02.08.05 – By Mike Casile “PBR”: Joe DeGuardia, promoter for Antonia Tarver, has confirmed that a third Jones/Tarver fight will take place Oct. 1st on PPV. Although Tarver is seriously unhappy with the 50/50 split of revenues with Jones, DeGuardia has stated that both men really want this fight. Jones wants to prove he can still be a factor, after being knocked out cold by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson.. Tarver just wants another opportunity to do it again after his easy defeat of Glen Johnson in their rematch.
The heavyweight division is at an all time low, if you are counting ratings, and PPV totals, like the heavyweight title matches in April promoted by Don King that brought in a measly 75,000 viewers. If this fight turns out to be something that is worth watching, maybe one or both of these guys could move up, and wake up a lackluster heavyweight division. When Lennox Lewis retired, he joined Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney as the only fighters to retire as champion, but he also left a gaping hole, with no real talent on the heavyweight horizon. Roy Jones or Antonio Tarver could be that savior that’s needed to band aide the heavyweight division, until some younger talent arises.
In the meantime, the boxing gods are not smiling in Roy Jones favor. He is going to fight a man that beat him two times (the first fight should have went Tarver’s way), and he has not been active in over year. To compound matters, the last time he was active, he was put to sleep by journeyman tough guy Glen Johnson, whom by the way, was just truly handled by Tarver in a big way. This is the biggest fight of Roy Jones career, because if he does not put up in this fight, He will not get the draw desired by the PPV heavyweight promoters. Sure, he will get the novelty numbers if he chooses to fight giants over 250lbs, but that wears off quickly in the boxing world. It’s not enough to say you’re the best pound for pound based on what you did, in boxing it’s all about what you are doing, and were you are willing to go in the future. Well, the future is here, and it’s time to see who is going to show up.