Samuel Peter: Next Great Heavyweight?

Is Samuel Peter the next great heavyweight? It's still too early to tell but - for the good of boxing - he better be because there's really no one else on the horizon. Sure, Calvin Brock and Audley Harrison are promising but not in a way that draws new fans to the sport. Peter, on the other hand, has the devastating knockout power that is almost a prerequisite for transcending the sport and making the heavyweight champion really matter again. Peter takes a small step-up in quality of opposition this Saturday night when he takes on Taurus Sykes in a Showtime-televised 10-rounder. Sykes (23-1-1) doesn't have much power but is durable and has some boxing skills. So, is Peter the next Mike Tyson ... or the next David Tua? Unfortunately, the bet here is that he turns out to be much closer to the latter but that may still be enough to pump some life into a heavyweight division that desperately needs some excitement.