Antonio Tarver vs. Danny Green II

"The Legend Killer" ended the five year run of success of "The Green Machine", retiring the comparatively young but still well-worn Aussie in the ninth round - from the match but not the sport. Green has gone 1-2 since then, racking up another stoppage loss at home to WBC champion Diablo Wlodarczyk directly following the loss against Tarver. Last year he stopped Danny Santiago and outpointed Shane Cameron, still milking the IBO title at 40. Tarver, now 45, has only competed once since commandeering that deceptively impressive-looking prize two years ago - without an official result. (having tested positive for steroids after his first defense against Lateef Kayode, in what only nominally had a result to begin with as they fought to a split draw...later amended to a No Contest, despite Tarver's earnest assertions even now that he was victim of a false positive...)

Tarver is now officially past the anniversary date of his last time on the clock and two years since his last recorded victory, over Green. That is a considerable spell of inactivity even for someone half the age he is. Even so, and even with his name rightly or wrongly stigmatized from the drug test findings, he is pushing for another large purse and specifically wants back the pretty trouser-holder-upper he took from its previous and current owner and never actually lost in the ring.

On social media, Tarver said:

:stir

 

This of course is hardly the first time Antonio Tarver has attempted to use his internet presence to secure an improbable rematch that might otherwise prove fruitless going the usual route of "don't call us, we'll call you" type negotiations with a bigger financial draw who doesn't really need him, perhaps thinking he can exert pressure from the fans or move his old rivals to respond impulsively with attacks on their pride.

Just this past March he was actively looking for Bernard Hopkins to give him a chance at redemption from his embarrassingly one-sided upset loss which occurred exactly seven years ago this past Monday. (at which point both were already considered ancient - putting into perspective how remarkable that both are still 'active'!)

boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=464382

Hopkins is making his inaugural defense of the IBF (not to be confused with Tarver and Green's lightly-regarded IBO :yep) against Karo Murat.

It has to be said, Murat - whose body of work in the last four years has included being dominated by Nathan Cleverly and stopped on cuts, beating two journeymen with loss columns in the double-digits, beating Otis Griffin as has become highly fashionably for top-20 light heavies in the last decade, and getting a gift draw against Gabriel Campillo - might not deserve the shot as much as Tarver would, and it's debatable as to whether he'll even make it "more exciting" than what most fans believe would be a nose-plugging stinker in Hopkins vs. Tarver II.

 

True but the shelf time, and the extra gray hairs? (figure of speech )

...Green raising his confidence with a couple of W's, and Tarver getting his rattled by either having been caught in the act of cheating or falsely accused of it...

You don't think all those factors would interfere with Tarver outclassing him again?