By Jake Donovan

It doesn't happen often, which is all the more reason to point out when the alphabet sanctioning bodies do the right thing for a change.

This weekend's heavyweight battle between undefeated prospects-turned-contenders Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers (Saturday, HBO, 10PM ET/PT, tape delayed from Berlin, Germany) came about because the IBF did the right thing for a change.

Rewind back to last summer, when writers and fans were furious over the prospect of either Chris Byrd or Calvin Brock being given the chance to once again face Wladimir Klitschko, BoxingScene.com's #1 ranked heavyweight, after both fell miserably short in 2006. Rumors were running rampant that, in efforts to create a mandatory challenger for Klitschko, the IBF would sanction a Byrd-Brock eliminator, giving Wlad enough time to take an optional defense and the alphabet boys a chance to extract sanctioning fees from places other than title fights.

As with any rumor, the adage "believe half of what you see, none of what you hear" rang true. Yes, a possible rematch for either fighter was somewhat in reach. Only they weren't one fight, but two away from earning the opportunity. They weren't merely being given a second (or in Byrd's case, a third) chance at a first impression, but would have to literally fight their way to the top, and not just against the usual suspects.

Enter Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers.

Rather than a one-off fight, the IBF announced a four-man tourney last summer, with the first two bouts to take place in successive weekends in late October and early November 2007, and the winners to square off in early 2008. Brock, who crashed and burned against Klitschko a year prior, was tabbed to face Chambers, a slick, undefeated Philly-based product who began to make some noise in 2007. Byrd, who saw two separate alphabet title reigns both end in defeat against Klitschko in 2000 and 2006, respectively, was ordered to face Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist who went from newcomer to budding contender almost overnight.

Most American writers and boxing fans failed to see the forest for the trees, instead electing to beat up on the alphabets, insisting that Byrd and Brock were undeserving of yet another title shot. So what if one of them prevailed; neither proved they could ever be competitive with Klitschko, presently BoxingScene.com's top ranked heavyweight in a division in search of a linear champion since Lennox Lewis officially announced his retirement four years ago.

Perhaps it was the critics' way of saying they didn't give Povetkin or Chambers much of a shot at advancing to the next round, despite the oddsmakers' insistence to the contrary. Maybe it was a confession that they weren't terribly familiar with either fight, having been more privy to the careers of Byrd and Brock, both of whom have made numerous appearances through the years on American television.

Does that make either fighter any less deserving of the opportunity? On the one hand, neither are presently ranked among BoxingScene.com's Top 10 heavyweights. Of course, the first step toward getting there is to keep winning, which both have managed as their undefeated records (Chambers 30-0, 16KO, Povetkin 14-0, 11KO) indicate.

Next step, starting picking off those ranked ahead of you; which takes us to late last year.

The tournament began in Erfurt, Germany, but the potential for Povetkin to one day rule the heavyweight division began eight years ago as a noted amateur in his native Russia. A successful kickboxing career was parlayed into an incredible amateur run beginning in 2000, as Povetkin would become a three-time Russian national champion, four-time International tournament winner and two-time European champ before achieving the highest amateur honor in winning the Gold medal for Russia in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Povetkin ended his amateur career with a record of 125-7, with all seven losses avenged at one point or another. Promoters were tripping over one another to sign the talented man-child, but Povetkin sat out for a year before signing to a long-term deal with successful German outfit Sauerland Events in 2005, turning pro shortly thereafter.

His pro career has been more about quality than quantity, though 14 fights in his first 28 months hardly classifies as inactive. Chief among his biggest wins prior to the IBF tourney was his shutout over longtime divisional trialhorse Larry Donald in Moscow, Russia, just Povetkin's second fight in his home country, with the rest of his bouts taking place in Germany.

Some suspected the Russian was being brought along a little too quick for his own good, that a crafty old veteran like Donald was too much too soon just 12 fights into his career. Ten rounds later, Povetkin went from question mark to can't-miss prospect.

One fight later, he'd advance to rising contender after dominating former titlist Chris Byrd in Erfurt. Byrd was coming off of an ESPN2-televised tune-up win earlier in the year, but found himself brutally outgunned against Povetkin before being saved by his family-filled corner late in the 11 th round.

All that was left to do for Povetkin was to wait exactly one week, as the second leg of the tournament would resurface in America on Showtime's ShoBox series, as Eddie Chambers was set to face Calvin Brock.

One of the smaller combatants in an era of super-sized heavyweights, the 6'1" Chambers doesn't quite come in with the same credentials as Povetkin, on the pro or amateur level. A non-pay career of 80 or so amateur fights ended toward the end of 2000, when a 20-year old Chambers turned pro in Chester, West Virginia, located on the outskirts of his old hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

The first 5 ½ years were spent in virtual anonymity, with Chambers being fed the usual suspects in building up his record. The biggest news of his career was that he changed locations, heading East across Pennsylvania in relocating from Pittsburgh to the City of Brotherly Love, in boxing-rich Philadelphia, though never altering his style enough to ever be confused with your garden variety back-alley Philly pug, as reflected in his modest knockout percentage of just over 50%.

The closest he'd come to headlines prior to 2007 was in June 2006, when his 4 th round stoppage of Ed Mahone led to Pennsylvania Boxing Commissioner Greg Sirb demanding that Mahone's purse be withheld for a perceived lack of effort, as reported by award-winning boxing scribe Zachary Levin. Mahone's purse was eventually released, as were the reins from Chambers' career. A 5 th round knockout of Domonic Jenkins made waves, though not enough for Chambers to secure assignment for the remainder of 2006.

That would change in a big way come '07, with all three of Chambers' bouts receiving national attention. His breakthrough year began with an impressive 7 th round stoppage against previously unbeaten Derrick Rossy on Long Island, where Rossy was a considerable fan favorite. Three months later, Showtime tapped the shoulder of his promoter Dan Goossen, who matched up his protégé with inconsistent Dominick Guinn in Las Vegas last May.

The matchup was preceded by skepticism, with Guinn often falling short in the entertainment department, and a pure boxer like Chambers not being the ideal candidate to bring out the best in that regard. Worse, it was nearly lost in the shuffle, coming on the eve of Floyd Mayweather-Oscar de la Hoya, and also competing against a Telefutura show promoted by Golden Boy Promotions along the same Vegas strip. But in the end, it was Chambers who emerged victorious in the night's most competitive bout on any network, even if the fight was closer than suggested by the three ringside judges.

The win paved the way for the showdown with Brock, which would play out in stark contrast to the Guinn fight. Chambers dominated Brock in a bout somewhat short on action, only for the scorecards to produce surprising drama. Judge Tom McDonough was perhaps the only person outside of the Brock camp to suggest the bout was anything other than a close, but clear win for Chambers. Fortunately, Glenn Hamada and Steve Weisfeld saw the bout the same as the rest of the boxing world, leaving Chambers one fight away from his first shot at a major alphabet title.

Of course, earning a title shot and career-high payday isn't as cut and dry as merely winning this weekend. The winner will have to await not only next month's outcome at Madison Square Garden between Klitschko and unbeaten southpaw Sultan Ibragimov (#5, BoxingScene.com), but also the mandatory pecking order. Also waiting in the wings is Tony Thompson (#10, BoxingScene.com), who presently serves as the top rated challenger for the title Ibragimov brings into the ring next month. Thompson, like Chambers, is handled by Goossen-Tutor Promotions, which could leave the well-respected Los Angeles-based promotional outfit with the best and worst of both worlds come March.

One way or another, the only way for the Klitschko-Ibragimov winner to keep both titles heading into his next fight would be to defend against one mandatory while cutting a side deal with the other, an expensive proposition considering Klitschko is presently the only household name among the lot.

This would be the part where the public cries that the sanctioning bodies are once again standing in the way of heavyweight clarity. This, despite the fact that next month's showdown between Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov will be the first bout between reigning heavyweight titlists in over eight years, when Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield paired up twice to determine the real heavyweight champion.

But far be it for boxing critics to inject logic into the equation. It's easier to beat up on those nefarious, unscrupulous, demonic sanctioning bodies, the sole cause for boxing's perceived demise. It's not the promoters exploiting loopholes who are at fault; it's the system that provides the loopholes in the first place.

Even if it's true, then credit to one alphabet organization for finally calling "check" in this never-ending human chess game. The IBF attempted to sanction four-man tournaments in the past, only the game was still rigged. The last tournament to come about was in 2001, featuring Byrd, David Tua, Danell Nicholson and Maurice Harris. Byrd was one fight removed from a virtual shutout loss to Klitschko in late 2000, when Tua miserably failing against Lewis one month later. Harris fell short every time he stepped up, and Nicholson's career crashed and burned before it ever got out of the gate.

Simply put, the tournament was flawed the moment it was put together, and proved for naught; Byrd emerged as the last man standing, only to settle for a vacant title win over Evander Holyfield after Lewis decided the fight wasn't worth his time.

The only parallel that could be drawn this time around would be if in fact the winner of Povetkin-Chambers is left to fight for a vacant title. Only we wouldn't be looking at a recycled-type like Holyfield forced to the front of the line. In fact, the next highest rated IBF challenger would be Vladimir Virchis (#7, BoxingScene), a Ukrainian-based heavyweight, whose lone loss of his career was a razor thin decision against present alphabet title holder Ruslan Chagaev (#2, BoxingScene) in 2006.

He would advance past Nicolay Valuev (#6, BoxingScene), currently scheduled to face Sergei Lyakhovich (#9, BoxingScene) next month in an elimination bout to determine Chagaev's next challenger. Neither fighter has done very much to earn a shot at any alphabet title. Instead, the bout is a reflection of the stranglehold King had on the heavyweight division for so long.

This weekend's bout is a reflection of hope, that a much needed heavyweight face list can be aided by an alphabet organization. Because sometimes, even in boxing, it's as simple as ABC.

NOT BAD, BUT LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY

There's no denying that many in the industry got it wrong last weekend, even if they picked the right winner. Most predicted a Roy Jones blowout, with un-retired Felix "Tito" Trinidad never seeing the final bell, and the bout having no chance of being competitive or providing sustained entertainment.

Perhaps calling it a blowout is a stretch, but there's no denying the judges got it right in declaring Jones a winner by a wide margin (116-110 (2x) and 117-109). It's where most prognosticators' good fortunes end, but it's only the start of the predictable hype that immediately followed the outcome.

In the span of 12 rounds, Jones somehow went from a badly faded legend at the very end of his career to suddenly a born-again contender who would create all sorts of hell for the winner of the April 19 Bernard Hopkins-Joe Calzaghe showdown. That's if we're to believe every spoken word of the HBO broadcast, and the suggestions throughout the media that apparently bought into the Kool Aid everyone was selling following last weekend's bout.

Jones looked good, but didn't do anything beyond what you're supposed to do with a 35-year old fighter who was inactive for nearly three years, and fighting 10 lb. beyond his career heaviest weight. There's no questioning he's in a much better place now than he was two years ago, when he was stuck on three straight losses.

But to put the win in proper perspective, at the very best he looked as good against Trinidad as Tito did against Ricardo Mayorga in October 2004. That night still remains the last time Trinidad won a professional prize fight, as he was brought back to reality by Winky Wright seven months later, suffering a virtual shutout loss and following Papi back into retirement.

That said, it's not unrealistic to suggest that Jones stands a far better chance against Hopkins than he would against Calzaghe, though by no means making it a foregone conclusion that Calzaghe defeats Hopkins in April. Although, anyone who spends too much time pondering a Jones-Hopkins rematch today will deserve exactly what they get should the bout finally come off later this year.

Of course, such a bout would be contingent upon a number of things, most notably Hopkins getting past Calzaghe in April (a plausible scenario) and the two former foes not only agreeing to terms at the negotiating table, but also at a price to which HBO will agree.

It was Jones who put the kibosh on a deal in 2000 that had Hopkins not only facing Jones, but also remaining an HBO house fighter even in the event he loss, usually grounds for contract termination with the Network of Champions.

The infamous "60/40, I whoops yo' ass" chant went nowhere in 2002, with Hopkins instead deciding he'd go the cheap route in riding out his contract with Don King, waiting to become a free agent before accepting any big money fights.

The two seemed to work out a deal in early 2004, shortly after Jones' majority decision win over Bernard Hopkins, only for HBO to agree to half of the $20 million Jones and Hopkins had hoped to split for such a fight.

Food for thought, should negotiations ever commence any time in the near future, or at least after April 19.

ONE MORE LOOK

For those who didn't order last weekend's PPV event, this weekend will be your chance to catch the premiere of HBO's exclusive rebroadcast of the fight. The bout will serve as one of two tape-delayed fights on this weekend's telecast, preceding the Povetkin-Chambers heavyweight clash which airs via same-day tape delay later in the broadcast.

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET

Leave it to boxing fans to finally get a reprieve, yet still bitch about what lies ahead. Among the biggest headlines just three weeks into 2008, exists the possibility of HBO, not HBO PPV, airing Miguel Cotto, Hopkins-Calzaghe, and Oscar de la Hoya, not just this year, but in the span of just four weekends from mid April to early May.

Not good enough, says the boxing public.

Cotto's perceived tune-up against Alfonso Gomez, one of the few Contender contestants who's yet to lose a fight beyond the reality series, has been ripped to shreds in the media and message boards throughout the real world and cyberspace. Yet it marks Cotto's annual return to HBO, his first non-PPV fight since March 2007 when he beat Oktay Urkal in Puerto Rico. Cotto remains one of the more active top fighters in the game, fighting no less than three times per year every year. His 2007 campaign was enough to earn accolades as a top contender for Fighter of the Year, scoring wins over Urkal, Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, the latter two headlining separate HBO PPV events at Madison Square Garden.

The decision to downgrade Hopkins-Calzaghe from PPV to regular HBO marks the first time in three years that boxing fans won't have to pay at least $50 to see the future Hall of Famer in action. The former undisputed middleweight king last appeared in a live bout on HBO in February 2005, when he defeated Howard Eastman in his first fight as a stakeholder of Golden Boy Promotions. The bout was his lone non-premium appearance among his last eight fights, dating back to his PPV win over William Joppy.

You have to go all the way back to 2001 in order to recall the last time an Oscar de la Hoya fight didn't appear on your satellite or cable bill. That was when he took on Arturo Gatti in a comeback fight, nine months after dropping a close but clear decision to Shane Mosley in their welterweight title fight. Seven years, eight fights and $425 later, de la Hoya is rumored to return home to the non-PPV side of HBO, as he's targeted for a May 3 fight against a fighter to be determined.

Perhaps it's the way boxing ought to be, that we've been screwed over for so long, we're now treating something that should already be a given as a welcomed luxury. But progress has to begin somewhere, even if it's only leading to where we should've been from the start.

Of course, you won't hear me disagreeing with anyone who suggests that if de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather (who has only appeared on regular HBO once in his last four fights) are to fight again later this year, that offering that fight without an extra price tag would go a long way toward sending a message that boxing truly gives a damn.

But let's take things one step at a time, and appreciate the schedule that lies ahead.

OUTSIDE THE ROPES

 - On a personal note, I have no problem admitting that my predictions in any sports medium usually leave me looking less like Nostradamus and more like MostlyDumbAss. So pardon me as I break my arm in patting myself on the back after this weekend's events, in which my exact predictions of:

- Jones winning a wide unanimous decision win over Trinidad, scoring a knockdown or two along the way

- A Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, with the Giants going to the big dance by way of

pulling off the upset and beating the Packers in Green Bay for a 10 th straight road win.

… had me appearing as if I watched all of this weekend's events in advance, wouldn't ya say?

- Repeat after me: New York football Giants, three-time Super Bowl Champions. And yes, after THIS year's Super Bowl.

- So we had to wait nearly 55 minutes into Episode 3 of The Wire for the long-awaited return of Omar. Though I have to admit, it was well worth it, if only for his reaction to the bad news he received at episode's end (spoilers preserved for those who've yet to see it)

- Whether or not the Academy Awards actually air this year doesn't change the fact that "No Country for Old Men" was far and away the best movie of 2007, or that Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh is quite possibly the greatest supporting character in cinematic history. You don't need a four-hour award show to point out the obvious.

- If, as BoxingScene.com's David Greisman suggested last week, that boxing is in fact no country for old men, would that make Chad Dawson the Anton Chigurh of the 175 lb. division?

Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His feature column runs every Tuesday, and his Prospect of the Week series runs every Thursday. Jake is also BoxingScene's official Telefutura correspondent.

Please feel free to submit any comments or questions to Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.