Patrick
Nachwuchsspieler
ESPN.com
Jermain Taylor's undisputed middleweight title victory against Bernard Hopkins did more than just end Hopkins' 10-year-plus reign as champ.
The victory also helped push rivals Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones Jr. to the negotiating table with each other for a fall HBO PPV fight.
Light heavyweight king Tarver and Jones, the former champ, both were in the running to be Hopkins' next opponent on Oct. 1. However, Hopkins lost and will probably wind up in a December rematch with Taylor. That left Tarver and Jones, who split two previous fights, to turn to each other for a significant fight, ESPN.com has learned.
The talks began almost immediately following Hopkins' loss.
"We're negotiating. It looks pretty good," Tarver promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN.com. "We're going through everything now. There are financial issues but we're pretty close and I am hopeful we will have a deal very shortly."
With pay-per-view industry deadlines for October fast approaching, a deal would have to be finalized in the next week or so.
"We've been in serious negotiations with DeGuardia for a rubber match and we hope to conclude those negotiations over the weekend," said Brad Jacobs, Jones' adviser.
"There are some sticking points but I feel that they are attainable. I think that we can get through them. Roy is as serious about this fight as he can be. He says, 'Get it done.'"
After winning a heavyweight title from John Ruiz in March 2003, Jones returned to the light heavyweight division in November to face Tarver, his Florida rival since the amateurs. In by far the toughest fight of his career, Jones won a majority decision that many felt he didn't deserve. Jones blamed the dramatic weight loss for his lethargic performance.
That set the stage for a May 2004 rematch, in which Tarver (23-3, 18 KOs) -- who cockily asked Jones during the prefight instructions if he had "any excuses tonight" -- shocked Jones (49-3, 38 KOs) with a one-punch second-round knockout. Jones also was knocked out brutally last September when he challenged Glen Johnson for a title.
Tarver and Johnson have since split two fights. Tarver regained his stature as the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world with a decision against Johnson last month in Memphis.
Now, Tarver and Jones are looking to settle their personal score.
"Roy is a shrewd businessman and, even though I am the king of the light-heavyweight division, before this fight is made I'm going to have to make concessions to bring the fight to the people," Tarver said. "It's the fight the people want to see."
The main hang-up is the split of the money. Jones would take 50-50 but Tarver, the recognized champion, believes he deserves to earn more than Jones, even if it's only by a few percentage points.
"Roy Jones went off and did his own thing and tried to grab a title [from Johnson] to try to build his leverage at the table after I knocked him out," Tarver said. "He's always trying to do things like that."
However the money is split, there figures to be enough to satisfy both sides. The first fight did a little more than 300,000 pay-per-view buys. The rematch generated 360,000 buys.
"I think it will do better than the first two," DeGuardia said. "Tarver wants it bad. Roy and Tarver certainly have had a lot of history together. A third fight would be fitting. Roy deserves a shot at his redemptions, which is what it would be. Tarver is the king of rematches (3-0) so we'll see how he is with rubber matches."
Aller guten Dinge sind drei. :ricardo:
Betandwin hat schon die ersten Quoten für den Staredown:
60/40 and now I kick your ass 4.75
Buh 3.25
I´m your daddy 2.45
Need a stretcher 1.67
You got any excuses, tonight 1.50
Jermain Taylor's undisputed middleweight title victory against Bernard Hopkins did more than just end Hopkins' 10-year-plus reign as champ.
The victory also helped push rivals Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones Jr. to the negotiating table with each other for a fall HBO PPV fight.
Light heavyweight king Tarver and Jones, the former champ, both were in the running to be Hopkins' next opponent on Oct. 1. However, Hopkins lost and will probably wind up in a December rematch with Taylor. That left Tarver and Jones, who split two previous fights, to turn to each other for a significant fight, ESPN.com has learned.
The talks began almost immediately following Hopkins' loss.
"We're negotiating. It looks pretty good," Tarver promoter Joe DeGuardia told ESPN.com. "We're going through everything now. There are financial issues but we're pretty close and I am hopeful we will have a deal very shortly."
With pay-per-view industry deadlines for October fast approaching, a deal would have to be finalized in the next week or so.
"We've been in serious negotiations with DeGuardia for a rubber match and we hope to conclude those negotiations over the weekend," said Brad Jacobs, Jones' adviser.
"There are some sticking points but I feel that they are attainable. I think that we can get through them. Roy is as serious about this fight as he can be. He says, 'Get it done.'"
After winning a heavyweight title from John Ruiz in March 2003, Jones returned to the light heavyweight division in November to face Tarver, his Florida rival since the amateurs. In by far the toughest fight of his career, Jones won a majority decision that many felt he didn't deserve. Jones blamed the dramatic weight loss for his lethargic performance.
That set the stage for a May 2004 rematch, in which Tarver (23-3, 18 KOs) -- who cockily asked Jones during the prefight instructions if he had "any excuses tonight" -- shocked Jones (49-3, 38 KOs) with a one-punch second-round knockout. Jones also was knocked out brutally last September when he challenged Glen Johnson for a title.
Tarver and Johnson have since split two fights. Tarver regained his stature as the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world with a decision against Johnson last month in Memphis.
Now, Tarver and Jones are looking to settle their personal score.
"Roy is a shrewd businessman and, even though I am the king of the light-heavyweight division, before this fight is made I'm going to have to make concessions to bring the fight to the people," Tarver said. "It's the fight the people want to see."
The main hang-up is the split of the money. Jones would take 50-50 but Tarver, the recognized champion, believes he deserves to earn more than Jones, even if it's only by a few percentage points.
"Roy Jones went off and did his own thing and tried to grab a title [from Johnson] to try to build his leverage at the table after I knocked him out," Tarver said. "He's always trying to do things like that."
However the money is split, there figures to be enough to satisfy both sides. The first fight did a little more than 300,000 pay-per-view buys. The rematch generated 360,000 buys.
"I think it will do better than the first two," DeGuardia said. "Tarver wants it bad. Roy and Tarver certainly have had a lot of history together. A third fight would be fitting. Roy deserves a shot at his redemptions, which is what it would be. Tarver is the king of rematches (3-0) so we'll see how he is with rubber matches."
Aller guten Dinge sind drei. :ricardo:
Betandwin hat schon die ersten Quoten für den Staredown:
60/40 and now I kick your ass 4.75
Buh 3.25
I´m your daddy 2.45
Need a stretcher 1.67
You got any excuses, tonight 1.50