Vladimir Kozlov is a WWE superstar from Russia. Currently undefeated in the WWE, Kozlov has earned the right to face the current WWE champion Triple H for the WWE title at Survivor Series. Vladimir is a large wrestler, weighing in at 302 pounds and 6 foot 8 inches. He earned the right to face Triple H by winning a match by disqualification against The Undertaker. He made his debut on April 4, 2008 and has never been defeated in the WWE.  This Moscow mauler is an extremely disciplined athletic machine. Trained in several fighting styles- including Sambo, Judo, and kick boxing. This Russian superstar is a dominant, no nonsense competitor once he steps into the ring. Vladimir Kozlov was a successful athlete before he entered the WWE. He is a former U.S Open Sambo Heavyweight Champion, U.S Kickboxing Association International Grappling Champion, as well as a former member of the Ukrainian national football team. The success that Vladimir has in his future with the WWE is undeniable and unavoidable. It’s only a matter of time before he takes his rightful place as the new WWE Champion.

Unlike most super heavyweight wrestlers in the WWE, Vladimir actually moves like a cruiserweight, giving him a dangerous advantage in any giving situation. He also uses his head to win a lot of his matches, literally. Almost everyone that he has faced has become a victim of the battery ram, granting Kozlov the victory in every given occassion.

Utah has played strong this season with a mediocre schedule. Utah slipped through two nose bitters. First against the Pac-10 leader Oregon State, and secondly to #14 ranked TCU last Thursday. Now all they have left in an easy win at San Diego State. Then the rivalry game at home versus a good BYU team who is looking to get a share of the Mountain West Conference Title.

Boise State has played great with a cake walk schedule. There hasn't really been a close game to them this season besides playing a short handed Oregon team. Boise State has three games left on the season. First they play a horrible (possibly the worst team in the NCAA) Idaho on the road. Second they play an ok Nevada team. Then their season ender at home against the best team they will play all season Fresno State.

Both Utah and Boise State will win their remaining games this season. With both teams undefeated it will put Utah in a BCS Bowl Game, and most likely heading to the Sugar Bowl playing either Alabama or Florida. Then Boise State will send to the Poinsettia bowl probably playing BYU (if BYU doesn't lose to Air Force). So my predictions are Utah Busting the BCS and winning a close game against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl!

The under card was a Heinz 57 of different weight classes and fighting styles, making up for what I thought was one of the most entertaining cards in quite some time. The evening kicked off with 140 # match between undefeated youngster Devin “Alexander the Great” Alexander, and seasoned veteran Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley. The fight started with Alexander showing that he was going to set the pace of the fight by becoming the aggressor and never looking back. He screamed and yelled his way through counter punches and combinations that would wear down Corley through all 12 rounds.

The judges would have given Alexander a white wash of the score cards if he would not have been docked 2 points in the 12th round due to a series of inadvertent low blows. I on the other hand gave the 11th round to Corley but not by much. Alexander showed that he is a force to be reckoned with in the 140 # weight class, and seems to have the power to enable him to move up if needed. This kid showed St. Louis pride and the heart to match giving boxing promoter's reason to consider Alexander when the title shot books are opened.

During the intermission the cameras went back to HBO analyst Max Kellerman in Jones' locker room due to a glove controversy. Kellerman reported that in the contract was a clause added by the Trinidad camp that Jr. had to wear the blue Everlast gloves as apposed to his red Grant gloves. Just when I thought that Roy was upset because he had to use a thicker shaped Everlast gloves instead of the puncher-friendly Grant gloves he has used for years, he says in his interview “I was going to wear red trunks with red gloves you know that I need to look good for my people”.

It was rumored that Jr. had gone to Trinidad's hotel room to convince Tito and his father to bury the contract and allow him to wear his Grant gloves, but the Trinidad camp was not having it. Jones capped off the disagreement by telling Max “he wants to make me wear these Everlast gloves that's fine I'll just give him an Everlasting whoopin' he will never forget”. Roy was in top trash talking form, a form that has made me a serious Roy Jones Jr. fan for over a decade.

The next bout was between the Champion Roman “Made in Hell” Karmazin vs. Alex “the Technician” Bunema for the Intercontinental Super Middleweight belt. When this fight started I was one of the many who was sure that Karmazin would just walk through Bunema without struggle, but that just was not the case. Karmazin fought in his same “left hand dropped” style shades of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter leaving him vulnerable to Bunema's right hand. I had Karmazin ahead in the score cards through 9 rounds 5 rounds to 4 by a score of 85 to 86. Just when I thought we might see a draw “The Technician” turned up the heat on “Made in Hell” pinning him in the corner and commenced to having target practice scoring a very impressive knockout in round number ten, winning the title and establishing his place in the boxing ranks.

Finally we have a heavyweight scrap that is reminiscent of the class' glory days. At a time when you turn the channel when the heavyweights make their way out to the ring, a good 12 round bout is nearly extinct. Not tonight knuckleheads, we've got ourselves a good ol' fashioned slobber knocker. This fight would pit former number one contender Andrew Golota against up and comer “Merciless” Mike Mollo in a 12 round contest at the 240 lb weight class. Golota came out looking like Ivan Drago in the first 3 rounds landing almost everything, and landing it with extreme power. Mollo began to show grim determination, and supreme guts standing toe to toe while taking a beating by a man that has almost won the heavyweight title twice.

I realized I was in for a treat when Mollo answered by winning the next 3 rounds tying it up on my score card 3 to 3. At the end of the 6th round I personally thought that Golota would slow down (due to his age of 40), and Mollo would pick it up and knock him out in the next round. Toward the end of the 6th round Mollo was talking up a storm to the Polish powerhouse while tagging him at will. This seemed to be the end for Golota, but I was wrong. In the 7th round Mollo virtually ran out of gas in seconds, becoming punch drunk, as well as lost when he could not find his corner. After his scavenger hunt Mollo sat down in his corner with a totally different outlook on the fight. Although he was still determined to win the fight it was just too late for the young 3rd generation pugilist.

He would win the 8th round but would also take a beating that not many fighters could handle, and still stay on his feet. Golota was pounding away so hard that you could almost see the brain cells leaving his membrane in a timely fashion. Golota very convincingly won the next 4 rounds, taking nothing away from the heart of Mike Mollo who showed boxing fans a lot. Even though he lost the fight he let everyone know that he was here to stay. As far as Andrew Golota is concerned he might have opened a door for himself to have yet another title shot, and lets face it time is not on his closest ally.

And now the moment we've all been waiting for, the main event. Roy Jones Jr. had lost 3 of his last 5 fights, and Felix Trinidad hadn't boxed for 2 years. Needless to say this was exactly what both fighters needed to etch their names in the elite ranks of the boxing world once again. Any true boxing fan will recall the time when Trinidad was fresh off of a controversial win against DeLeHoya, and Jones was on the top of the boxing world after a win against Bernard Hopkins. At this time everyone in the industry was basically begging for Jones vs. Trinidad, but understandably Jr. would not fight in a DKP (Don King Productions) promoted fight. But now we have the makings of a long awaited battle between two of the most influential fighters of our era.

The fight started with Tito looking like he hadn't missed a step giving myself as well as all the other RJJR fans in the world a reason to worry. But in the second round out comes vintage Roy, cocky, fast and right on target. Dancing around the ring like “The Greatest” danced around Sonny Liston, and putting on a show for the ages. Although he didn't have the same speed as he did while he was bulldozing through the weight classes like a man on a mission, he was right on target, and very slick with every counter punch that he threw.

Tito looked very good still throwing punches with the same ferocity as he did against Fernando Vargas, but Roy was just too elusive for the pride of Puerto Rico. Jr. scored a knockdown in round 7 that would've ended in a KO if we were watching this in 2001, but like I said this is a new day. He couldn't capitalize on Tito's weakness just yet, slugging, and talking his way through the end of the round Jones knew he had it in the bag. The next rounds were quiet yet affective for Jr., and not so affective for Trinidad.

Roy would continue his boxing clinic with another knock down in round 7, although it could be said that Tito lost his balance he was punchy nonetheless. Roy finished the fight in championship form showing the world that they have not seen the less of RJJR, and quite possibly neither has Hopkins. Calling out both Hopkins, and Calzage after the convincing win. I am a very happy Roy Jones Jr. fan in the respect that I know that I have not seen the last of one of the most talented, and entertaining fighters of all time.

Ill see you guys in February, goodnight boxing fans.

All over the sports media, experts are posing the question of the day: Are the Patriots the greatest team ever? The consensus seems to be “no”, as the 70's Steelers, the 80's Niners, and the 90's Cowboys qualify for that distinction. But most of these talking heads are sidestepping the unresolved question of the rest of the season. The Patriots have at least six more games and there are five good reasons why they will be tripped up:

1. As members of the Patriots themselves have said, other teams have projected a target on the Patriots' backs. We have seen the Eagles throw a genuine scare into their undefeated dream by out-coaching and mostly outplaying the Patriots. The near defeat will only serve to educate other teams about devising ways to beat them as well as motivate other over-matched teams for the remainder of the schedule.
2. While the Patriots have extremely talented and confident front line players, they do not have the depth that makes a team truly great. In the era of free agency, stockpiling talent is just not possible. Some players will play for less money for the chance to make the Super Bowl, but that type of altruism is not common. So when injuries occur, the Patriots will have some drop-off in talent and teams gunning for them will exploit this lack. The Patriots have dodged the injury bullet for the most part but their luck cannot last the whole season.
3. The remaining schedule does not look all that formidable with the exception of Pittsburgh and their stingy defense. The Patriots clinched the East division title this last weekend and their intensity will be somewhat diminished, although Belichick will be on them to perform against Baltimore. It is just human nature to relax when your reward has been delivered. As much as Belichick will push them, they will suffer some lack of intensity.
4. That said, Belichick is focused completely on winning the Super Bowl and will probably not pay much heed to the historical significance of an undefeated season. Therefore, he will not play his starters as much as seems normal as the season comes to an end and he also understands that maintaining such a high level of intensity for sixteen games will drain the team's emotional tank. He will, however, probably thrash the Jets in retaliation for Mangini's tattling.
5. The penultimate game is against the Giants who may well still be in the hunt for a play-off spot. Their motivation will be sky high both to make the playoffs and to spoil the unbeaten streak. If the Patriots are 15-0 at that point, Belichick will decidedly not play his starters for very long and the way will be clear for a Giants win.

More reasons for losing a game or two are probably apparent to others privy to inside information but these five reasons loom large in the eyes of this observer.

First I'll add that I've been on the Pats bandwagon from game one. I've bet them against the spread every week by wiring money to my friend in Las Vegas and collected every week except for last night when the Pats only won by 4 points and the spread was 4 1/2. So I've been watching the Pats closely and most of their upcoming opponents.

The Buffalo Bills are up next for the Patriots after the bye week. The Bills are currently 4-4 after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday and I could see them beating the Patriots if everything broke their way. The Bills have some explosive players who can put points on the board. Lee Evans is always a deep threat at WR with his great speed. Rookie RB Marshawn Lynch took the ball 59 yards for a score in the 4th quarter against the Bengals to ice the game for the Bills. And Terrence McGee is still a big special teams threat to score a TD off any kick.

Even though the game is in Buffalo facing the Bills off their bye week is a break for the Patriots in my opinion. How many times in sports have we seen teams get up for big games and win those games and then come back flat the next week versus a lesser opponent. Happens in sports all the time and it could have happened to the Patriots except for the bye week. They could also come out flat after the bye week but I think the break came just at the right time for this team. The Bills could beat the Pats but need a lot of breaks and I think the Patriots win this game.

After the Bills, the Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles in Foxboro. The Eagles are having a bad year and would need a minor miracle to make the playoffs. Despite that they do play hard but unless Donovan McNabb has one of his great 4 or 5 TD games I don't think the Eagles will win and you know New England head coach Bill Belichick will be focused on preventing McNabb from beating his team.

The Patriots then go on the road and play the Baltimore Ravens in week 13. You know the Ravens will play hard if the Pats are undefeated but I don't think they have enough offense to win the game. After the Ravens would come the Patriots next biggest challenge to an undefeated season, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are currently 5-2 and have given up only 91 points on the season. If the Patriots are undefeated coming into this matchup it would make for a great game. The Pats currently have scored the most points in the NFL by a wide margin and would likely be facing the NFL's stingiest defense in this matchup. The Patriots are home for this game which gives them a decided edge.

If the Patriots get through the Steelers game undefeated they face two of the weakest teams in their division and the entire NFL in weeks 15 and 16 in the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The Jets and Dolphins have but one win between them in 17 games so far this year. Both teams would probably treat their games against the Patriots as if it was the Super Bowl should the Pats some into these two games undefeated but neither team would likely win as both games are in Foxboro.

Which means the Patriots would come into week 17 needing to beat the New York Giants for an undefeated season. The Giants have been on a roll lately having won six games in a row, all against weak opponents. But the Giants do have a tremendous pass rush featuring Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Mathias Kiwanuka that currently leads the NFL in sacks with 30. And anybody who watched the Colts-Pats game knows that the Colts were able to stay in the game because of the pressure they were able to put on Patriots QB Tom Brady. So you would have to give the Giants a decent chance of being able to win the game.

This is a Saturday night game on the 29th of December in the Meadowlands and if the Patriots come into it undefeated a lot of NFL fans will be planted in their easy chairs in front of their wide-screen HDTV plasma television's hoping for a great show. The game would do a monster rating and I am personally hoping it happens and think there is a pretty good chance it will.