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