His KO over Jones was no fluke. He has an amazing ability to land that left hand. Amazing counter puncher. He has a awkward slickness to his game but sets perfect traps. You could tell the guy is always thinking in there. Prime Tarver was a legit beast. By the time he was fighting Chad Dawson, he was past his prime. His style would've given prime Jones problems. I didn't really appreciate him fully until I saw him fight at HW when he had lost a lot of his reflexes and he showed you what he has in the tool box. Thoughts.
Problem with Tarver in his prime was he was inconsistent and often just did enough. When he was on he was very good, his size, power, speed and tight defence combined with his southpaw skills made him a good fighter. But when he was lethargic and under performed it cost him. He should have won the first fight against Jones but did just enough to lose, should have not lost to Johnson the first time either. His biggest weakness other than his consistency was his lack of movement. He had a wide stance and liked to be planted when he threw his shots, it's why Hopkins and Dawson dominated him when they fought, he couldn't cope with the movement they presented.
Agreed. He was inconsistent and his wide stance and flat footed style made him vulnerable to guys who can use good footwork.
