If your sign that the Apocalypse is upon us is that heavyweights Maurice Harris and Anthony Thompson are headlining a pay-per-view fight, and in a three-rounder no less, start saying your prayers, because that was the scene at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City Saturday night.

Harris decisioned Thompson to win $100,000 in the first "Fistful of Dollars" tournament.

Scores were 30-27, 29-28, and 29-29 for Harris.

"This is the best heavyweight in the world with a lousy record," promoter Cedric Kushner said. Harris agreed, saying, "I'm the best 19-12 fighter in the world."

Unfortunately for Harris, none of his three, three-round wins will go on his permanent boxing record.

After nine accumulative rounds of action, Harris was spent after his night's work, and rightfully so. Thompson had a little bit more in the tank, playfully telling Harris after the bout, "A couple more rounds and I would have got you."

But in the final, Harris followed up wins against Gerald Nobles and Israel Garcia with a near carbon-copy victory over Thompson, using his jab, movement, and superior experience to control the bout.

Thompson, virtually unknown before Saturday, will be heard from again, as upset wins over Derrick Jefferson and Jeremy Williams and a competitive outing against Harris showcased his still-growing skills.

That may be the biggest upside of "Fistful of Dollars" -- the opportunity to follow an unknown to a big payday. Thompson, with seven children and a previous high purse of $6,000, would have been a great story if he walked away with 100-large, though Harris, himself a father of four, will be able to put the cash to good use himself.

Unfortunately for the promoters, the two biggest trash talkers of the tourney, Williams and Nobles, went home quietly after first-round losses. But maybe that was a good thing.

At the very least, CKP's eight-man tournament was interesting, innovative with its concept, and worth the twenty bucks on PPV. And with the usual lackluster fare presented on Heavyweight Explosion and the pro wrestling antics of the Thunderbox shows, this departure does present an interesting alternative, though the less said about the extraneous action and performances around the fights the better.

Larry Michael did do his usual solid job as the PPV blow-by-blow man, and while Shannon Briggs was no Larry Merchant, I've heard a lot worse as a color commentator.

At its core, though, are the fights. And while Derrick Jefferson and Ray Austin spoiled viewers with their "bombs-away" action, the rest of the evening produced no knockdowns and some typical CKP heavyweight action, not necessarily a good thing, but at least digestible in three-round chunks.

Quarterfinals
Derrick Jefferson and Ray Austin kicked off the single-elimination tourney by throwing bombs, and it was Austin who had the early advantage, landing a couple of shots that staggered the Detroit native. Jefferson weathered the storm, scored with a couple of Howitzers of his own; he carried that momentum into the second round, opening with a sweeping left hook that put Ohio's Austin on his back. Austin rose on wobbly legs, faced the crowd, and referee Ed Johnson had seen enough, waving the bout off at the :16 second mark.

Late replacement Israel Garcia advanced to the semifinals with an upset split decision over former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon. Looking every bit of his 44 years old, Witherspoon followed Garcia around the ring aimlessly, unable to pull the trigger on his patented right hand. Garcia was unspectacular in victory, but did enough with his movement and some quick uppercuts to gain the 29-28 twice, and 28-29 decision. "Terrible" Tim reportedly announced his retirement after the bout. He wraps up his career with a 55-12-1 (38 KOs) record.

In another upset, Maryland's Anthony Thompson surprised former contender Jeremy Williams by scoring a decision win. Williams came out winging at the opening bell and within seconds had Thompson on the ropes. Thompson absorbed the shots and turned the tables, coming back with scoring blows of his own. After the initial burst of action, the bout settled into a predictable groove, with the 6-foot-6 southpaw, Thompson, using his jab and stiff right hand to keep the charging Williams off him. At the end of three, one judge had it scored 30-26 for Thompson, with the other two scorecards inexplicably reading 28-28, and that included a point deduction from Williams for a blatant headbutt. Due to tourney rules, punches landed determined the winner, and Thompson edged Williams out 51-37.

Maurice Harris avenged a 1996 loss to Gerald Nobles with a three-round unanimous decision win. Using the boxing skills that have endeared him to the sport's insiders, the underachieving Harris made sure that there would be no repeat against the out of shape "Jedi," who needed a lightsaber to get past "Sugar Mo's" jab. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 in a less than scintillating bout.

Semifinals
Anthony Thompson started off his semifinal match with Derrick Jefferson the same way he began his bout with Jeremy Williams -- on the ropes. And like Williams, Jefferson fell victim to the unheralded native of Silver Springs, Md., losing a unanimous decision (30-27 twice and 29-28) that didn't reflect the closeness of the bout. Jefferson had his way in the first round and stunned Thompson a couple of times, but by the second round, the 17-1 southpaw had started firing back and the wind quickly left Jefferson's lungs ---a career-long Achilles' Heel. Thompson solidified his lead in the third, sealing his win by bloodying Jefferson's mouth, and scoring with some strong inside uppercuts.

Israel Garcia was more aggressive in his bout against Mo Harris, but it was to no avail against the slick-boxing New Jersey native, who made it to the finals via a shutout three-round decision. All scores were 30-27. Rarely coming off his toes for the duration of the fight, Harris exploited the talent and experience gap between himself and the still-green Garcia, using his jab and selective combinations to befuddle the New Yorker.

In a non-tournament bout, heavyweight contender David Tua got a Christmas bonus with an easy second round KO win over Russell Chasteen. Tua, who lifts his record to 42-3 with 37 KOs, stayed busy while awaiting his March rematch with Hasim Rahman.