The old saying advises us to be careful what we
wish for because we might get it. Antonio Tarver wished for a fight with Roy
Jones Jr. He went out of his way to make the wish come true. He travelled to
Portland, Oregon, to watch Jones destroy Clinton Woods and then called him out
at the post-fight press conference.
After Jones had outclassed John Ruiz to win the
World Boxing Association heavyweight belt last March, guess who was there at the
post-fight conference to bait him? Yes, that man Tarver again. Now, on 8
November, Tarver's wish becomes reality. He meets Jones in a pay-per-view fight
at the Mandalay Bay casino resort in Las Vegas.
Tarver is the champ, defending the World Boxing
Council and International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight titles that he won
when Jones decided to test the heavyweight waters. But Jones is the star and
gets most of the money. Jones bulked up to 193lbs (13st 11lbs) for the Ruiz
fight. Now he comes back down to light-heavyweight to reclaim what he feels is
rightfully his, while also getting an extension from the WBA that allows him to
remain that organisation's heavyweight champion. When you've got Jones's
megawatt star power you can get away with such things. The move back to
light-heavy came as a slight surprise. But various proposed heavyweight bouts
failed to materialise due to the usual matters of contractual disputes and
financial differences.
So it made business sense for Jones to revisit
the 12st 7lbs (175lbs) weight class that he dominated for years to reassume the
role of challenger, although the International Boxing Organisation has
reinstated Jones as champ. But the main appeal of the fight is its theme of
personal animosity and long-simmering rivalry. The billing of "It's Personal" is
no joke. Jones does not like Tarver and he has let his feelings be known in a
heated manner. He feels that Tarver has crossed the line with provocative words
and accusations that Jones was afraid to fight him. Now it's time to take care
of business.
What Tarver seems to have done is to galvanise
Jones to the point where merely winning will not be enough. This could be one of
those fights where Jones wants not simply to defeat but to demolish the other
man. I think that Jones has probably felt this much dislike towards an opponent
only twice in his career. The first time was against Thomas Tate, whom he fought
for the super middle title in 1994, and the other time was when he faced Montell
Griffin in a rematch for the light-heavy title in 1997. Each time the other man
was blown away, Tate in two rounds, Griffin in one. There wasn't a lot of love
lost between Jones and James Toney, but the victory provided the satisfaction
there, especially since a bit of humiliation was thrown in.
But Jones really had it in for both Tate - who
had done a lot of trash talking - and Griffin, who had taken Jones's light-heavy
title on a disqualification when on the point of being knocked out, a result
that to Jones was akin to robbery. I remember walking into the MGM Grand Garden
Arena with Jones's adviser at the time, Stanley Levin, prior to the fight with
Tate, and Levin saying how the hair on the back of his neck was standing up
after witnessing what he described as Jones's "cold rage" as this superb fighter
prepared himself for what was to be a short night's work.
As for Griffin, well, he never knew what hit
him. But Tarver brings a firepower that Tate and Griffin lacked. The defending
champ is a serious puncher with the left hand that he unleashes from out of his
southpaw stance. Jones faces genuine risk if he tries to run right over Tarver.
And while Tarver is the underdog, one thing he has going for him is that he
believes in himself. He is unlikely to fall victim to big-night nerves, or to
seek simply to survive when the bell rings. Tarver feels he has what it takes to
pull off the upset, that his style, his talent and his power will overcome the
speed and the innovative audacity of the boxer generally recognised as the best
in the business. As he said to me in conversation after Jones had stopped
Clinton Woods: "I have the formula.
" Anyone who has spoken to Tarver knows he is
not in awe of Jones. Tarver, 34, has known Jones for a long time, starting back
in the days when they were youngsters on the Florida amateur circuit (Jones is
from Pensacola, Tarver from, Orlando). They boxed as 13-year-olds in the
Sunshine State Games, with Jones winning on points in what Tarver remembers as a
competitive bout. It has long been Tarver's contention that Jones selects his
opponents carefully because he is afraid to lose. He has accused Jones of
ducking him. Jones points out that Tarver lost to Eric Harding in an elimination
match in June 2000. If Tarver had won that fight, he would have got the title
shot back then, Jones said.
But Jones has admitted that Tarver has redeemed
himself. Since losing his unbeaten record to Harding, Tarver has won five fights
in a row. He got off the floor to outpoint Reggie Johnson, the former champ, and
he destroyed Harding in the fifth round of their rematch, a truly frightening KO
that I think has ruined his fellow-southpaw as a fighter. And in April, Tarver
easily won the titles that had become vacant with a one-sided points victory
over Montell Griffin, knocking down Jones's old rival in the first and 12th
rounds. So Tarver has earned the opportunity.
But his task is indeed a formidable one. Jones,
34, is the more experienced by far, with 47 victories (38 KOs) in 48 bouts, with
the loss by DQ against Montell Griffin summarily avenged. Tarver brings a record
of 21 wins in 22 bouts (17 KOs) and he, too, gained revenge over the only man
with a win over him. But Tarver points out that he was a vastly experienced
amateur, winning the world title and an Olympic bronze medal. He has shown
character, overcoming a drugs problem as a 19-year-old and gritting it out to
finish the 12 rounds against Eric Harding despite suffering a broken jaw in
their first fight.
When Tarver beat Reggie Johnson it was an IBF
elimination match and he did not really need to meet Harding again. But Tarver
wanted to set the record straight, which he did, although for a while he was
being outboxed. But once he hit Harding with that big left hand, in the fifth,
it was all over. Tarver credits his trainer, Buddy McGirt, with bringing his
career to the next level and instilling a greater work ethic after the
disappointing loss to Harding in the first bout; a strength and conditioning
coach ensured he was making weight the right way. Now, Tarver feels he is a
bigger, stronger and more well rounded fighter than he was when he lost to
Harding three years ago.
And he feels he is the man to beat Roy Jones.
The way Tarver once explained it to me in an interview was like this: "OK, he
comes into the fight with all the speed and quickness. But one thing that I have
that none of the other fighters he's fought have, I have good eyes. I have
reflexes. My instinctive ability. Natural, God-given talent. That's what's going
to compensate for his speed and all the other assets that he brings to the game.
Not to mention that I have the power. I'm the bigger, stronger guy." And, yes,
at 6ft 2ins, Tarver is about three inches taller than Jones, and he might be the
best puncher that the superstar has faced. He has talent, self-belief and he is
a southpaw.
But will it be enough? Jones, we have to
acknowledge, is an incredible fighter, a world champ in four weight divisions
with a sense of destiny. He emulated old-timer Bob Fitzsimmons, who was the
first middleweight champ to win the heavyweight title, now he's out to equal
Fitz's other feat by moving back down to light-heavy after becoming heavyweight
champ. And while Tarver has a point by saying that Jones picks and chooses
opponents, the fact is that a lot of people in the game thought that John Ruiz
would be too big and too rough and tough for Jones. This was on paper a risky
fight. It was just that, on the night, Jones made it look easy. And let's not
forget that Jones beat Bernard Hopkins and James Toney - and beat them widely on
points.
Now Jones meets Tarver in a match that cannot
be criticised in terms of quality of opposition. Tarver represents a threat,
even though Jones is a big favourite. And there seems little doubt that Jones
will be seeking to make a statement. Jones's adviser, Brad Jacobs, said over the
phone from Florida: "This is very personal. Tarver's been calling out Roy
literally since they were teenagers. Obviously Roy's become a superstar in the
business, Tarver's done well and become a champion and all that, but I truly
believe there's a personal score to settle between the two of them. I think if
you take away the fact that Jones fought Ruiz for the heavyweight title, this
will be the biggest showdown in Roy's career in a long time.
It's certainly the biggest showdown in the
light-heavyweight division in a long time. I tell people what I'm expecting is
Montell II." But Tarver is a taller and a bigger puncher than the stocky
Griffin. Jones is going to have to be smart. If Tarver can hit him with the
left, he can put him in trouble. In the only knockdown Jones has suffered he got
caught by a left from the southpaw Lou Del Valle in a fight that was otherwise
one-sided.
Still, Tarver's southpaw stance, in and of
itself, should not be that much of a problem for Jones. He has beaten more
southpaws in title fights than perhaps any champ in history, most of them
mandatory defences: Reggie Johnson, Eric Harding, Lou Del Valle, Otis Grant, the
pathetic Richard Frazier, Derrick Harmon, Richard Hall. And in the super middle
division he disposed of another "lefty" challenger, Antoine Byrd, in the first
round.
Even though Jones hit the floor against Del
Valle and actually lost a few rounds against Harding he never looked in danger
of losing. Of the eight southpaws he's defeated in title bouts at two weights,
only Del Valle and Reggie Johnson made it to the final bell (Harding would most
likely have done so, too, but suffered a torn biceps). I think that Tarver
represents a tougher challenge than any of the above and, leaving out Ruiz, it
will be Jones's most significant and competitive fight since he beat Toney at
super middle seven years ago.
How competitive it will be depends on how long
it takes Jones to get into position to land his punches as he seeks to feint
Tarver out of position and bemuse him with angles of attack and athleticism. We
have two fighters in Roy Jones. There is the Roy Jones who is often content to
showcase his skills while not getting hit, and there is the Roy Jones who comes
in to the ring with an altogether meaner, colder mindset, which is the Jones I
think we are likely to see against Tarver.
I think that Tarver will be in the fight early,
his left hand keeping Jones from getting too aggressive, too soon, but by the
middle rounds I get the feeling that Jones will be finding a way to reach Tarver
with right hands on top and rip him with hooks to that lanky body, perhaps
opening him up for left hooks upstairs. Once Jones starts to hit the target I
think he can take over mentally and physically, bewildering Tarver with his hand
speed. I don't think that winning on points will be good enough for Jones here.
I think he has KO on his mind, and I have a feeling he will get it, not quickly
as against Montell Griffin but by breaking down Tarver and then overwhelming him
at some point in the last three rounds. Additional coverage in November issue
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