Bigger upset at the time: Rahman-Lewis or Tarver-Jones?

You know how I also know that you weren't following the sport back then? Because you overrated how highly Tarver was regarded. It's easy to say NOW he was a quality fighter, but no, that wasn't the reality in 04. Not even after the first fight.

Tarver was still thought of as a guy who got his ass kicked by Eric Harding, and who had one lucky night against a weight-drained Jones. He wasn't thought of as the quality fighter you think he was. That's why I'm convinced we were nowhere to be found as a fan in 04.

You're debating off what you've watched on YouTube.

 

"Very very" shocking is an overstatement.

1. It had happened to Lewis before.

2. People ALWAYS, ALWAYS doubted his chin.

3. It was very well known that he was outta shape. It wasn't a secret at all.

Jones was never expected to lose. Ever. To anyone.

Ironically enough, Lewis was ONLY fighter on the planet who people thought could beat Roy in 03.

 

You're the only one on here who sounds like a casual bro.

Antonio Tarver didn't gain respect from fans until AFTER he KO'd Roy.

He was not all that highly regarded until then.

Eric Harding kicked his ass, and broke his jaw. I don't have to BoxRec or YouTube that fight like you would have to, because I watched it live on ESPN. Nobody considered him much more than some loud mouth that Roy would beat up like Richard Hall.

I already told you that I have PROOF of being a hardcore, and dedicated poster before 04. You only have your word.

You sound like you weren't there if you even suggest that Lennox Lewis losing was more shocking than the loss of a man who was regarded by all as unbeatable.

 

This is absolutely true!

 

Kev, you should actually THANK ME. I'm one of the reasons why you're even here posting today.

Eastside was a pretty nondescript forum in the early 00s filled with nothing but racists. When the Secondsout Forum died, me and a lot of posters from there flocked to here, and brought quality to this place.

I'm one of the originators, so pay some respect. You're new to this.

 

I thought Rahman Lewis because I felt Jones look poor against Tarver in their first. I remember thinking, "Is Jones finished?"

 

Nobody was interested in Lewis - Rahman fight at all - that's how big of a mismatch it was considered. I remember when my brother read an interveiw with Lennox few weeks before the fight in which Lennox said he was going to KO Rahman in 4-5 rounds, he was shocked. "4-5 rounds? He will demolish him in 2 at most!" - he said. Once again, no matter how questionable Lewis' chin was considered after his loss to McCall, Hasim Rahman was a COMPLETE non-hoper - nobody gave him even a slim chance of winning.

But you are right about Jones - he was considered unbeateable, even untouchable back then. People thought his first fight with Tarver was a fluke, that he just underestimated Tarver like he did with Griffin in the first fight. And lot of people were expecting him to demolish tarver in the rematch the same way he demolished Griffin in ther rematch.

 

I personally thought Kov would win that one even though he'd been stopped twice already. Obviously I was dead wrong.

 

You're not the only one mate. I thought Canelo's management had miscalculated and Kov had enough left to do a number on him.

 

That is EXACTLY what I thought lol. Cheers

 

Let's put it this way. It's probably a good thing that I don't wager on the fights as I probably would be lucky to break even. But I did win $20 on the Trinidad DelaHoya fight and I didn't deserve to lol

 

I only wager with my dad, and since I know so much more than him about boxing and have so much less money, I'm pretty much guaranteed to break even.

 

You're alone on this because Jones was the bigger, more popular boxer with BOTH casuals and hard core fans.

Bigger boxer=bigger upset.

Atmosphere is very important and living through an era changes your perspective. Just like how people alive in the Ali era insist his win over Foreman was a bigger deal than anything. Could you imagine seeing Ali fight live and following his career then seeing him bounce back to win the title again?

Jones was the KING of the late 90's/early 2000's. I cannot stress this enough.

Even by your logic about the "odds" of the Rahman fight, that does NOT change the fact it did not make as much noise in the world as Jones vs Tarver. I'm sorry but that is simply an observable fact. Odds do not tell the whole story, buzz in the media, workplace, gyms, forums, etc determine how big an upset was.

Imagine if Shawn Porter lost a rematch with Pauline Malignaggi and the odds were 50-1 in Porter's favor and the fight occurred the same year as Anthony Joshua vs Andry Ruiz, which would be the bigger upset? Obviously it would still be Joshua vs Ruiz because Joshua is a global icon and a huge muscular guy getting his ass kicked by a short obese Mexican. Catch my drift?

You also keep mentioning how Tarver made Roy look vulnerable and how the fight was close, but that doesn't change the fact NOBODY expected Roy to lose DESPITE struggling with Tarver and even the haters and naysayers most CERTAINLY did not expect such a brutal KO loss. Roy had just made history becoming the first middle weight in 100 years to become a heavyweight champion. To most people Tarver was a minor bump in the road, a 3 inch pothole before driving off into the sunset.

The comedian earthquake talked about the Roy Jones' knockout in multiple stand ups and the whole audience laughed. Roy is a big household name in the black community.

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