Antonio Tarver, 10 years ago today: "Yeah, I got a question.....you got any excuses tonight Roy?!"

[LauderdaleBoss]

This interview takes me back. I remember I had some friends come over for the Ruiz/Jones fight and I kept telling them nikkas Tarver chased Roy to the Heavyweight division. As you can expect nikkas gave me the look especially after the fight. I kept bringing up DeValle dropping Roy, and reminded them how Tarver whupped Harding worse than Roy did. nikkas weren't trying to hear it. As a Florida dude (Everyone else was from up north) I wanted to see the 2 best Florida light heavyweights go at it and even though I was a big Roy fan. I felt like he legit ducked dude. Plus Tarver was really making his case in them BoxingTalk interviews at the time.

So they finally fight each other and Roy gutted out a tough clear victory and looked human. I actually picked Tarver to win that fight and nikkas was on some close calls don't count, but at least gave me props for predicting the fight would be competitive as hell which nobody expected.

The rematch comes and I actually pick Roy to win this time along with everyone else. Jones won my respect back after the first fight and looked to be in good shape. Well, Tarver wasn't haven't that and you know the rest is history.

Boxing is crazy brehs.

 

[King P]

Was a huge Roy Jones fan growing up. Watching that fight when it happened was one of the worst nights in my boxing life

Winning the HW title and then coming down was what ultimately killed Jones. He lost 25 lbs of muscle in a span of 3 months. That's some type of shyt cancer patients go through. I mean the same thing happened to Chris Byrd. Lost 30 lbs, then prcoeed to get his ass whooped and knocked out by a LHW.

I really don't wanna go there, but I find this part funny...

Roy has a lot of faithful fans, similar to what Floyd Mayweather has now. When I knocked him out I became the villain and that’s just the way it is. Just because you beat the man, doesn’t mean you gather up all of his fans. These guys are diehard Roy Jones supporters and they love him for all the right reasons.

The sad part is that Roy didn't have many real fans. They were all fair-weather fans. Now they've turned on him and Roy's whole HOF career has been discredited. nikkas acting like he wasn't really good in the 1st place and "just fought bums" and "had a terrible technique" and "just got by off his athleticism"

People look at the outcome of Roy's matches and totally ignore what he was doing and how he was executing in the ring. People swear he had 200+ amateur fights but didn't know the sport mentally in and out. Like he just showed up to the ring with zero defense, zero boxing IQ, threw punches faster than the opponent, and left the ring

For that, I will always say fukk Tarver

 

[Newzz]

Will always remember I had the

Glen Johnson had me thinking Roy was dead when they fought in September that year damn Roy



I was mad as fukk back then but looking back now that was pretty

Exactly how I felt and now feel

 

[Newzz]

Was a huge Roy Jones fan growing up. Watching that fight when it happened was one of the worst nights in my boxing life

Winning the HW title and then coming down was what ultimately killed Jones. He lost 25 lbs of muscle in a span of 3 months. That's some type of shyt cancer patients go through. I mean the same thing happened to Chris Byrd. Lost 30 lbs, then prcoeed to get his ass whooped and knocked out by a LHW.

I really don't wanna go there, but I find this part funny...



The sad part is that Roy didn't have many real fans. They were all fair-weather fans. Now they've turned on him and Roy's whole HOF career has been discredited. nikkas acting like he wasn't really good in the 1st place and "just fought bums" and "had a terrible technique" and "just got by off his athleticism"

People look at the outcome of Roy's matches and totally ignore what he was doing and how he was executing in the ring. People swear he had 200+ amateur fights but didn't know the sport mentally in and out. Like he just showed up to the ring with zero defense, zero boxing IQ, threw punches faster than the opponent, and left the ring

For that, I will always say fukk Tarver

Prime Roy Jones is STILL my favorite fighter of all-time.


He shoulda won the Heavyweight Title and retired

 

[King P]

Prime Roy Jones is STILL my favorite fighter of all-time.


He shoulda won the Heavyweight Title and retired

Funny you say that, because I remember there was an old interview where Roy talked about what his original plans were.

His original plan was to go up to HW and win a title. After that, he was going to see if he could land a "mega fight" with either Tyson or Lewis. And if that didn't work, he would go back down to LHW, win a title again, and retire. I wonder why he never stood with that original plan (I suspect money issues).

What that seemed to tell me however, is that he wasn't really into boxing anymore. Whenever somebody talks about retirement, that lets me know that they've kinda checked out (mentally anyway)

 

[Newzz]

Funny you saw that, because I remember there was an old interview where Roy talked about what his original plans were.

His original plan was to go up to HW and win a title. After that, he was going to see if he could land a "mega fight" with either Tyson or Lewis. And if that didn't work, he would go back down to LHW, win a title again, and retire. I wonder why he never stood with that original plan (I suspect money issues).

What that seemed to tell me however, is that he wasn't really into boxing anymore. Whenever somebody talks about retirement, that lets me know that they've kinda checked out (mentally anyway)

Because, his 1st fight back at LHWY, the 1st Tarver fight, put "doubts" on him. And when he went back to clarify his position as THE BEST.......this thread happened

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

it still hurts.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

I remember being at the Source Awards in MIA back in 2003. Tyson and Roy were on the stage presenting some bullshyt award or introducing somebody, Tyson mentioned taking Roy's new lil heavyweight trinket (Belt he won from Ruiz) and the crowd went wild my nikka. Cats really wanted to see that fight happen. That shyt would have done a mil in ppv sales despite Iron Mike being way past it. Everybody wanted to see if Roy could evade that power for the 1st 3 or 4 rounds. shyt would have been legit suspenseful.

They really should have made that fight happen, but I think when Ruiz buzzed Roy early in their bout (You could see Jones slightly buckle, but he played it off and fired right back) he didn't wanna chance any other heavyweight landing a good shot. Ruiz was average as hell, but he had a solid right hand. Dude even dropped Holyfield (of all people) with that shyt. If Mike would have landed the shot he decked Golota with on Roy he would have prolly killed his ass. It's fukked up though cuz most people thought Roy would have outboxed Mike and make him quit. Dude just ain't believe in himself enough to do it.

If I recall correctly I think Corrie Sanders was the mandatory for Roy's belt too and he ain't want no parts of that dude.

 

[Newzz]

In regards to Roy having to drop "so much weight", Chris Byrd speaks on it:

"I did that for five weeks and lost 40 pounds; Roy weighed 193 and had to get down to 175," Byrd said. "Every light heavyweight in boxing now has to lose the same amount of weight, so that's an excuse.

"Everybody cuts weight; it's part of boxing. It's an excuse for him to say, 'Well, I lost too much weight too fast.' No you didn't. That's disrespectful to every fighter that loses the weight and doesn't say the same thing."

What If ... Roy Jones Jr. had remained a heavyweight in 2003? - ESPN

 

[jackswstd]

I thought Tarver would win the rematch, but not like that.

 

[Jello Biafra]

In regards to Roy having to drop "so much weight", Chris Byrd speaks on it:

This guy losing 20 pounds:

Is much different than this guy losing 20:

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

that was the ether in boxing, wow..the confidence and how shyt ended. Damn i was super shocked.

 

[Big Boss]

@Newzz that night a lot of pople were like

 

[WhodatWhoadi]

great moment..RJJ fans are still heated go read any of the youtube comments on tarver videos.

 

[Newzz]

@Newzz that night a lot of pople were like

I know I was