get another shot. While Arreola is in much better shape than before, he's still the same fighter—agressive but lacking defense. Sam Peter tried the same route of losing the fat but keeping the same style; he got his return title shot but lost just as bad as before. Thompson, meanwhile, gave Wladimir his toughest challenge of the last several years, but at age 39 he might be too late. If he can get past Chambers—no guarantee for sure—it's hard to imagine him doing much better the 2nd time around against a Klitschko. Unlike Arreola, Thompson was at his highest weight in many years against Harris.

Regardless, both Americans have shown that they are serious about the sport. Thompson could prove he's the top American fighter with a win overChambers, and Arreola's new-found conditioning program—if he keeps it up—could put him back in the top ten for a much longer stay this time around.

Mike Perez won the latest Prizefighter heavyweight tournament, beating #182 Kertson Manswell, #128 Gregory Tony, and #138 Tye Fields, and he jumped from #41 to #24. It wasn't nearly as impressive as it would have been if the original field—including Juan Carlos Gomez, Kevin Johnson, and Fres Oquendo—had held, but the three solid wins put his potential on display.

The biggest jump in the top 100 goes to Franklin Lawrence, who leapt from #86 to #44 after beating #62 Jason Gavern. Two newcomers join the Top 100 after getting their initial significant win, #63 Ty Cobb and #72 Hector Avila. Cobb previously lost to #80