ONE LEFT BY TARVER
Part II of II

By Frank Lotierzo
FightBeat Contributor

In between fighting Glen Johnson and Tarver for the third time, Jones sat ringside and watched two significant light heavyweight title fights. Within six months, Jones watched Tarver and Johnson fight 24 rounds in two fights. In those bouts Tarver and Johnson hit each other with the same punches each had knocked out Jones with, and not once was either Tarver or Johnson really shook or in trouble, nor did they go down.

If that doesn't conclude Jones had a suspect chin, then Tarver and Johnson were only punchers the night they fought Jones.

Finally after a year of keeping everyone guessing, Jones announced he would fight a rubber match with Tarver. Mind you, this was after Jermain Taylor won a disputed decision over Roy's first choice opponent to comeback against, Bernard Hopkins.

In the July-August edition of "High Roller" magazine, Roy Jones had been asked during an interview, "Why a third fight against Antonio Tarver?" Before revealing what Roy said, I must convey that I was the biggest critic around regarding what I construed as Jones' reluctance to want Tarver again to clear the record. However, when he agreed to the rubber match, I wrote that I had judged him wrongly, along with giving him his due praise. I also said that I didn't care if Tarver knocked Jones out in the first round this time, at least it couldn't be said Tarver took his heart and chased him out of boxing.

As to fighting Tarver again, he said, "(In our last fight) the guy simply got a lucky punch, which just happens sometimes. This guy Tarver has to define himself against me. Without me, no one would even know who he is... he's struggling to eclipse me and use my name to be a somebody.... but I'll just do what I do." He then added, "(I will train) about three months this time and might do some work with my dad this time... I just know me, I know if I'm focused and motivated I can walk through whoever I want...(including Tarver)," said Jones, "I am a warrior, one of God's game roosters."

Interesting how Roy compares himself to a game rooster. In his first fight with Tarver, Jones showed more heart and determination than he had in any other bout. In the rematch he never had a chance to. In the rubber match, he never intended to. Yet the Tarver fights represented the only legacy fights Jones ever fought.

Legacy fights often match two outstanding fighters from the same era. Obviously the fighter who wins the first meeting holds the upper hand. This puts the loser in a must-win situation for the rematch. That is the exact reason Tarver had to beat Jones having been down 0-1. Only this time with their series tied 1-1, the rubber match meant the same to both Tarver and Jones equally.

The rubber match, billed "NO EXCUSES," turned out to be one of the few miscalculations of Roy Jones great career. "Ain't no reason for me to be here but for one reason, and that's to kick some ass. That's why I'm here and that's all I got to say." This is what Roy Jones said at the final press conference before fighting the fighter who ended his championship tenure with a single left hand in their rematch, Antonio Tarver.

Fighting Jones a third time was also very risky for Tarver. If he stopped Jones early, he'd get no credit because everyone would've said it was a washed up Jones, despite everything proving that's not the case. The other side to that is, if Tarver didn't kill Jones, he'd be seen as the loser. Prior to the fight I read and spoke with many who felt Jones had nothing to lose in the rubber match with Tarver. They reasoned that there's no difference in getting knocked out three times after it's happened twice.

That's not how I saw it. How can anyone who judges Roy Jones by the same standards used to evaluate other past greats now change the rules? Tarver was the best opponent Jones ever fought at light heavyweight. To think Jones losing two of three - in some circles three of three - to the best light heavyweight he ever faced isn't significant, why bother keeping track of who wins and loses? Not to mention the age factor doesn't fly in this case. This isn't Bernard Hopkins near 41-years-old, fighting a young 27-year-old Jermain Taylor. Both Jones and Tarver are 36.

On October 1st 2005, Jones and Tarver met in a bout that was truly winner-take-all. By now everyone who had any interest in the fight has seen it. So there's no need to break it down round-by-round. What's most important is what the fight told us regarding the Jones-Tarver trilogy. No doubt the answers are as plain as day, but whether or not some are willing to accept them are an all together different issue. However, if you're bigger fan of a particular fighter than you are the sport of boxing, you'll have no trouble rationalizing your point of view. That's boxing.

The bottom line is Roy Jones didn't lose the rubber match against Antonio Tarver because he was old and washed up. It also wasn’t because he fought once as a heavyweight, though in reality as a cruiserweight. Nor did he lose because he didn't care or lacked motivation. Although it's foolish to think he was at his absolute best, physically he was damn close. When he did let his hands go in all three of the bouts he lost, he looked like the real Roy Jones.

Some say if he didn't fear getting stopped, he would've beat Tarver. Maybe, maybe not. The fallacy of that is he never worried about getting hit enough to where it handcuffed him before. That didn't happen until he was nailed and stopped by Tarver in their second fight. That's why Tarver's KO of Jones is really what ended Jones' title reign. The Jones that Tarver stopped believed he was unbeatable. Opposed to the one Glen Johnson fought, who'd been stopped and no longer thought of himself as invincible.

The bottom line is Jones just wanted to survive the rubber match with Tarver. His hope was to try and steal the fight without taking any chances. Once he realized he couldn't win without exposing himself to getting caught, he did enough to keep Tarver from going through him.

It really doesn't matter how great or talented a fighter is, it's impossible for him to win without letting his hands go. In reality, Jones submitted and quit in the only rubber match of his boxing career. And this, more than anything else, is what destroys what was left of his reputation.

How come some boxing writers and fans seem to take it personal when the fighter they wrongly believed to be Superman disguised as a boxer, loses? Why is it that some fighters can say anything to justify a poor showing and it will be bought, yet other fighters could never get away with it?

By fighting Tarver a third time, Jones proved he wasn't knocked out by Tarver and Johnson because he was washed up. He basically proved that he had a suspect chin and once it was exposed, his confidence went with it. By knocking out Jones in the rematch, Tarver finished Roy Jones the great fighter.

Today some are saying Jones is finished, but that's only half true. Jones is not finished from the neck down, just the neck up.

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