Tarver doing all the talking, Johnson poised to repeat

The highly anticipated rematch between Glen Johnson (42-9-2, 28 KOs) and Antonio Tarver (22-3, 18 KOs), the duo responsible for inflicting the only knockout losses on superstar Roy Jones, Jr’s record, officially kicked off Monday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. While the IBO Light Heavyweight belt represents the only championship moniker adorned by the media festivities, those in boxing circles recognize this match up as the decider of the "real" light heavyweight champ. Both sides appeared content to return where they left off upon Johnson’s crushing defeat of Roy Jones Jr. in September 2004, where Tarver called out Johnson boisterously while Johnson relinquished his possible role in such banter. Tarver’s well-respected trainer, Buddy McGirt, apologized publicly to Antonio for the first loss to Johnson. He proclaimed the loss a team defeat associated with a lack of effort and focus by himself and Tarver. “Last time you saw the best of Glen Johnson, but you did not see the best of Antonio Tarver. This time you will see Tarver at his best.” Antonio Tarver wasted no time in his chance at the podium, taking off right where McGirt ended by proclaiming, “I will avenge my third controversial decision loss. You saw me here in Memphis when I watched Johnson fight Roy Jones. I was out of shape on September 25. Our fight (Johnson-Tarver I) wasn’t made official until the end of October. That left me with 5 ½ to 6 weeks to prepare. I know how bad I want this victory. I am committed and determined to reign over the Light Heavyweight division. The “Magic Man” will make them all disappear. Abracadabra baby!” Tarver yelled as he strode off from the podium. Johnson’s trainer Orlando Cuellar disagreed with Buddy McGirt’s proclamation of the first fight and told Fightnews he believes Johnson can have a better outing in the rematch. “Offensively, we are planning pretty much the same thing (as the first Tarver fight) but more of it. We hope to win one round at a time, wear him down, and stop him if possible. We simply want to wear him down and beat him up.” Cuellar continued by boasting “Glen has a good defense already. He keeps his hands high and is hard to hit solid. We also believe the best defense is a good offense and we plan to come forward and keep working.” ‘Gentleman’ Glen Johnson again seemed perfectly at ease taking the calming, understated role. “Antonio Tarver has a lot of reasons why he didn’t get the victory in the first fight,” Johnson said. “I have all the reasons why I got the victory; I worked hard and won. I’m not here to trash talk,” stated Johnson as he serenely returned to his seat. Fightnews later prompted Johnson if he really believed Tarver’s claim about being out of shape in the first fight. “I know anyone can say anything, just open your mouth and move your tongue. He has to say what makes him feel good. He says what people want to hear. Noise like that really doesn’t bother me,” Johnson softly stated. So, while Tarver’s sounded out with brash and loud rhetoric, offered excuses for his last outing, and sponged up as much media attention as came his way; Glen Johnson sat quietly by and smiled. Johnson again appeared as cool and collected as he did in a press conference last September when Roy Jones, Jr. garnered all the media hype and adoration as he was relegated to the sidelines, almost an afterthought. While Monday’s scene had Johnson playing the winner from the first fight instead of a mere challenger vying for a title, Johnson appears to have changed little. This time out Johnson shows perhaps slightly more confidence, maybe just an air of being a little more at ease and less embarrassed by all the media attention, but mostly he seems to be the same man that quietly sat by and awaited the chance to speak with his fists instead of his lips. On June 18 at Memphis’ grand arena, the FedEx Forum, the world will find out again whether good guys (or at least quiet boxers) still finish first.