By Ja Lang G. Greene
Ric Flair once quipped “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” Well Antonio Tarver is the man after dispatching Roy Jones Jr. Not taking anything away from Tarver, who is a class act outside the ring, an efficient technician within the squared circle, and one of the best trash talkers in recent memory. But let’s not kid anyone; he is NOT an all-time great (yet).
Being an all-time great means sustaining a level of unmatched dominance over a length of time. Quite frankly other than Jones, the resume is lacking the necessary firepower for that type of talk. What two wins over Jones does make Tarver is one of the better fighters of this era. Iran Barkley beat Thomas Hearns, Larry Donald defeated Evander Holyfield, and Frankie Randall defeated Julio Cesar Chavez. Good fighters but not all time greats.
Quotable: “I bring families together.” – Antonio Tarver
“I would knock Ray out in two rounds.” - Bernard Hopkins responding to a question asking how Sugar Ray Leonard would fare against him on ESPN’s Cold Pizza.
Special note to Diego Corrales, please leave Jose Luis Castillo alone. History is not kind to the fighter who wins the first bout in a trilogy and then loses the second. There are many different spins going on through the media about Castillo never intending to make weight, the legitimacy of the rib injury, and Corrales himself saying he just made a “mistake” by dropping his hands.
Money will ultimately be the deciding factor in driving the demand for part III, so will Corrales’ pride and the need for some retribution. The third fight would go Castillo’s way more like Gatti-Ward, Barrera-Morales, Tarver-Jones, and Frazier-Ali.
Why isn’t anyone clamoring for a Ricky Hatton – Kosta Tsyzu rematch?
Chris Byrd is the longest reigning current heavyweight champion, but when is he going to step up the pace? The media who have been relentless in pursuing some other fighters to rectify past losses or bad performances have seemingly given Byrd a pass while holding a portion of the heavyweight title.
There are two Klitschko brothers who have dominated him, an intriguing all Michigan match up with James Toney, and the emerging Lamont Brewster & Calvin Brock. Still somehow the tile gets defended against Davarryl Williamson.
The same Williamson who got starched in 49 seconds by Baby Joe; this is truly a testament to Don King’s ability to smooth over the IBF. All throughout boxing champions are stripped of their titles because they opt to take a mega fight, yet Chris Byrd continues to march the path of least resistance.
Classic Quotable: “First Punch.” - Sugar Ray Leonard responding to reporters after being asked when he first knew he was in trouble before being knocked out by Hector Camacho Sr.
Lastly, a word of respect to Roy Jones Jr.; even the Jones haters must tip their hats. How many fighters in the game today would take a chance against the most elite fighter in their weight class after being knocked cold in their previous two fights without ripping fans off with a string of high priced pay per views?
Not many. While he didn’t fully go after Tarver and seemed like he was just trying to survive, Jones answered many questions about his heart by weathering the storm in the eleventh round. Give him his credit, it won’t hurt you.
Ja Lang G. Greene is a columnist for www.boxingscene.com and the Author of the forthcoming book “Cruelty of the Sweet Science.” Please send comments to jalanggreene@aol.com