Tarver vs. Hopkinsby Mark RothsteinA great matchup It's once more unto the breach for Bernard Hopkins. The man they call "The Executioner" is in an unfamiliar situation this Saturday when he takes on Antonio Tarver at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hopkins is moving up one weight class from middleweight to light heavyweight in order to compete for Tarver's IBO belt and the vacant NBA title. The former undisputed champion (and the first man to hold all four "major" middleweight titles at the same time) is also the underdog; he's priced at +225 for Saturday's bout. Tarver is the favorite at -255. This is almost certainly the last fight in Hopkins' stellar career. After going undefeated between 1993 and 2005, the Philadelphia native finally lost his middleweight titles by split decision to Jermain Taylor last July in Las Vegas. December's rematch ended in a unanimous decision for Taylor; both decisions were considered controversial, with Hopkins starting slowly only to unleash a furious assault on Taylor in the late rounds. Those two losses dropped Hopkins' record to 46-4-1. For the quickest and easiest depositing methods available, sign-up today at BetUS.com, "for over 14 years they have been the Pioneers and World-wide Leaders in Online Sports, Poker, Casino and Racebook Gaming!" Always receive great odds, huge bonuses and fast payouts only at BetUS.com! BET ON FOOTBALL! Deposit $300 and get $100 in Bonuses! It's somewhat fitting that Hopkins is wrapping up his career the same way he started - in Atlantic City as a light heavyweight. But Hopkins will no doubt be looking for a better result. Back in 1988, Hopkins lost a four-round decision to Clinton Mitchell, who was also making his pro debut and would go on to compile a record of 3-1-1. Hopkins took over a year off after the loss to work on the conditioning that would become his hallmark. He wouldn't lose another match until 1993, when Roy Jones Jr. won the vacant IBF middleweight title via unanimous decision. That was his only loss until the Taylor fight; along the way, Hopkins beat the likes of Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. The decision to move to light heavyweight wasn't based on nostalgia, though. Hopkins' original plan was to fight Jones in a rematch. Losing to Taylor took the steam out of that plan; their fight, planned for Mar. 11, was called off. Still, Hopkins' track record, and his remarkable ability to stay in condition even at age 41, have many insiders thinking he can and will beat Tarver this Saturday. Tarver is only an inch taller than Hopkins at 6-foot-2, and both men have a 75-inch reach. Tarver is no spring chicken himself at age 37. He's coming off last October's unanimous decision over Jones in the rubber match of their trilogy. Perhaps more importantly, Tarver is also coming off filming the latest Rocky movie with Sylvester Stallone. The "Magic Man" bulked up significantly for his role, and then had to drop the weight quickly to get back to the light-heavyweight limit of 175 pounds. Although Hopkins isn't as fleet of foot as he used to be, he'll have a definite speed advantage over Tarver, a methodical fighter who prefers to wait patiently for an opportunity to land the heavy lumber. Tarver's victories over Jones, especially his second-round KO during the second fight, have made him something of a celebrity (thus the movie role). This may be reflected in the odds for Saturday's fight; however, Tarver should be anything but a pushover. He is No. 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the ten best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Saturday's fight will be shown on HBO. The undercard includes Israel Vasquez vs. Ivan "Choko" Hernandez for Vazquez' WBC junior featherweight title. --- by BetUSradio at 1800-sports.com on June 10, 2006
UFC & MMA Betting Articles
Featured
|
|
© 1800-Sports.com
1998-2008. All rights reserved.
Information contained in this Web site is intended for recreational purposes only. Access to information contained in this Web site is void where prohibited