Boxing Preview Analysis: Antonio Tarver – Bernard Hopkins

An intriguing matchup takes place this coming Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City when Antonio Tarver takes on former World Middleweight king Bernard Hopkins at light heavyweight. No major title is on the line but none are needed for this for one. Hopkins, now 41, sees this as an opportunity to go out on a win. As for Tarver, it’s a

chance to add Hopkins’ scalp to the name of Roy Jones Jnr and cement his status as number one at 175 pounds.

A late starter to the pro game at 28, Tarver, the 1996 Olympic Bronze Medallist, has spent his entire career in the 175 pound division. After a failed first attempt at the IBF Light Heavyweight title in June 2000 against Eric Harding, the “Magic Man” finally got his hands on the crown in April 2003 with a unanimous decision win over Montell Griffin.

Tarver’s main rival at this time in the 175 pound division was Roy Jones Jnr, universally recognised as the number one pound for pound fighter. Bitter local rivals from the Florida area, Tarver had called out Jones’ name for years but to no avail. Jones, in Tarver’s eyes, had always received star billing without even beating his leading competitor from the same state.

Finally in November 2003, the two met and Tarver lost a controversial 12 round majority decision. Again, the focus was on Jones, when his performance was blamed on the weight he had to lose after the heavyweight win over John Ruiz, rather than anything Tarver had done.

The Magic Man was seething and retribution was sweet six months later in May 2004 when Tarver crushed Jones Jnr in two to finally exorcise the man whom he had viewed as a thorn in his side.

After splitting two entertaining bouts with Glen Johnson, Tarver punctuated his superiority over Roy Jones Jnr with a unanimous decision win in October 2005. It seems that big fights are all Tarver is interested in now at this stage of his career. At 37, he knows time is not on his side.

In Hopkins, Tarver meets a man four years his senior. Hopkins for 10 years dominated the middleweight division and like Tarver, he was a late starter to the game, having spent time in prison. A pro since 1988, it would be 5 years before he would fight for a world title.

However in May 1993, he dropped a 12 round decision to Roy Jones Jnr for the IBF Middleweight Title. Two years later, he would finally gain the that belt with a decision win over Segundo Mercado. At the time, Hopkins was viewed as a champion in a pretty ordinary division.

The big names such as James Toney and Roy Jones Jnr had moved up to the more glamorous super middleweight division and he was desperately in need of a big fight. Never the less, he plugged away and still managed to defeat respected names such as Glen Johnson and Simon Brown, who admittedly was well past his best. Cue Felix Trinidad.

The Puerto Rican great was on a roll and had ripped the WBA Middleweight title from William Joppy in five brutal rounds in May 2001. Hopkins meanwhile, had outpointed fellow champion Keith Holmes to set up the bout that would crown the first undisputed World Middleweight Champion since Marvin Hagler.

Felix Trinidad was favoured to beat Hopkins, but on that night the American was inspired; producing for me the most impressive performance of his career in dismantling Tito before stopping him in 12 rounds at Madison Square Garden in September 2001.

Hopkins seemed to be in the Indian summer of his career but frustratingly, was only sporadically active during the next three years, although in that time he did manage to comprehensively defeat former world champion William Joppy over 12 rounds in December 2003.

Oscar De La Hoya, the six weight world champion, was waiting in the wings for Hopkins as his next superfight, but in September 2004 it was definitely a case of “a good biggun beating a good littleun” as The Golden Boy crumbled from a body shot in 9.

Hopkins achieved the distinction of 20 successful title defences against Britain’s Howard Eastman in February 2005, before dropping two successive decisions to the new kid on the block, Jermain Taylor.

On Saturday, Hopkins will be entering new territory. The 175 pound division is 15 pounds higher than he has ever fought during his entire career. How will he cope?

In Tarver, he meets a southpaw who will enjoy a one inch height advantage, a rarity for a Hopkins opponent. Tarver has spent all his career at Light Heavyweight and I think even for a great tactician like Hopkins, it might be a bridge too far. I anticipate a chess match over the 12 round duration, but I feel that Tarver will box a cautious fight, picking Hopkins off with the southpaw jab and repelling him with the left before winning a lopsided decision, sending Bernard into retirement.