By Frank Lotierzo
 
Now that Wladimir Klitschko (45-3) has defeated Samuel Peter (24-1), what does it mean for the heavyweight division? For starters, Klitschko's chin may not be the Achilles that prevents him from being a major force in it. Other than Peter, how many other born punchers are ranked among the top-twenty heavyweights who Klitschko will have to face in the for seeable future? Remember, Lennox Lewis didn't have anything close to a great chin, yet only Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes won more heavyweight title bouts than he did. On top of that, the heavyweight landscape isn't nearly as deep today as it was during Lewis' era.

The fight did not end with a knockout as most experts predicted, but was a very calculated boxing match. Wladimir proved his heart, his stamina and a will to win. Wladimir used a jab, movement and a right hand to control Sam Peter and keep him at bay for most of the fight.

There were moments when the tide appeared to be turning when Peter put Wladimir on the deck twice in the fifth round and once in the eleventh. Every single time Peter was able to get close when he had Klitschko in trouble, Wladimir held and used his right hand to push Peter back. Wladimir showed that he possesses plenty of gas in his tank. Unlike Klitschko, Peter was visibly tired down the stretch and never landed more than one punch at a time. Klitschko did not get discouraged from the knockdowns and stuck to his boxing plan.

All three judges scored the fight 114-111 for Klitschko.

With his victory over Peter, look for Klitschko to start fighting like he did before he was stopped by Corrie Sanders. Another plus for Wladimir is that HBO has invested a lot of time and money to promote him. Which is a monumental factor. As evidenced with Mike Tyson and Wladimir, circa 2000-2003, HBO is the best at building up a fighter and shading their public perception. The fact is, HBO desperately needs a fighter to ignite fan interest. Remember, they hope and desperately want Antonio Tarver to beat Roy Jones next weekend and Jermain Taylor to legitimately beat Bernard Hopkins in their upcoming rematch in December. The easiest fighter to captivate fan interest is a heavyweight catch and kill knockout puncher who can be called champ

So who's left in the division that Klitschko wouldn't be favored over? WBC champ Chris Byrd isn't big enough to out box Wladimir and doesn't have the power to stop him. WBA champ John Ruiz is a sitting duck for a big puncher like Wladimir because he's always in range for his opponent to catch. James Toney doesn't have the reach to out box him nor does he have the power to really hurt him let alone stop him. Not to mention the obvious fact that his body is breaking down more and more.

In November, WBC champ Vitali Klitschko will eliminate Hasim Rahman. Even if Rahman pulled off the upset, I'd bet Wladimir would stop Rahman if they fought. The other heavyweights in line to challenge Wladimir are Calvin Brock, who lacks the experience he'll need to challenge the upper-tier heavyweights. Monte Barrett most likely doesn't even think he'd beat the younger Klitschko, especially having already been stopped by him. David Tua is capable of knocking out any top fighter in the division today, but he'll never stay in shape long enough to be in contention to make it up that high in the ratings. DaVarryl Williamson who challenges Chris Byrd for the IBF title next week didn't impress anybody when he fought Wladimir 11-months ago. So forget about him beating a confident one.

The one fighter Wladimir Klitschko may want to avoid is WBO champ Lamon Brewster. Brewster took a pounding from Klitschko when they fought last year and came back to stop him. Psychologically, that has to cause Klitschko some doubts as to whether he can beat him. That said, if they fought again, if Klitschko boxes him instead of going for the quick execution this time, I could see him winning.

Prior to the fight HBO senior vice president of sports programming said, "We'll find out (Saturday night) whether or not Wladimir's chin is indeed weak." Now we know that it was tested by a strong puncher and passed. That makes him a dangerous threat to anyone in the division. Because one thing nobody questions, is that Wladimir Klitschko is the best offensive fighter the heavyweight ranks has seen since Lennox Lewis.

Klitschko now becomes the No. 1 contender in both the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization rankings. Which means he's in line to fight a rematch with IBF champ Chris Byrd who he beat in October 2000, if he beats DaVarryl Williamson on Oct. 1. Or  Lamon Brewster (32-2, 28 KOs), if beats German challenger Luan Krasniqi (28-1-1, 14 KOs) on Wednesday in Hamburg, Germany

On the undercard.

WBO junior welterweight champion, Miguel Cotto (25-0, 21 KOs), defeated Columbian Ricardo Torres (28-1, 25 KOs) in a war. Both fighters were in trouble during the fight and on more than one occasion, both men appeared to be close to getting knocked out. The body attack of Cotto was able to slow Torres down over the course of seven round fight. Both men hit the floor from hard punches, but a Cotto combination in the seventh round put Torres down for the full count of ten. Torres suffers the first loss of his career and Cotto picks up one of the biggest wins of his career.