Considered the Two Best, Tarver and Johnson Take a Chance to Prove Who is Best
by Monty McMahon
12/9 - They both dropped their respective light heavyweight titles by the wayside for the right to meet each other, and although they’ve lightened their load the big payoff remains at the end of the highway for Antonio Tarver (22-2, 18 KOs) and Glen Johnson (41-9-2, 28 KOs).
Largely considered the two best light heavies in the world after both men easily disposed of the once unbeatable Roy Jones Jr., Tarver in May and Johnson in October. Both fighters met resistance from the respective sanctioning bodies when they decided they wanted to fight each other.
And so, with popular public opinion on their side, Johnson vacated his IBF title and Tarver his WBC belt, setting up a showdown for light heavyweight supremacy on December 18 in Los Angeles.
“You can’t take any of those belts to pay your light bill, feed your kids, so my thing is that when it’s all said and done I’ll be looked at as the king of the light heavyweight division and those guys with those paper belts will have to come see me if they’re fighting for money,” Tarver said.
Now the battle between Johnson and Tarver has become about more than belts and recognition. According to the fighters it’s about being the best, something both men were more than willing to take a chance to prove.
“You have to take chances and you have to take those opportunities when they present themselves because if you don’t, they can slip away and the next day is not there,” Johnson said.
It’s almost as if both men have been on a parallel path in 2004. High-profile wins over Jones, earning title belts they worked long and hard for, and then dumping them.
But a lot of boxing insiders still wonder about two fighters that have fought a combined three fights in the past 12 months. It seems more people believe that the once-mighty Roy Jones Jr. has slipped.
Despite a second-round knockout on May 15 Tarver has heard the question before. Was Roy beginning to fade with his increasing age?
“I don’t know how he was faded. He was on top of the world as the heavyweight champion, so if he got faded, he got faded after May 15,” Tarver said.
“I won’t rest until people recognize who I am. They can go back and do the history and they can’t find anyone who has beaten me, dominated me in the ring, ever – not in amateur or pro.”
Meanwhile Johnson is left being the second man to knock Jones out – a ninth round stoppage on September 25 – leaving even more questions for him. One thing is for sure, he’s tired of hearing the doubters.
“I’ve never been in the ring with Roy Jones, not 10 years ago, not five years ago, not three years ago, not a year ago. I only stepped in with him a few months ago, so that’s the only Roy Jones I know,” Johnson said. “Maybe you can make a few phone calls to some guys who have been in the ring with him some years ago and find out from them. I don’t have that information. The only information I have is from when I stepped in the ring with him and you’ve seen the results.”
Perhaps because of these questions, Johnson feels he has more to prove. But Tarver knows what lies ahead of him.
“You think I don’t know that Glen Johnson is looking at me like a piece of juicy steak?” Tarver asked. “I’m very aware of what’s at stake and what I have to lose. So by no means at all am I taking this fight for granted.”
Tarver is hoping to produce a great victory against a challenger that calls his pressing style “taking care of business” and eventually going on to reclaim the belts he so desperately wants.
“(The belts) matter because it’s what the belts signify. There are great champions who have won those titles before – it’s the tradition. They are very important,” Tarver said. “Right now, I am coming back for my championships; make no mistake about it. As long as I reign in the light heavyweight division, I’m going to get my belts back and I’m planning on getting them all back.”
While belt holders in the division might think this will allow them to play negotiating hardball with Tarver, he has other ideas if he beats Johnson.
“Let’s be real. After December 18 they are going to know who they have to come see to get paid,” Tarver said.
“They gave Roy Jones a guaranteed $10 million to go fight what some people called the least-challenged fighter in the heavyweight industry in John Ruiz. So I’m using that as a measuring stick and I’m listening.”
So what can boxing fans expect to see on December 18 in Los Angeles? Most likely, contrasting styles – Tarver sticking and moving, Johnson going straight ahead.
“Basically I would say I’m perfection. I think I’ve perfected the sweet science. If you look at boxing as being hit and not being hit I think that’s where my biggest asset is, my reflexes and then my mind – thinking in the ring, being there to hit my opponent and then him not being able to hit me,” Tarver said.
“Antonio Tarver can do whatever he wants, whatever works for him. He doesn’t know if I’m going to come at him or what I’m going to do. I know what I’m going to do and I’ll step in the ring and show that on the 18th,” Johnson said.
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