By Rick Reeno
The new year is being touted as one of best for boxing in several years. Numerous key bouts have been set on the boxing calendar and superstars of the sport are taking chances against top-flight opposition.
In one of the more important bouts of the year, in terms of boxing history and fan anticipation, former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins will move up two weight divisions to meet the recognized king at light heavyweight, Antonio Tarver. The bout is set to take place on June 10, live on HBO pay-per-view.
There are plenty of people in the sport, fans and experts alike, wondering why Hopkins would take this kind of risk at this late stage of his career.
"I think the fans deserve to see a future hall of famer, and potential legend when it's all said and done, take on the baddest guy in any weight class that he chooses to challenge, and that happens to be Tarver," said Hopkins.
Some pundits and experts in the sport have criticized both men for making the bout. There are those that feel Hopkins is too small, Tarver is too big, among other observations from the critics.
"I think that standing there and criticizing as some will do and speaking negative about it, is the same thing they did with Jermain Taylor. I gave him an opportunity because I never ducked nobody. I could have fought somebody other than Jermain, who wasn't ready, No. 1," said Hopkins.
"I'm taking the same concept with the light heavyweight division. Yes, it's a challenge, I agree. I'm not going to undercut and underplay, the risk is what it is. I'm 10-0 against southpaws. Go look at the record. Some of those southpaws I had to fight three times, like Robert Allen. He was, at one time, considered a top-three fighter in the world until I destroyed him and ruined him."
"I'll say this, Tarver brings a major threat. More so than any other light heavyweight including the guy he fought twice and I knocked out, Glen Johnson, and in some cases an argument can be made about Roy Jones. I know the risk and I support what people's doubts are to the point where it's their opinion."
Tarver has felt the sting of boxing experts being critical over Hopkins being the opponent of choice, most of them pointing the finger at the fact that Hopkins is coming off of two consecutive losses.
"I have about two more years of this and I want to go out on top. Fight the fights that I'm supposed to fight and beat the fighters that I'm supposed to beat. Let my career speak for itself," said Tarver.
"I don't know anybody coming off a hiatus like me, going up and challenging a guy like Hopkins. Some people say he didn't lose any of those fights. So it depends on who's talking and who's looking at it. It doesn't look like his confidence is discouraged at all by the two controversial decisions. You should take your hat off to the guy. People get paid for doing much less. This is the risk business. I was willing to go up to heavyweight and take on Mike Tyson.
"I'm not going to take this guy lightly. I think Hopkins is going to look good at light heavyweight. He can stand to use a few pounds, a few pounds of muscle. I think he's going to look really good. I don't know what's he's coming with, but I'm coming with my A game.
"This man has gone through 20 defenses, consecutively. He dominated the middleweight division, that goes without saying. For 10 years running. That's why I know I have my work cut out and I'm going to train my a-- off to be in the best shape of my life. If he dreams of beating me, the dream stops here. I'm here to put the world on notice to expect another tremendous performance."
The main concerns among observers is whether or not Tarver will be able to make the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds or if Hopkins can be an effective light heavyweight. In order to get ready for his motion picture debut in the new "Rocky" movie, Tarver had to bulk up his weight in order to appear like a solid heavyweight for his starring role. Hopkins feels the public is trying to throw in excuses, before the bout even takes place.
"I'm not going to say anything to undercut whatever happens on June 10 because I don't want nobody to lay their hat on with excuses to try and not give me the credit," Hopkins said. "You have to understand, I'm not a very likable guy amongst the boxing powerbrokers of the sport. I'm not going to say anything about him making weight or the 'Rocky' movie because what they are doing is thinking about something in order to make an excuse because I've been so brilliant and doing things that they did not expect me to do.
"They want to keep their feet on first and try to steal second with an excuse, and say, 'A) He was doing a movie, B) He wasn't concentrating, C) He had to bulk up.' I'm not going to support that, even if it is or it isn't. What I'm going to say is that I'm the best fighter, the most experienced fighter and I believe that come June 10th that I will show you physically in the ring and mentally. All across the boards. This fight is not about big or small, thick or medium. This fight is about how to maneuver each other's strengths and make them show their weakness and capitalize on them and finish. That's what it's about. I'm a veteran and Tarver is a veteran. Trust me, I take a great little man over a big man any day."
Tarver has also been fighting to get respect from the boxing experts for several years. After three consecutive victories over arch-rival Roy Jones, Tarver still feels like he is not being given the proper credit from the experts, who he feels are making excuses for his positive accomplishments in the ring.
"People haven't given me my respect. They haven't given me my just due," said Tarver. "I'm forever trying prove something and I shouldn't have to do that. They underestimated me, they didn't see me coming and even though I had the stellar amateur career that I had, they are still surprised. It's beyond me.
"These so-called experts are not even experts at all. If they knew the fight game, they would know and understand what they are looking at. I won't be appreciated until I walk away from the game and they look back and say, 'That man beat every man that stepped in the ring with him. He was a great fighter and we didn't appreciate him when he was here.'
"A guy can sometimes get lucky, but you can't get lucky three times. I'm telling you that I beat (Jones) the first time, the second time and the third time. You don't beat a guy three times in a row and not be the goods. How could they say he was a shot fighter when I fought him? He was the heavyweight champion of the world. If he was shot, I shot his a--. I would be glad to take that credit. Third time he was quick, he was smart, he was savvy in the ring, but I solved the puzzle.
"I think he protected himself very well in the fight. He's the one that wants to lay his f---ing life on the line to try and prove nothing to nobody, but I don't blame him. I don't blame the guy. He fought a smart fight, took some good shots and was able to come back.
"I'm going to continue to do what I do because when God is with you, can't nobody be against you. I'm here because my ability, my talent proves something. I'm here in the game because I worked my a-- off. I've accepted challenges and did things that people expected me not to do. People thought it was impossible for me to do the things that I've done. I deserve the credit that goes along with that."
The fight with Hopkins will give Tarver a chance to do something he always wanted to do, disprove the Roy Jones myth that boxing experts have been hanging over his head since his first meeting with Jones.
"This will give me the opportunity to disprove the one rumor, the one excuse that Roy and that the whole boxing world hung on to as to why he took such a f---ing beating in the first fight," said Tarver. "I got the opportunity to disprove that. And the amount that I'm coming down, he was crying about coming down from 200 pounds.
"Trust me, I got my work cut out for me, where I'm at right now, but I'm not going to cry over spilled milk. I accepted the challenge and I know the type of work that I have to do to make sure that I'm healthy, and 100 percent ready to go when the time comes. We have less than three and a half months and I know what I have to do. We have already started on that path."
Wright move for Taylor?
The politics of the sport have not been kind to Bernard Hopkins either. Hopkins has been fighting the media, the higher-ups, the writers and the promoters for years. He says the powers on top did not want him to see him succeed because he refused to be controlled and wanted to be his own man. In the end, Hopkins feels that he won the battle over the people who set out to destroy his career.
"What I did was so brilliant, because let them know that I had one year left and if you are going to get me, you better get me now," Hopkins said. "I knew why I said that. It was intentional because I understood that they needed to get me by any means necessary, between January 2005 to January 2006.
"During the course, they gave me what they tried to deprive me of, and that was equity — their God. They understood that if I ever got their God, which is money, in my bank account, knowledge and equity is power in America.
"They understand that by having that power, and the influence to move young fighters, I can move people to do things they didn't want to do or didn't have the courage to do. That is the biggest left hook or right hand being thrown on the political end, so I understood why things went down because I put the time table for you to get me. I let it be exposed among millions of boxing fans and people.
"I never imagined years ago that I would have to go through a situation where, not that I want this, that fans would actually feel sorry for the way things went down. The things that happened with the Jermain Taylor fight, the first and second, the way things went down. The casual and hardcore boxing fans saw the reason for the way things went down is because this man has been his own man and he took on the system and he said to us years ago that if they every get a chance to raise their ugly head, they will."
Hopkins feels that the higher powers in system did everything they could in order to get the middleweight titles out of his hands. What ended up happening in Hopkins' opinion is the system being it's own worst enemy. By trying to ruin him, Hopkins feels that he was able to switch the situation around on them and beat the system at their own game.
"Jermain Taylor is supposed to be the undisputed middleweight champion," Hopkins said. "The undisputed middleweight champion of the world has to fight on HBO, against a quality fighter named Winky Wright, and they needed me to fight on June 10 to do the tape delay to hype up his fight with Winky Wright. Don't that tell you something?
"The bottom line is this, man: I still beat them. I beat them on two fronts because I got their God in my account. I'm not beat up. They cant run a commercial on Bernard Hopkins for Jermain Taylor's next fight coming up and show me spitting out my mouthpiece like Mike Tyson did when he lost to Buster Douglas. They can't do that to Bernard Hopkins.
"You know what they are going to promote? Controversy. There is still a big question mark out there in the middleweight division. You know it and I know it. I don't even have to dispute it because that's why the fight is on HBO and not pay-per-view.
"Your telling me that fight shouldn't be on pay-per-view? Some may say because of how Winky looked in his last fight. Well, Zab Judah lost in his last fight and he is still fighting Floyd Mayweather on pay-per-view. It is the quick-minded and the quick-thinking, the evidence and the smarts that they fear.
"If this was the '50s or '60s, they would have killed me by now. Things are that open right now. You have an arch-enemy out there, his first initial begins with an 'L', and another enemy that begins with a 'K', and then you have other enemies out there that you didn't even know about. So I knew that there was going to be a time, and here they come.
"They aren't going to be worried about what the people say because they need to get out the old and move on with the new. 'We need to have these belts in Jermain Taylor's hands because he's controllable.' He's perceived to be the Michael Jordan of boxing to some and they need to promote that. The worst thing that can happen is if he loses to Winky Wright, and then you and me will have this conversation where you tell me that they want you to stay and fight Winky Wright. But, I will leave like I promised you. Isn't that winning at the end?"
In a surprise, Hopkins expressed compassion for arch-rival Taylor, who he feels will have his career ruined by the boxing system if he loses to Winky Wright.
"If he loses, people will say, 'He lost to Bernard Hopkins twice, anyway.' His career will be ruined. They are going to ruin the man's career and he doesn't have a clue as to what's going on. He loses to Winky Wright, where does he go? Why do you think they wanted him to fight a bozo the clown? They didn't want him to fight Winky Wright. Winky is going to be up for this fight.
"I'm telling you right now that if he loses it will blow the top off the pot. Oh my God, it would be a nail in the coffin. Then I'm going to pack up and move to Europe, man (laughing). After all they did to get these belts from me, their mission failed. Their mission made me a multi-millionaire. They pushed me out and made their mess, and I won't be there to fix it for them when Winky Wright beats him."
Tarver-Tyson
The original plan for Tarver was to stay at heavyweight and fight Tyson. For reasons unknown to Tarver, Tyson did not accept the fight.
"It could have come off. All Mike Tyson had to do is say yes," said Tarver. "Everything was in motion. All the wheels were turning and, believe it or not, he turned down $10 million so he isn't hurting (laughing). He got money somewhere. I don't know anybody that is struggling that would turn down $10 million if it was in front of them. Like I said, after I get rid of Bernard Hopkins, the offer still stands."
Hopkins knew that once Tarver's heavyweight tiff with Tyson fell apart, Tarver would have to go to him to make a fight that makes the most financial sense.
"Who do you think is going to sell this fight? Tarver isn't selling this fight," said Hopkins. "I'm giving him the payday. Where else is he going to generate numbers unless he fights a heavyweight which is not going to happen, not this year. Where is he going to generate numbers and get $4-5 million for it?"
'Where's the money?'
While everyone knows this fight comes down to money and there are many fighters in the sport who want to play upon the fact that they are not fighting certain opponents to get the biggest bang for their buck, Hopkins and Tarver are not those kind of fighters. They have been very vocal in their careers about being properly compensated for their risk, and this fight is no different.
"I'm trying to go places that nobody is going to give to me, but myself. Nobody is going to place me up on this throne or throw money at me, I have to earn it," said Tarver. "I'm out here trying to position myself to show the whole world that I deserve everything that I get.
"I want to continue my future as a pay-per-view fighter, that's where my future is, to be a pay-per-view fighter every time to step in the ring and these are the names I need to make it happen. I need the Bernard Hopkins, the Mike Tysons, the James Toneys, because these are the kind of fighters people want to see.
"These are the people they are most familiar with because they have had longevity in the game. They have been on top for years and years, and they must be commended for that. That's why they get paid what they get paid — because they put in the work.
"I'm doing the necessary things to secure my future and that's why I'm serious about it. I don't care what these people say, I'm fighting the right fights that make the most sense. Fights that make the most money and that's where it's at with me.
"After all those fights, those hard-a-- fights coming up, Reggie Johnson, Eric Harding, and all those guys for no pay. If I would've come up short in one of those fights, you wouldn't even be calling me right now. I would have been an afterthought. I took advantage of the right opportunities and put myself in a position where I can make the right moves for me, the smart moves. There is nothing wrong with that.
"For years, they paid Roy Jones very well to fight nobodies, tomato cans. I'm going to get paid to fight Bernard Hopkins, so I don't mind taking the risk. But when you talk about $2 million or $3 million to fight guys like Jeff Lacy or Joe Calzaghe, it's not worth my time. It's not worth it when I could go and fight a guy who has the credibility to bring a $12 million pot to the table."
It is the belief of Tarver, among many other people in and out of the business, that boxers should be taken care of and compensated like athletes in other sports.
"This is a business. I don't fight for trophies," Tarver said. "I fought for trophies my whole amateur career. This is about my livelihood, my kids and my future. They aren't going to ask Derek Jeter to go on a baseball field without him getting his money. They are paying athletes to sit on the bench with broken ankles. Do you think Grant Hill missed a check?
"We (boxers) want to be treated the same. We should be getting paid the most because we risk the most. I wish I could run up and down a basketball court. It's lifelong dedication when you talk about boxing. We lose lives in that ring so we should be more compensated than these guys out here, who have 10 other guys they can depend on or help them out as a team. We are individuals. We should be getting paid much more. Where is the money?"
Like many other fighters, Tarver, realizes that the money has dried up in boxing. He sees the higher-ups making the big bucks and wants to know where the money has gone.
"We are doing pay-per-view now and back then they were doing closed-circuit TV. It was 20 years ago, fighters making $14-15 million a fight. It makes no sense," said Tarver. "Sugar Ray Leonard was getting paid $14-15 million a fight and nobody was saying nothing. Where is the money? Where has the money gone?
"I got my business wrapped tight. It took a long time, I learned from a lot of mistakes. I'm not trying to be these other guys that came before me, that were on top of the world and had the money and lost it. "
Former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson agrees with the financial thinking of both men, and sees how boxers have evolved into better businessmen by using their names to get the big bucks at end.
"It's a celebrity fight, they both have big names," Johnson said. "It's just about cashing in, and that's what business is about. This is the business we are in and I don't blame those guys going for the money. Show me where the money is and I'm there — just send me the car (laughing)."
Hopkins' legacy
Hopkins, a well-known history buff, is trying secure his legacy by accomplishing something that one of his heroes tried to accomplish almost 50 years ago when Sugar Ray Robinson fought light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim on June 25, 1952.
"When June 10 comes, I have an opportunity to accomplish what the greatest fighter of all-time fell one round short of doing," Hopkins said. "In Yankee Stadium, from heat exhaustion, he couldn't come out for the 15th round. The late, great Sugar Ray Robinson. This is a thing that secures Bernard's legacy all the way from the beginning to the end.
"There are so many things that I've done and I've accomplished that I wasn't given a chance by others to accomplish. Now I'm doing it all over again and showing just because you and I might think a person is not capable of achieving his or her job, they should not attempt to do it. I'm going to prove that come June 10.
"I'm very keen on history. I used history as the motivation in everything I did. Case in point, breaking Marvin Hagler's record, breaking Carlos Monzon's record, setting my own record. I thrive off of history. History is what's keeping me in boxing for this last fight to take on the only light heavyweight that has enough credibility to be called champion. Why not Tarver?
"At the end of the day, Bernard Hopkins will be remembered as a guy who took challenges that no one gave him a chance of winning. You can go all the way back to Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, the smart ones realize that history repeats itself."
Who should win?
Hall of fame trainer and HBO expert analyst Emanuel Steward feels that Hopkins stands a very good chance of landing the upset over Tarver.
"This is a very intriguing fight, two intelligent fighters," Steward said. "Hopkins has become more of technical fighter, a patient counter-puncher and that is not going to work with Tarver. The amazing thing about Bernard is that his skills, balance and coordination are still very good. He is not a shot fighter. If he fights a smart fight, he can beat Tarver, but he must fight a very smart fight. He can be pretty rough when he wants to be.
"The two losses he had to Jermain were controversial. He hasn't really been beat and if he beats Tarver, who is considered a very good fighter right now, I think he can really enhance his stature in history. He is a guy that is very concerned about history, the history of the game. The guy to gain the most out of this would be Hopkins."
Hall of fame historian, Hank Kaplan, feels that Tarver has too much for Hopkins, and should win the bout.
"Tarver is young in exposure, in experience, he's hungry and he still has ambition," Kaplan said. "Hopkins spaces himself between six and seven rounds. I like Tarver in this fight. Hopkins is not that big of a banger, but he's good. He couldn't really hurt Jermain Taylor so I don't see him hurting Tarver. It's a dangerous fight for Hopkins. He needs to unload early if he wants to beat a guy like Tarver."
Many are wondering how much weight Hopkins will put on, and how much weight Tarver will gain after the weigh-in. Neither fighter is planning to change their strategy, and plan on coming in at a weight that works best for them.
"I'm not going to compromise my strength, just to look big. It's like this: I would rather put on 10 or 15 pounds than take off 20," said Hopkins.
"I don't pick up that much weight after the weigh-in," Tarver said. "I like to stay lean, I like to look good when I'm in the ring. When I fought Roy in my last fight, I was around 181-182 pounds. I fought Glen Johnson the same way the second time.
"I don't like to gain that much weight. I stay on the same diet. I re-hydrate and then I eat good: Chicken, fish and vegetables. I don't go out and splurge and give away my condition. I want to be sharp.
"I think Bernard's advantage is going to be to come in and fight a fast-paced fight and I'm going to be right there with him moving, using my reach and my jab, real swift on my feet. I don't plan to be real big, sluggish, that wont work for me."
"I'm already training with my strength and conditioning coach. I'm going to work this weight down, that's the game plan. We are ready for June 10. I won't see Buddy (McGirt, Tarver's trainer) until April 10. I'm working right now with great guys like Rafael Ruiz, and getting ready for camp right now. We are not going to change nothing in preparation for this guy."
After everything is said and done, Hopkins has made it very clear that his bout with Tarver will be the last time he steps in the ring as a competitor. Hopkins will move on to focus on his promotional company, his family and enjoying life.
"That's it, I'm done. It's six months past the due date anyway, but based on the timetables and the misfortune of the fight with Jermain Taylor, made me go past the September date I gave to Roy Jones and Tarver," Hopkins said. "I had to take the December date because things didn't go my way in July, or else I would have been done by January. It's one and done, and then I'm gone.
Tarver on the other hand, sees himself moving up to the heavyweight division in order to make a fight that makes the most sense for him in terms of compensation and credibility.
"When I make my transition into the heavyweight division, I want to fight someone with reputation of a Mike Tyson," Tarver said. "If James Toney becomes heavyweight champion then I'm ready to go. That's my guy. I think I can make a statement against James Toney. I think I have the style and the talent to beat him. I know the formula, I just can't tell you.
"I know the poison for James Toney. I want him to go on record and say that he will give Antonio Tarver the first crack at the title, and that's where we are going. We are going right back up to heavyweight after I dispose of Bernard Hopkins.
"A guy like James Toney would be perfect for me, to make my step up to the heavyweight division. I'm not even ruling out Chris Byrd. If he goes over there and beats Wladimir (Klitschko), he gets the credibility that he has been seeking and that makes for an interesting fight.
"I've always wanted heavyweight title, but I'm not naive. I don't think I can go day in and day out and compete with these big guys. I'm not going to be naïve enough to do that, but if there's a John Ruiz around there with a belt — I'm ready and willing, baby (laughing)."
In the end, the fight is a must-win for both fighters. If Hopkins wins, he rides off into the sunset with the biggest win of his career and a sense of redemption for the two previous decision losses to Taylor. If Tarver loses, his critics will jump all over him for losing to a career middleweight and downplay his past accomplishments.
Both fighters will give nothing less than 100 percent, but one man always falls in the end.
