Is Antonio Tarver Hall Of Fame worthy?

Roy was never the same after coming back from Ruiz. He weighed 200 pounds! Go and watch the fight or the documentary. He went from a ripped 200 down to 175 for the weigh in. Coach Merk had him running a lot before he even went into his normal 8 week camp. Now it's easy for us to say "oh it was only around 14 pounds of muscle" These are finely tuned athletes, where even a pound can be a substantial amount.

He'd never been in that position before. He'd gone into every camp needing to shred a bit of bodyfat, but not pure muscle. He was nearly 35, he'd had 49 fights, and he had to do something that he'd never done before. It obviously took it's toll. He was tired and he had nothing left for the last 3 or 4 rounds. He was running on fumes.

Tarver was pumped for that fight. He was fired up, with a point to prove, he'd lived in Roy's shadow, and there'd been bad blood between the pair for years. If Tarver had've beaten Harding the first time, Roy would have fought him earlier. Now Tarver was a great fighter, and he'd have caused Roy problems if they'd have fought in 2000/2001. But in their first fight, Tarver was motivated and in great shape, and Roy wasn't. He wasn't motivated for the fight. He'd had his heart set on Tyson. He only took the fight with Tarver because he had no choice, after Tarver had embarrassed him at the Ruiz post fight press conference. He had to respond. But he wasn't up for the fight, and then there was the weight he had to shed.

So my thinking is, if Tarver couldn't beat Roy when Roy wasn't at his best, then he wouldn't have been able too, when Roy was at his best. I'm not taking anything away from Tarver, he was a good fighter. But he didn't beat the best version of Roy. Shortly after he lost to Glen Johnson, so he wasn't that great was he?

Tarver couldn't kick his ass in the first fight. Yes he knocked him out in the 2nd fight. What about the 3rd fight? After Roy's 2nd fight with Tarver, he was knocked cold by Johnson. He was out for minutes. He then spent over a year out of the ring, and then fought Tarver in Oct 2005, without a tune up. Tarver didn't kick his ass then did he?

You ignore the fact that Tarver had all the advantages. He was motivated, he was fitter, and he was fresher. He went into the fight with Roy, having only had 20 odd fights. Roy had fought nearly 50 times. Everything was in Tarver's favour, and he still couldn't win. It was never a robbery. Even Buddy McGirt knew Roy had won, he was going mad at Tarver in the corner.

Also, what did Tarver have to say when he got beat by Hopkins, after he had to lose his weight from the Rocky film?

Finally, lets look at this logically. You're saying that you think Roy got his ass kicked, and it had nothing to do with the weight loss. Yes? Then you say that Tarver wasn't good enough to be inducted into the hall of Fame?

Roy is one of the greatest fighters that's ever lived. So How could a guy, who wasn't good enough to get into the hall of fame, beat him then??

How does that make sense?

Either Tarver's better than you give him credit for, or Roy wasn't at his best?

Regards, Loudon.

 

hell no!

 

No not quite HOF worthy,, won some good fights when in form but not as good as he likes to think of himself, beat a few on the decline.

 

Absolutely not.

 

If you had asked me this 3 months ago, before the Kayode fight took place, I probably would have said yes. However, since Tarver was caught using performance enhancing drugs during the fallout from this fight, the answer is a definite no.

The positive test cost any chance Tarver had of making it to the Hall of Fame.

 

IMO, no. I hold a very high standard for the HOF.

But if they are going to let Joe Cal in, they obviously don't have very high standards for themselves.

 

im as critical as anyone about joe's career path, but he clearly belongs in the HOF

 

knocking out roy jones in very impressive fashion makes him a first ballot hof'er. don't get it twisted.

 

Nah, but he should get into the Milkdud HOF... if there is such a thing.

 

of course! that steroids **** hurts his cred though.

 

One good win against a prime fighter (Kessler) and a couple against old men = HOF?

Some people just have much lower standards.

 

Sylvester Stallone is in and he beat Stallone's badass alter ego Rocky Balboa so.......:rasta but seriously..............................NO

 

Hell no. He gets major credit for beating a still good Roy Jones, but what after that?

and there isn't a reasonable scorecard where Tarver won more than 4 rounds in the first Roy fight. Jones, badly dehydrated and drained, whips Tarver's ass.