Jones vs. Tarver

November 8, 2003

Las Vegas, Nevada

HBO PPV - 6pm

IBO light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., the former undisputed light heavyweight champion ( WBC,

WBA, IBF, IBO, IBA,), who went up two weight classes and captured the WBA heavyweight title is going

back down to reclaim his light heavyweight titles starting with WBC / IBF title holder Antonio Carver.

Jones Jr.'s last fight was back in March of this year  when he won a unanimous decision win over John Ruiz

to capture the WBA heavyweight title. Rumblings about Jones Jr. going up against what some consider top

tier heavyweights, which many believe Ruiz is not, like Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, etc... seem to have

been put on the back burner while the money side can be worked out. Meantime, he wants to reclaim his

light heavyweight titles before going back up to the heavyweight ranks. 

In Carver's last fight (April, 2003), he won the vacant WBC / IBF light heavyweight titles in a unanimous

decision win over Montell Griffin (44-4, 28 KO's).

Griffin is the only man to ding Jones Jr.'s record. Back in March of ' 97, Jones. Jr. was disqualified for hitting

Griffin while he was down and lost his WBC light heavyweight title. Jones. Jr. quickly came back though,

roughly four months later, and knocked out Griffin in the first round to reclaim his title. 

Tarver is a late bloomer to boxing, turning pro at the age of 28 (both fighters are 34 years old now). Tarver's

only loss was back in June of 2000 when he lost a 12 round unanimous decision to Eric Harding (21-3, 7

KO's) in an IBF light heavyweight title eliminator. Tarver came back two years later and avenged his loss with

a fifth round TKO of Harding in July of 2002.

On a side note, Harding lost to Jones Jr. back in 2000 by way of 10th round TKO.

WBC / IBF Light Heavyweight Title Bout

Roy Jones Jr. (48-1, 38 KO's) vs. Champ Antonio Tarver (21-1, 17 KO's)

IBF Jr. Middleweight Title Bout

IBF Champ Ronald "Winky" Wright (45-3, 25 KO's) vs. Angel Hernandez (26-4, 16 KO's)

10 RD Middleweight Bout

Jermain Taylor (17-0, 12 KO's) vs. Rogelio Martinez (13-4-1, 5 KO's)

card subject to change

(10/16/03)