was tarver tip top or weight drained against BHop

[Joan Guzman]

Definitely drained don't let anyone tell you different.

[bojangles1987]

Doesn't matter. Tarver at his peak wouldn't beat Hopkins.

[Benny Leonard]

Hopkins is miles ahead of Johnson. It's easier to look better against lesser competition then against Hopkins Hopkins had the defense and the right hand to make Tarver look ******. That's what he did too

The energy and stamina from Tarver was different pre-Rocky Movie. That's what I'm pointing out.

[THE REED]

The energy and stamina from Tarver was different pre-Rocky Movie. That's what I'm pointing out.

agreed 100%... And Im WAY more of a NArd fan then I am of Tarver... but i specifically remember watching this fight and saying Tarver looks like he cant even move

[Benny Leonard]

because it is ridiculous that people trying to discredit hopkin's wins. Why is it that "old man" hopkins is going to get knocked out, then when he beats his opponents excuses start to pop up. "old man" hopkins was supposed to get knocked out by Tito then when Hopkins wins.. its tito was a blowed up WW. "old man" hopkins was supposed to get beat up by Tarver, and was the under dog. Hopkins wins and now it is Tarver was weight drained. "old man" hopkins was supposed to get knocked out by Pavlik. Hopkins makes him look like a fool and now it is Kelly is over rated and possesses no real skills. All three of these opponents Hopkins was the under dog. All 3 were humiliated. It is ridiculous the amount of people trying to discredit a great fighter like Hopkins.

It doesn't matter because the question of being weight-drained holds some validity to it because Tarver did increase his weight for the Rocky movie and then had to make his way back down by dieting and training (while being in his 30's)...and going by history, there are examples of why this doesn't work and why it is not an excuse but a "reason"

[street bully]

If you get schooled why is it that you always have to be weight drained when there is 0 proof that shows that. Bernard Hopkins just makes fighters look bad.

[Benny Leonard]

Doesn't matter. Tarver at his peak wouldn't beat Hopkins.

Which I agree as well but that wasn't the question.

[vandiar]

It doesn't matter because the question of being weight-drained holds some validity to it because Tarver did increase his weight for the Rocky movie and then had to make his way back down by dieting and training (while being in his 30's)...and going by history, there are examples of why this doesn't work and why it is not an excuse but a "reason"

Tarver has downplayed the weight issue, despite being asked about it incessantly, especially in light of Jose Luis Castillo's failure to make weight last week for his third fight with Diego Corrales and the shocking cancellation of the bout.

"Part of our job," Tarver said about making weight. "I mean, we've got to lose weight. We all lose weight. That's not a problem. Only people like Roy Jones make excuses."

Jones was light heavyweight champion when he moved up and beat John Ruiz to win a heavyweight title. Then he came back down to light heavyweight to fight Tarver. Although Jones won their first fight on a close decision, he said his poor performance was because of the strain of losing so much weight.


Tarver said rather than people worrying about him losing weight, they should think instead about how Hopkins will react to being punched by a much bigger man.

"He's not used to carrying that weight around," Tarver said. "When I go to the body, dig to the body, stay in close, let my hands go and he's going to have to move around and carry that weigh, I don't know what Bernard is going to do. What does he have to defend himself against me?

"That's what the puzzle is. That's the question. What will he do when he gets smashed with my right hook, with my body shots and my combination punches? What is he going to do when he hasn't felt anything like that before? That remains to be seen. What we will find out early on."

Tarver, who now denies he was ever 218 pounds, said he would be on weight for the fight with Hopkins thanks to the help of strength and conditioning coach Dudley Pierce, who worked with Tarver through his entire training camp in Vero Beach, Fla.

"I don't have a problem with it," Tarver said of the weight. "I'm lean, mean, I'm ready to go. I've got no excuses, no problems. I don't have a problem. I'm ready."

Tarver does admit that cutting weight is difficult, but he said he gave himself ample time to come down safely.

"It has been hard work, but I've never been afraid of it," Tarver said. "I look at it as a challenge. I train three times a day. I'm in great shape, unbelievable condition. The thing about this, that people fail to realize, is that I've been training since the middle of October. Do you think I was sitting around eating donuts out there with Sylvester Stallone? I was working out with one of the most revered trainers on the West Coast, Gunner Peterson, and we worked hard. We worked hard to put on the muscles. We lifted weights, we did exercises, we worked. And so, that's the key that people are going to fail to realize. I've been training since the middle of October for this fight."
--

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=2475525

If Tarver isn't making any excuses.. why should anyone else?

[Benny Leonard]

If you get schooled why is it that you always have to be weight drained when there is 0 proof that shows that. Bernard Hopkins just makes fighters look bad.

What proof would you need/like?

[ИATAS]

when hopkins schools someone that person is either weight drained, blown up, or poisoned (that was Tarvers excuse!).

when hopkins loses, he's never old or past his prime.

Give me a break. Lot's of hating on bhop today, what gives?

And for the record, hopkins schools tarver AT ANY POINT of his career. Styles makes fights, as it's so commonly said, and tarver's style is so, so wrong for hopkins. He's tailer made for bhop, just like pavlik, tito and glen johnson are as well. In fact, ANY simple style or fighters that rely on teh same old tricks (power, etc.) are easy for hopkins. The ONLY guys to beat him are guys that have been able to adapt to hopkins and outwork him in the judges eyes. Tarver was never that kind of guy in his career.