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Toney Takes Easy Decision, Byrd Retains Title
SUN October 2 - In a pair of workmanlike performances, heavyweights James Toney and Chris Byrd retained their respective titles with 12-round unanimous decisions Saturday on SHOWTIME. Toney overpowered Dominick Guinn to defend his International Boxing Association (IBA) championship, while Byrd did just enough to defeat DaVarryl Williamson and retain his International Boxing Federation (IBF) crown for the fourth time.

Gary Shaw Productions, in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions and Don King Productions, promoted the event from the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev. SHOWTIME aired both bouts at 9:15 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Toney (69-4-2, 43 KOs), of Grand Rapids, Mich., controlled the action from the outset and consistently landed punishing overhand rights to his opponent’s head. Despite not scoring a knockdown, “Lights Out” pitched a near shutout as two of the judges gave only one round to Guinn (119-109). The other judge scored it 117-111. Numerous times during the contest, Toney landed a punch and then fired verbal exchanges toward Guinn’s trainer, Joe Goossen.

“I give myself a B minus,” Toney said after the bout. “My right hand is a little sluggish. You have not seen the best of me. I want to fight again next month.”

Toney made his first start since he fought for the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight crown on April 30, 2005, in New York. The three-time world titleholder easily outpointed defending champion John Ruiz to take the title, but the bout was later ruled a no-decision when Toney tested positive for a banned substance.

Guinn (25-3-1, 18 KOs), of Hot Springs, Ark., appeared content to back Toney into the ropes throughout, but could not score enough to gain his first victory in 14 months. Since winning his final 2003 outing, Guinn has defeated just one out of his past five opponents (1-3-1). The hard-hitting heavyweight emerged as a force to be reckoned with on June 7, 2003, when floored former title contender Michael Grant four times en route to a seventh-round TKO from New York.

Byrd (39-2-1, 20 KOs), of Flint, Mich., ran his unbeaten streak to nine (8-0-1), but was unable to win over the crowd. In a contest devoid of any sustained action, referee Vic Drakulich warned both fighters in both the second and fourth rounds to pick up the pace. Byrd gained the nod by the scores 115-113 and 116-112 twice.

“People do not realize how hard Williamson punches,” Byrd said in defense of his showing. “He had a great game plan. He has great height and reach. I just cannot run out there and hit Williamson because he hits too hard. Everyone has bad fights. I have tried to put on a better performance in my last couple of fights. But, I am just a counter puncher, and Williamson just sticks and moves.”

Byrd captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title on April 1, 2000, with a ninth-round TKO over Vitali Klitschko in Berlin, Germany. Since he regained the crown in 2002, Byrd has defeated Fres Qquendo, Jameel McCline and Williamson in title defenses. In the other defense, Byrd fought to a 12-round draw against Andrew Golota on April 17, 2004.

Williamson (22-4, 18 KOs), of Washington D.C., saw his two-bout winning streak come to an end despite extending Byrd to go the distance. In his last outing, Williamson scored two knockdowns en route to registering an exciting second-round TKO over Derrick Jefferson on April 30, 2005, in New York

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporter. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was Jay Larkin, with David Dinkins, Jr. producing and Bob Dunphy directing.

For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.

Tarver dominates Jones in finale of trilogy
SUN October 2 - sportsnetwork.com - Antonio Tarver scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum in a light heavyweight bout, marking the finale of a heated trilogy between the two boxers. Click on photos for larger image. Courtesy of Bill Emes/TalkingBoxing.com.

It's been a long-standing of mutual respect for Jones and Tarver. They've known each other since the age of 13 when they fought at the Sunshine State Games in Florida. Jones, the former undisputed light heavyweight champion and a titlist in four divisions, beat Tarver in a controversial majority decision in November of 2003. However, Tarver came back with a second-round knockout of Jones in May of last year.

On Saturday night, it was Tarver who dominated Jones, winning on two of the scorecards by 116-112 and 117-111 on another to retain the IBO Light Heavyweight belt.

Once defined as the best pound-for-pound fighter, Jones (49-4) couldn't mount a rally Saturday night. The 36-year-old looked like a much different fighter than his younger days when he plowed through the light heavyweight division and even stepped up to beat John Ruiz in a WBA heavyweight title fight in March of 2003.

The 36-year-old Tarver, who essentially fought on his home turf of Tampa, kept Jones at bay most of the fight and limited Jones' ability to throw combinations. In most cases, it was one and done for Jones, while Tarver (24-3) scored effectively with jabs and more control in the face of a sometimes taunting Jones, who has now lost his last three fights.

Tarver was the aggressor in the early part of the fight, backing Jones to the ropes following combinations in both the second and third rounds.

Jones, who hails from Pensacola, was the aggressor in round four and came out strong in the next round before Tarver pounded Jones into a corner of the ring. Jones came right back and landed several uppercuts and jabs to score big later in the round.

Jones wiggled his head, almost taunting Tarver in the middle rounds. However, Tarver was unfazed and landed often, backing Jones into the corner in the eighth.

The 10th round brought a series of pounding punches by Tarver, but Jones retaliated for a brief moment by pinning Tarver against the ropes. However, most of Jones' punches missed, as Tarver leaned his head over the ropes.

The 11th round looked like the end for Jones, who was stunned by a solid right to the face and his eyes looked glazed. However, he was able to avoid a knockout, mainly because Tarver didn't have a lot of firepower left and wanted to avoid a mistake, knowing he was far ahead on the scorecards.

There would be no rally for Jones in the 12th, as Tarver stayed away for the most part.

Even according to the statistics, Tarver was dominant, as he landed 100 more punches (158-58) than Jones throughout the fight

It marked a long layoff for Jones, who hadn't fought since September 25, 2004 when he was knocked out in the ninth round in a defeat to Glen Johnson for the IBF light heavyweight crown.

Following his KO victory over Jones on May 15, 2004, Tarver lost a split decision to Johnson before winning a rematch with a 12-round unanimous decision in June of this year.

Courtesy of SportsNetwork.com.

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