Two members of boxing?s 40+ All-Stars showed their wares in the ring Saturday night, and their performances added no shine to the luster of the senior citizens of the ring. IBO cruiserweight champion Antonio Tarver, age 43, escaped with a draw in his bout with the inexperienced Lateef Kayode. And the 40-year-old Ronald ?Winky? Wright was floored and widely outpointed by Peter ?Kid Chocolate? Quillin in a 10-round middleweight bout on the Tarver-Kayode card.
Ironically, both Tarver and Wright had previously lost by decision to the granddaddy of the old heads ? the 47-year-old Bernard Hopkins. Wright slid into inactivity after his loss to B-Hop. The Quillin fight was his first in three years. Tarver later dropped two light-heavyweight title tilts to Hopkins-conqueror Chad Dawson, but then he rejuvenated himself as a cruiserweight.
Kayode expended a lot of ineffective energy in his challenge to Tarver. Instead of using his veteran?s smarts to take advantage of the opportunities Kayode gave him, Tarver laid back until it was almost too late for him to catch up on the judges? scorecards. In the end, the tallies read 115-113 Tarver, 115-113 Kayode, and 114-114. Although neither contestant could claim he was robbed, a rematch is hardly inevitable. Bottom line: Tarver should have ?schooled? Kayode, but he didn?t.
Meanwhile Wright was a professor who forgot to bring his notes to class. In his heyday, Winky would have given Quillin a painful lesson in the fine points of pugilism. For a finesse fighter like Wright, though, inactivity can erode the skills and reflexes that had previously been his bread and butter. Quillin is good, and could be a champion in the future. But he would never have had such an easy time against the Winky Wright of four or five years ago.
Unless they drag their careers out like Evander Holyfield, Wright and Tarver will likely retire within the next few years. Once they do, they will both bear consideration for eventual induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Neither of them, however, is a lock for induction. It?s doubtful that they will be elected in their first year of eligibility. They?ll probably get in eventually, but not for several years.
Tarver?s primary Hall of Fame credential is winning two out of three contests with Roy Jones Jr. who, despite his dismal record over the past few years, is certain to win induction as soon as he becomes eligible. Tarver was the first man to knock Jones out, brutally ending the myth of Jones?s invincibility. The losses to Hopkins and Dawson may count against him, but Tarver?s victories over Jones, and his longevity and durability, are likely to tilt the Hall of Fame scales in his favor.
Wright?s two best wins are his decisions over Sugar Shane Mosley ? another member of the 40+ brigade who is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. Both men were closer to their primes when they fought each other, and Wright?s wins were not controversial. Then again, the late Vernon Forrest also outpointed Mosley twice. If two wins over Mosley are enough to ultimately enshrine Forrest into the Hall of Fame, then they?re enough to get Wright there, too.
In the meantime, Tarver and Wright are following the trail blazed by Archie Moore back in the 1950s ? before the fighters in the current crop of 40+ were born.
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I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Johnny Tapia, who was recently found dead in his home. And all sympathy to Paul Williams, who was left paralyzed below the waist in a motorcycle accident, and to his family as well. These two illustrious former champions are a credit to their sport. Best wishes to Williams for a full recovery. And here?s hoping the troubled Tapia is now resting in peace.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
