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Danny Green Vs Antonio Tarver: THE BOXING BREAKDOWN

By Geno McGahee

This Wednesday, IBO Cruiserweight Champion, Danny Green, 31-3, 27 KO’s, will attempt to add another former great name to his record, when he takes on former Light Heavyweight King, Antonio Tarver, 28-6, 19 KO’s, in Australia.

Green became a star overnight when he stopped Roy Jones, JR., in one round in 2009, and has followed up with three straight victories since, including a decision win over BJ Flores, an undefeated and talented contender. It proved that Green has more tricks in his bag and can go the distance and win as convincingly as he does when he leaves his opponents lying in the ring.

Antonio Tarver attempted to become a heavyweight contender and defeated Nagy Aguilera, a journeyman, via 10 round decision, but it was nothing to dazzle the boxing fans. He struggled, looked lethargic, and didn’t pack a heavyweight punch. He would be easy prey for the true heavyweights and that may have been relayed to him and is why we see him in the more appropriate class for him, the cruiserweight division.

Like Green, Tarver made his name off of a knockout victory of Roy Jones, JR., stopping him in 2 rounds in 2004. Tarver would go on to defeat Roy again by decision, and starred in ROCKY BALBOA as Mason Dixon, but he never caught on with the fans. He had power as a light heavyweight but an overall dull style.

Tarver would lose badly to Bernard Hopkins in 2006 and lose back to back fights with Chad Dawson. He is 4-3 in his last seven fights, and has not looked good. At 42 years old, how much does he have left and how will he deal with the aggression of Green?

Tarver’s big chance in this fight is to find the range and land that left cross, but it is still debatable if he has a punch that can hurt a bigger man like Green. If Green senses that Tarver’s punch isn’t anything to worry about, then he will press forward and stop “The Magic Man” in the later rounds. If he plays it safe, he may outwork him and take a wide decision. Tarver really is a huge underdog going into this match and will have to pull a rabbit out of his hat if he is going to upset Green and re-invent his boxing career with a run as a cruiserweight.

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