TARVER RUINS JONES AS ICON WITH LEFT HOOK

Manny Pacquiao

Even after months of telling the world what he had planned for Roy Jones, Jr., in their rematch, Antonio Tarver faced an skeptical audience Saturday at Mandalay Bay’s Events Center in Las Vegas.

Even when Tarver, a 4-1 underdog, almost put Jones in orbit with a classic left hand in the second round to reclaim the WBC light-heavyweight title he lost to the vaunted legend last November, an assembly of 10,316 was left spellbound with a look that demanded “What Happened?”

Before another sunrise, Jones would be asking his associates the same question. Being knocked out at
1:41 of a round is totally foreign to the once invincible
icon----until now.

Ironically, when the fighters were at center ring for referee Jay Nady’s instructions before the first bell, only a super confident Tarver asked, “ What is going to be your excuse tonight, Roy?”

Tarver, also 35, out of Orlando, Fla., with a log now at 22-2, 18 KOs, was one of America’s greatest amateur champions, but he didn’t turn pro until Feb.18, 1997 at 28 when Jones was already a world champion in his eighth season punching for big money.

Speaking of big money, Jones earned $6,375,000 while Tarver’s $2,075,000 was the largest of his pro career. Nobody was talking about a rematch on the this rematch but it is almost certain promoter Don King will be sounding out both gladiators on their attitudes about the future after they take some time for a breather.

Tarver was most gracious in the media recap and it didn’t bother the new pride of Florida that he had to handle the print and broadcast guys solo.

“I’m very pleased to thank all my supporters who have been with me through the rough times. No matter how hard you have to work and try, everything is really believing in yourself. I just wanted the opportunity. Who said boxing was dead? This is a new era. I told the people and the media how it was going to work out but they didn’t believe me. Well, I’m a super star. I’m going to look at all my options. When I got Jones, that was a beautiful round. I could feel it in my toes. After the first round, Buddy McGirt said ‘you are giving him too much respect.’ Well, I corrected that in a hurry.”

Besides regaining his championships in what must be considered an unexpected thunderous fashion, Tarver looms as a cinch to be boxings Fighter of the Year for creating the Upset of Year. And when it comes time to vote, the ring’s masses might also be talking about Round of the Year.

In round one, Jones and Tarver were. super cautious. Both fighters flicked jabs, deliberately short. Jones tried to tie up Tarver and the fans booed when he missed a left hook. Tarver coolly covers up and blocked three shots from Jones, who went to the body. With 10 seconds left, Antonio shot a right to the head and Roy’s right to the body was enough to win the round.

Early in the second round, Tarver landed two short rights and the intense Jones was still going to the body. Now the TNT was on its way. Jones missed with a left and Tarver stepped in as the champion, with an ineffective right, became the target for Tarver’s quick overhand left, lifting Jones off his feet backwards when it exploded on his jaw. Jones was out of it, landing on his back with shoulder and head partially on the apron in Tarver’s corner.

Jones desperately tried to get to his feel as Nady continued his count. Invincibility wasn’t in the neighborhood, just Jones crawling on all fours to get erect. The victim was reeling on his feet by the time the referee finished his count. When he looked at the glassy-eyed Jones, Nady wisely called it off at 1:41.

Normally, journalists covering boxing don’t give a blow-by-blow account in their copy, even for a legendary super star like Jones. However, the Compu-Box punching stats were seemingly down to a bare minimum.

Tarver landed only seven punches of 54 thrown which is 13 percent accuracy while Jones landed 12 of 42, that’s 29 percent. Tarver hit on four of 44 jabs for nine percent and a minus percent for Jones on seven jabs. When it came to power punches thrown, Tarver only needed three of 10 for 30 percent and Jones was on target with 12 of 35 for 34 percent.

Tarver was on Cloud Nine in triumph but accurate in declaring stopping Jones was an boxing upset for the ages.

“No question, this fight will go down as one of the greatest in boxing history. It’s all over again like just like Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns. We had no beef about the ringside judges this time. The Nevada State Athletic Commission gave us three of the very best in Jerry Roth, Duane Ford, and Dave Moretti, all from Vegas. They had the best seats in the house. I hope they enjoyed the fight. You have to be prepared to be ready physically and mentally,” Tarver reflected.

“Don King is the best promoter. Roy Jones has his legacy and it’s time I should get my just dues. The sky is the limit now. Roy will have to go home and think out what he wants to do. I was sure I would beat him to the punch. I also told him by coming out early, he gave me lots of respect. Sometimes he didn’t take risk, but now he took the risk because his butt was on the line. As long as he has had a contract with HBO, I had to come up the hard way.”

Though this incredible athlete, who has won world titles at 160, 168, 175, and heavyweight, did not show at the post-fight press conference, Jones gave some comments to the promotion’s publicity staff before leaving the ring.

“I’m a warrior and I don’t feel to good about this. Tarver got me with a good shot. This kind of thing can happen to the best of them. I could fight Tarver again, but I’d rather go fight the heavyweights. I don’t see any reason to fight Tarver again. Maybe I got bored with the guy. It was a good fight. I tried to throw a hook and Tarver threw the overhand and got me. When I thought I was going to fight Mike Tyson and it fell out, I was really disappointed,”
Jones related.

The multi-talented mega-millionaire wrote a unique chapter in the sport’s annals when he bulked up by 25 pounds and challenged John Ruiz for his WBA heavy- weight crown Mar.1, 2003 at Thomas & Mack
Center in Las Vegas. Coming in at 193 pounds, Jones only lost the first round and then dominated the rest of the way to win a unanimous 12-round decision.

Buddy McGirt, himself a former world champion
now conditioning Tarver, feels fight buffs who weren’t too familiar with the rebounding WBC ruler “will be looking at him in a different light after the way he handled Jones.”

Nevada’s licensed bookmakers closed Jones as a minus $5-1 favorite while a late rush of big Tarver money left the popular challenger at plus $4-1. In the proposition wagering, Tarver was 7-1 to win by a knockout and 5-1 by a decision while Jones was 7-5 to win by a knockout and even money via a decision. The 12-round title bout, televised by HBO pay-per-view TV, was 12-1 on a draw.

In the countdown to the first bell, McGirt, highly
regarded as an analysis, had a prophetic opinion.

“We felt Roy would have a different attitude but the same fighting style. We were certain he would come out early and gun for respect. Doing that would be a mistake, a big mistake because Antonio was in full focus and super sharp for anything Jones would try”.

Jones, 35, out of Pensacola, Fla., and considered in most hemispheres as the sport‘s premier pound-for-pound performer, brought an incredible 49-1, 38 KOs resume into to this rematch. The questionable blur on that slate came Mar.21,1997 in Atlantic City against Montell Griffin. Jones was a going-away winner with Griffin decked twice early before running into trouble and was disqualified when he hit Griffin twice after the bell in the ninth round.

Jones wasn’t going to be happy until he got a quick rematch and it came five months later at Ledyard, Ct., with the multiple champion scoring a kayo at 2:31 of the first round to regain his WBC 175-pound crown.

Until Tarver’s annihilation, Jones had a huge reputation for not losing rounds, much less fights. He had only been down once, a “flash shot” July 18,1998, while winning Lou Del Valle’s WBA 175 pound belt in New York.

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist headquartered in Las Vegas and an exclusive contributor to Ringsports.com.)