list someday are putting too much into him, though, was just really taking a moment to think about his age. He's about the same age as Kelly Pavlik. I don't spend entire Kelly Pavlik fights wondering if someone's about to dump Pavlik on his butt, you know what I mean? I'm not saying don't love on Gamboa, because a fighter that exciting is deserving of the props. Just don't be Frank Warren with Amir Khan or Manny Steward with Andy Lee, going overboard. Gamboa needs serious work and is probably too old and too stuck in his habits to change for the better. He will live and die by the sword -- that's about my favorite criticism I've ever given. "Hey, this guy is awesome to watch." That's my criticism.

6. Too much Lennox Lewis still on my HBO broadcasts, which we've been over before. Boxing commentators often get criticized. I thought Lampley went a bit overboard the other night with the Angulo-Tsurkan fight. It's one thing to call for a fight to be stopped, even aggressively so, as Teddy Atlas did during Campbell-Quiles. That's great commentary. That's seeing and calling a situation for what it is, and it shows a level of care for the fighters. But bringing up deaths was too much for me.

Larry Merchant takes some shots for being a prick at times, for lack of a better word. Max Kellerman is great, but his Young Larry Merchant schtick is getting a little too heavy for me. Nick Charles at Versus often just sees things that I don't think are actually happening in his effort to make a point he wanted to make. Steve Albert too heavily buys Showtime hype at times, I think, spewing company nonsense when I believe he's smarter than that. Joe Tessitore, good as he is, is often wooden during his play-by-play.

But Lennox Lewis is the only guy I flat-out want removed from his position. He adds nothing. It's to the point where I'm expecting him to jubilantly declare, "He's punching him!" during a fight.

7. Too much amazing potential in Juan Manuel Lopez, isn't there? Right now, there is NO young fighter I'm more excited about. When he got in with Daniel Ponce de Leon, I worried that Lopez was being pushed too far, too fast. Ponce is a tough customer and a banger. Lopez wasted him. Lopez knocked out Cesar Figueroa with two punches this weekend, turning him into a regular Kimbo Slice, minus the ridiculous, promotion-killing hype.

Speaking of EliteXC, I'll say this: Gary Shaw is at least better than his son, seated in front of Hulk Hogan and acting like Vince McMahon:

via www.cagetoday.com

But back to Juanma -- how amazing would a fight against Israel Vazquez be right now? How long could that even last? And if Izzy doesn't want to go right in to a fight like that, and doesn't want to go right at Rafael Marquez again, how about Lopez-Marquez? How about Lopez against the Caballero-Molitor winner? 122 might not be the deepest division, but its top tier rivals any other division's.

8. Too many old guys on the HBO fall lineup, and that's something that needs to be considered by the network. When some of these guys are gone, who are they turning to? This season's boxing is headlined by Oscar de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, and Roy Jones. Those three fights (Oscar-Manny, Pavlik-Hopkins, Calzaghe-Jones) are the HBO meal tickets for the time being. As boxing fans, let's hope Pavlik and Manny are the ones being talked about when it's all over.

9. Too little being done with Devon Alexander, the final nail in the coffin filled with reasons that Don King should get the hell out of boxing, or at the least, NO young fighter should sign with Don King, particularly one as talented as Alexander.

Dan Rafael posted an Insider blog about it this morning, too, and he hits the nail on the head. When Dan says that Devon can't even get a return call from King, it blows my mind. What the hell is Don King doing to this young man's career, and why isn't anyone stepping in? Kevin Cunningham, Alexander's manager and trainer, has to know what this is doing to Alexander's pocketbook. Without TV exposure, a 21-year old fighter with great raw gifts is going to stall, and he's not going to make the money he should be.

How can anyone let this happen to their guy? Fighters leave promoters for failing to execute on promises all the time. Nonito Donaire got the hell away from Gary Shaw for precisely this reason. James Kirkland also did it, and those both happened this year. Alexander and his team should really look into any way they can find to get away from King. A fighter that talented and that young will find a home at Top Rank, Golden Boy, with Lou DiBella, even Roy Jones' Square Ring -- anywhere would be better for his career!

Don King was once a highly important figure in boxing. Think what you will about the man, he put on a lot of great events, and he was the man that took promoting boxing to a whole new level. I also can't say enough how much I love that DKP has extended into the world of streaming cards online, as I think that's an innovative thing that every promoter will eventually look into. But the way he's handling Alexander and other fighters is shameful. There's no way around that.

10. Too much talk of Kimbo Slice trying boxing instead, to go back to Kimbo for a moment. The guy is in his mid-thirties. He made a name hanging out with porno d-bags and beating up fat guys in boat storage parking lots. He is not going to become an elite professional athlete. He's just not. I still like Kimbo as a person -- any knock on him demanding more money to go on against Seth Petruzelli after that dork Ken Shamrock pulled out doesn't mean much to me. I'd ask for more money, too. You're asking me to fight a guy completely different than the guy I prepared for on hours' notice.

In the wake of Kimbo's MMA career collapsing in 14 seconds, some have suggested that he should try to go into boxing or kickboxing. Kickboxing is not happening because the "kick" part is really f-ing hard to master. Ask Shannon Briggs, who tried K-1 once and will now laugh, shake his head, and say, "Never again."

Boxing? No dice. I always thought from his YouTube classics that it was clear that Kimbo had some formal boxing training at some point in his life. People fighting don't naturally have head movement. But he'd get smoked in this sport the moment he fought someone with an ounce of credibility the same way he has in MMA. And that's not his fault. He never said he was the best. He gamed the system. F it -- good for him.

But he's not going to be a great pro athlete in any venue. Forget it.

11. Too little attention paid to a nice upcoming card overseas on November 1, with WBO junior middleweight title bout between Sergei Dzinziruk and Joel Julio. I love that fight. Julio is still one of my favorite young fighters, and Dzinziruk is one of those guys I wish would get more love. He's a quality boxer.

On the same card, WBA middleweight titlist Felix Sturm defends against Sebastian Sylvester. I wish Sturm would get another chance on the world stage. I know he doesn't have the most supporters in the world, but the Oscar robbery (and I legitimately think it was a robbery given the magnitude of upset it should have been) has stuck in my craw and I've rooted for him ever since. Pavlik-Sturm would be perfectly acceptable.

12. Too few opportunities for Glen Johnson, who is forced to fight a bum as part of a triple-header at the Seminole Hard Rock next month, headlining with Edison Miranda and James McGirt, Jr., who will also likely fight a couple of cans. For a man that arguably outboxed Chad Dawson in April, that's a crime. At 39, no one wants to fight Glen Johnson. Still. I'll take Glen over Tarver or Roy any day of the week.

13. Too big of a dropoff this year after the great 2007. 2007 was such an amazing year for boxing. Floyd Mayweather became a household name thanks to two massive fights with Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, plus his participation on "Dancing with the Stars," which made him recognizable to housewives and teen girls. What's he do in '08? Nothin'. Fakes retirement.

What does Ricky Hatton do to follow the biggest fight of his career, which made him more money and I dare say more fans than all of his wins ever did? Fights with Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi. No disrespect intended to either man, but not truly marquee affairs.

What's Oscar do? Fights Steve Forbes in a sham as some sort of alleged "thank you" to his fans, then chooses to fight Manny Pacquiao in what is an intriguing bout, but not quite the way a lot of us would wish. Still, it's the lone chance for boxing to make major headlines this year. It's not been a BAD year, but it has greatly struggled to follow 2007.

14. Too much talk about Ike Quartey's return, if you ask me. I mean no offense to Quartey, who was a damn good fighter very briefly, but he hasn't officially won a significant fight since 1997 -- by "officially," I mean that for the sake of this point, I'll count his loss to Vernon Forrest as a loss, even though he was robbed that night. Does the boxing landscape really need another guy rapidly approaching the grand age of 40? If he wants to fight, then that's great, but I'm not exactly feeling the need to put him in against a top opponent, because he'll just lose, and someone else could've been in that spot. Someone that'll be around in two years.

15. Too easy a forgiveness from the WBA to Joan Guzman, and I mean that. Guzman deserves to be penalized by the body and even suspended, even if it's just from fighting for their titles. He gave up a 130-pound title to fight for a 135-pound title, and when he couldn't make weight out of laziness (he says he came into camp too heavy, which is his own fault), he sent Nate Campbell into bankruptcy because nobody gets paid if a fight doesn't happen. Guzman did a disservice to Campbell, to Showtime, to the promoters, to the Beau Rivage Casino, to the fans that paid to go to that show (even though they've been offered a full refund), and to the fight fans that planned to watch on TV. He made his own bed. The WBA shouldn't fix it up for him and so eagerly open the door for him to come back into the fold.

If you've ever seen a fight ad for boxing or MMA that you thought was corny, maybe a little bit stupid, or just plain annoying, fear not.

Showtime Sports has come up with bar none the absolute worst pandering to the lowest common denominator that I have ever seen. Here it is, a video titled "Hits & Chicks."

If anyone at Showtime is reading this by chance, I think I have only one question:

"Really?"

Wait, I have a second:

"What the f***?"

I will give them some credit for focusing on Sam Peter instead of Vitali Kiltschko. That's about it.

HITS & CHICKS

HITS & CHICKS

My God.