16.05.06 – By Ryan “Asian Sensation” Songalia: On June 10th 2006, middleweight legend Bernard Hopkins will challenge three time light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver in one of the summer’s most highly anticipated fights. Tarver, 24-3 (18 KO), is looking to successfully defend his title for the second time since regaining it from Glencoffe Johnson in a very entertaining scrap last June. Hopkins, 46-4-1 (32 KO), on the other hand, is looking to add a story book ending to one of our generation’s greatest career. While this fight matches two of it’s biggest stars together, is this fight really worth all the publicity?
The styles of these two fighters simply does not mesh to make a compelling fight. Hopkins and Tarver are two guys who are cautious counter punchers that don’t give you much of a target. For Tarver to be in an exciting fight, there needs to be an all out punching machine who brings alot of spirit to the fight, like Glen Johnson. I personally have doubts as to whether throwing Arturo Gatti, Matthew Saad Muhammad, and Manny Pacquiao in the ring with Hopkins simultaneously would make a Bernard Hopkins fight watchable.
The fight will be a chess match from the opening bell. The first round will be almost unbearable with both men feeling out each other’s tricky styles. By the second to the fourth round, Tarver will find the target with his long pot shots and southpaw right jab. Hopkins has had alot of trouble with guys who had a longer reach, which was the reason Howard Eastman was able to have early success against him. Hopkins, who has been a slow starter in the second half of his career, will start winning rounds as Tarver slows his pace and tries to coast abit. Down the stretch, Tarver and Hopkins will trade tactical control of the fight, with alot of hard to score rounds.
Tarver will come away with a close, majority decision win in a forgettable fight that should have the proposed National Boxing Commission starting to screen style match ups, instead of just a fighter’s health. This will be a very close decision, as Tarver’s inconsistency and coasting will enable Hopkins to steal rounds.
There is of course the possibility that Hopkins, at the age of 41, pulls off the upset in Atlantic City. Hopkins’ tricky style is craftier than anything Tarver has ever faced in the ring. Hopkins is a very tough guy to fight, and being that Hopkins thrives in the later rounds where Tarver has struggled, Hopkins could very well win the fight. The main question is whether or not Hopkins has the desire left in him after two consecutive close losses to Jermain Taylor.
If Hopkins does beat Tarver, he will undoubtedly vacate the title and go if into the sunset as a champion. Without any opportunity to avenge the loss, Tarver’s career and legacy are shot to the point where it’s almost irrepairable. Losing your title to a former middleweight who has lost two fights in a row 15 pounds south of your division is not exactly how you gain credability with the fans.
The styles of both fighter’s makes for a difficult night for both the judges and the fans alike. Since this is Bernard Hopkins’ final fight of his illustrious career, making a quick payday at the expense of another snoozer is not an issue. Tarver, on the other hand, is a current champion who needs to preserve his marketability to remain a major player in the sport. Tarver’s popularity is sinking to all time lows with every passing day.
Tarver’s inactivity has really taken it’s toll on his public perception. He doesn’t fight regularly, with a two fight a year schedule since 2000. Since 2003, he has only fought against Jones and Johnson since 2003, and is coming off of a snoozer against an over the hill Roy Jones. Since 2003, his record is 2-3, including a loss to Glen Johnson in a fight he should have won had he not faded down the stretch. The same can also be said of the first Jones fight, which he lost by majority decision.
This fight will really put a nail in the coffin with regards to Tarver’s marketability. I suspect that after this fight, he will find that there aren’t many big money opportunities at lightheavyweight.
He will then make an ill-advised decision to move up to heavyweight where he will bite off more than he can chew. After losing at heavyweight, where does he go from there? He has struggled for years to make lightheavyweight, so it is doubtful he will go back. He would probably take off some weight, move down to the cruiserweight division, and have mixed success in the twilight of his career.
Overall, this fight is a complete disaster for Tarver. Instead of fighting young contenders, he is content to fight against over the hill former champions who started their career’s as middleweights. His business strategy of selecting safe, big money fights against aging former champions may make his self-imposed monicker of “The Legend Killer” more reasonable, but it detracts from his credability as the People’s Champ at 175.
Every year that goes by in a fighter’s career, money becomes a bigger and bigger issue. At the age of 37, money does appear to be his dominating motivation for continuing to fight. Tarver-Hopkins is just a ploy to pad both fighter’s bank accounts before they call it a career.
Ryan Songalia is a syndicated columnist. If you have any comments, his e-mail is mc_rson@yahoo.com . His Myspace is http://www.myspace.com/asian_sensation201