By: Ja Lang G. Greene
In boxing, one man’s demise usually catapults his conqueror to the upper echelon of the sport. Years of toiling on undercards with little or no media exposure can come to an abrupt end with one shocking upset. Newly crowned light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver is living proof of what happens when you do the unthinkable. Tarver won the biggest fight of his career in the role of the hunter. What will happen now that he is the hunted?
Throughout the course of history, fighters hungry for an opportunity to start their own legacy have dethroned icons of the sport. The old adage made popular by Ric Flair holds true “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” However after “beating the man,” some of these fighters couldn’t handle being the man, when they moved from challenger to the role of champion.
James “Buster” Douglas was an obscure fringe contender unknown to casual boxing fans when he pulled off the one of the greatest upsets by defeating the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson. Douglas was fueled by the recent death of his mother, inspired by his role as an underdog, and motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Douglas’ knockout victory pushed him to the forefront, but his reign would not last long. He would lose the title in his first defense to Evander Holyfield and the fall from grace would see Douglas balloon to nearly 400 pounds and come close to death. Although he would stage a comeback and win seven out of his eight bouts, he would never again approach his once lofty status.
Vernon “The Viper” Forrest also makes this list. Entering 2002 most “experts” were skeptical of Forrest as a legitimate contender. He was best known for being a blip on Shane Mosley’s amateur record. Heading into the year Mosley was riding the wave of success after defeating Oscar De La Hoya for the welterweight championship. After making three successful defenses of the title, Mosley signed on to avenge his amateur defeat against Forrest. Most experts gave Forrest no shot to beat the king at 147. Forrest went on to not only win but also dominated Mosley in both fights in 2002. Instantly, Forrest became a visible image, even being honored with a “Vernon Forrest Day” in Augusta, Georgia that culminated with him being handed the keys to the city. In 2003 the hunter became the hunted and Forrest would be thoroughly abused before being TKO’d by Ricardo Mayorga. The rematch would produce the same outcome but with Forrest lasting all twelve rounds. Forrest has since moved to 154 and time will tell if he can regain his 2002 form. The jury is still out.
Lastly, that bring us to the aforementioned Antonio Tarver, who on paper had the pedigree that most media outlets love to hype. An Olympian who is very articulate and engaging, Tarver would not receive much fanfare in the light heavyweight division, constantly etched in the shadow of one of this eras best Roy Jones Jr. Leading up to Tarver – Jones I, Tarver told anyone that would listen that it was his time to lead the division. Tarver would lose the decision to Jones but gained an immeasurable amount of respect in the sport for his effort and some even felt he was robbed by the decision. Jones would grant Tarver the rematch and the rest of course is history, courtesy of a picture perfect left hook counter punch that knocked out Jones in the second round. This win has given Tarver the exposure and monetary options that were once out of reach. Ticker tape parades, late night talk show appearances, guest commentary on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, and plenty of other outlets too numerous to name.
This is the beauty of the sweet science. Stars are born overnight; legends are reduced to mere mortals. One thing is for certain, a lot of fighters have beaten the elite but only a handful have risen to the top amid the distractions that come with being the best, to place themselves among the all time greats. There will be more upsets in the future, but what will happen when the hunter becomes the hunted?
