Weekend Preview: Peter/Klitschko, Tarver/Dawson, Pee Wee/Meat Truck

Say what you will, but the good folks at Showtime stay busy. If you're a boxing or MMA fan, there's a lot for you to watch this weekend.

FRIDAY

Just less than a week after the EliteXC/CBS event, they get right back at it tonight with their third card in 15 days, headlined by Dave "Pee Wee" Herman vs. Kerry "Meat Truck" Schall in the heavyweight division.

Herman is undefeated at 11-0, while Schall is 21-10. The bout is part of the ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series and goes off tonight at 11 p.m. on Showtime from the Horseshoe Casino, just outside Chicago.

Other matches include Mamed Khalidov (17-3-1) vs. Jason Guida (17-17) at 205, Anthony Lapsley (13-3) vs. Mike Stumpf (10-1) at 170, Alexander Shlemenko (29-5) vs. Robert McDaniel (12-4) at 185 and Lyle Beerbohm (7-0) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (2-0) at 160.

You remember Clay Guida's brother, Jason, as he was booted off the first show of this season's The Ultimate Fighter due to weight issues.

SATURDAY

Showtime Championship Boxing airs two intriguing bouts at 9 p.m. with Vitali Klitschko battling Sam Peter for the WBC Heavyweight title, while Antonio Tarver returns to defend his IBF/IBO Light Heavyweight belts against Chad Dawson.

If you've been following the Klitschko/Peter stuff, you probably heard that Peter went all WWE and stole the belt during a press conference during this week.

No, it won't be hung above the ring for a ladder match but Peter seems to think the belt is rightfully his. Hmm...boxing is very interesting these days, eh?

Vitali has been off for more than four years, while his brother Wladimir has earned the IBF and WBO titles, meaning that a win will probably mean a Klitschko vs. Klitschko main event to unify those belts.

How a guy who has been on the shelf with a back injury for nearly five years gets a title shot is beyond me, even if he's a "champion emeritus." Peter won the interim title, so this is a unification bout of sorts. That fight comes to us via tape delay from Berlin.

On U.S. soil, Tarver and Dawson will do it up live in a much-anticipated bout from the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for both of Tarver's belts.

Instead of me going on and on, Dan Rafael of ESPN did a great writeup here, which covers everything. It's been a while in making this fight happen, so it should be a good one.

In case you need one, here's a reminder of who Tarver is:


...and his opponent, Chad Dawson.



Josh Nason started Ropes, Ring and Cage in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like SmallWhiteBall.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, notably giving Razor Ramon a thumbs-down during a crowd pan of WWF Wrestling Spotlight. He can be reached at [e-mail].