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This Saturday night former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver will fight a rematch with former champ Glen Johnson. With back-to-back victories over Tarver and Roy Jones, Johnson holds uncontested bragging rights as the top fighter in the light heavyweight division. For Tarver, his legacy and career hinge on the outcome of his upcoming fight against Johnson. At age 36 and being 0-2 against his rival, Tarver's options are limited.
It was just 13 months ago (May 15, 2004) that Antonio Tarver was without a doubt the hottest and most talked about fighter in boxing. In his last bout he iced light heavyweight champ Roy Jones with the first significant punch he landed in their rematch at 1:41 of the second round. Along with the title, he took Jones' reputation and confidence. Like Buster Douglas 14 years earlier, Tarver became a celebrity over night. Unfortunately the similarities to Douglas don't end there.
Just as Douglas did after beating Tyson, Tarver got caught up in his knockout over Jones, thinking he was better than he really was. Staying in synch with Douglas, Tarver squandered his new found fame seven months later in his next fight against Glen Johnson. Prior to fighting Tarver, Johnson knocked out Jones in his last fight three months earlier. Tarver-Johnson had much more on the line than just the championship between the Roy Jones conquerors. Supremacy of the light heavyweight division was at stake, especially for Tarver, who was thought by many boxing observers to be the class of the light heavyweight division since beating Jones. A position Johnson probably never even thought about before he knocked out Jones. [details]
It was just 13 months ago (May 15, 2004) that Antonio Tarver was without a doubt the hottest and most talked about fighter in boxing. In his last bout he iced light heavyweight champ Roy Jones with the first significant punch he landed in their rematch at 1:41 of the second round. Along with the title, he took Jones' reputation and confidence. Like Buster Douglas 14 years earlier, Tarver became a celebrity over night. Unfortunately the similarities to Douglas don't end there.
Just as Douglas did after beating Tyson, Tarver got caught up in his knockout over Jones, thinking he was better than he really was. Staying in synch with Douglas, Tarver squandered his new found fame seven months later in his next fight against Glen Johnson. Prior to fighting Tarver, Johnson knocked out Jones in his last fight three months earlier. Tarver-Johnson had much more on the line than just the championship between the Roy Jones conquerors. Supremacy of the light heavyweight division was at stake, especially for Tarver, who was thought by many boxing observers to be the class of the light heavyweight division since beating Jones. A position Johnson probably never even thought about before he knocked out Jones. [details]
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