Can Tarver beat any of the top heavyweight contenders

[Michael bennt]

After knocking banks out last night can Tarver pull the same trick again on any of the top contenders

[Boxing Writer]

I think he has a chance against Chagaev, but I don't think he can beat real top-10 guy

[Michael bennt]

I think he has a chance against Chagaev, but I don't think he can beat real top-10 guy

I think with fair a ref and judges Tarver beats chagaev

[cold187]

nope
banks is and never was a good boxer, he is a journey man, with draws vs gavern ans gift Split decisions at times
His win over seth mitchell was more to to with seth having a china chin.
it can be easy to assume banks is ELITE as he is Wladimir coach, but we all know coaching and boxing is different.

I think tarver is decent but i think he is behind jennings in the best american heavyweights.
I know he wants haye, so let him, would be nice fight, unless he rematches Kayode at heavyweight

[Boxing Prospect]

No. Though Banks must be one of the most frustrating men in the sport. Talented but so fornicating lazy.

[ScottDetonator]

No. Though Banks must be one of the most frustrating men in the sport. Talented but so effing lazy.

Got to agree. It looked like Banks didn't want to do anything and was looking for a way out. Didn't even look like a genuine stoppage. Sugar Hill looked disgusted with him.

Whole card was a joke.

[pound per pound]

After knocking banks out last night can Tarver pull the same trick again on any of the top contenders

I highly doubt it. Any fringe heavyweight looking to move up in ranks should ring Tarver's phone now.

[Tony1244]

No.

[JCS]

Saw Tarver enter the Top 10 at Heavy... thought something was wrong with the rankings.

What were the odds on this one?

[PsychoGamerTwo]

Is bank 100% black, his eyes look chinese?

Banks' dad is afro-american, and his mother is japanese, not chinese. His skin color is brownish/black though.

[baron_otto]

I'm surprised he is still fighting. I'd thought he retired ages ago - learn something new everyday

[handsofstone]

Banks again was just awful,he has skills but also the mindset of an ageing journeyman whose drove across 3 states to pick up a paycheck then back home again to start work at the 9 to 5

Tarver wasnt much better and has little chance at a higher level but at least he tried things now and again,he can still finish though and if he was to step up and manage to hurt his opponent id give him a good chance of stopping them but TBH better fighters wont get caught by Tarver these days

[HomicideHenry]

I'd love to see Tarver in against Cunningham...

[Perseus]

If Tarver wants to get back in the ring relatively quick he should drop down to cruiser and try to land a fight with Drozd or Lebedev, both are scheduled to fight in late March with no opponent listed.
Either fight is a title opportunity and probably a decent paycheck.

Tarver at 225lbs is carrying a lot of fat, getting down to 200 would be good for him.

[Bobo Boxing]

Nope.

[Perseus]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Tarver in the ring with Chagaev.
Ruslan's last two opponents were Pudar and Oquendo, apparently his team calls the 40+ crowd first when trying to schedule fights.

[Lackeos]

If there are any chinless frauds like Seth Mitchell or David Price left in the official top 10, then Tarver may have a chance at them. There is one heavyweight who comes to mind that many people consider top 10, but who also may be a Seth Mitchell / David Price chinless hype job in the making. So I mean... there's always a chance that Tarver could KO the fighter I'm referring to.

[ThereByTheGrace]

If there are any chinless frauds like Seth Mitchell or David Price left in the official top 10, then Tarver may have a chance at them. There is one heavyweight who comes to mind that many people consider top 10, but who also may be a Seth Mitchell / David Price chinless hype job in the making. So I mean... there's always a chance that Tarver could KO the fighter I'm referring to.

Bit harsh on David Price, don't think he is a fraud losing to TT. If you think that, then if Tarver loses to TT is he a fraud?

[Tarkus]

Banks looked so scared in there as if he was thrown in the cage with a lion. Did not dare to get in the range and he was clearly hurt by Tarvers shots. Is Tarver suddenly evolving onto a monster puncher at HW? I think any top guy should beat him solely on workrate but who knows. Lets put him in with someone young and hungry. No Hayes, Chagaevs and Cunninghams pls.

[tiny_acres]

I like Tarver.I just do not see him as a serious heavyweight contender.

[chucktaylor]

I like Tarver.I just do not see him as a serious heavyweight contender.

Same here. I root for him and Cunningham every time out, but I can't see either of them in Klitschko's position. Maybe one of them could pick up the WBC title for a minute if the stars aligned just right. Boxing is a crazy sport.

[Lackeos]

If there are any chinless frauds like Seth Mitchell or David Price left in the official top 10, then Tarver may have a chance at them. There is one heavyweight who comes to mind that many people consider top 10, but who also may be a Seth Mitchell / David Price chinless hype job in the making. So I mean... there's always a chance that Tarver could KO the fighter I'm referring to.

Bit harsh on David Price, don't think he is a fraud losing to TT. If you think that, then if Tarver loses to TT is he a fraud?

Tarver can't possibly be a fraud. He has minimal hype and has already been tested in a dozen top tier fights. We pretty much know exactly where he's at, with minimal room for uncertainty. David Price was hyped as the best fighter in the UK, potentially the dude who was gonna beat Wlad, and Fury was often accused of being terrified of David Price. As it turns out, Price was radically inferior to the hype that surrounded him. Price was a pretty serious favorite over Thompson going into Price - Thompson 1, because Price was so fraudulently overhyped. In no world would Tarver be such a heavy favorite over Thompson. As long as the majority of the boxing world doesn't think Tarver is a massive favorite over Thompson, Tarver couldn't parallel Price's fraudulent hype even with a dominant loss to Thompson.

[Blodhemn]

Saw Tarver enter the Top 10 at Heavy... thought something was wrong with the rankings.

What were the odds on this one?

What makes you think something still isn't wrong with the rankings? Reminds me of the time Tarver was ranked #1 or #2 at cruiserweight.

[Lackeos]

Saw Tarver enter the Top 10 at Heavy... thought something was wrong with the rankings.

What were the odds on this one?

What makes you think something still isn't wrong with the rankings? Reminds me of the time Tarver was ranked #1 or #2 at cruiserweight.

Johnathon Banks himself would've had a #17 ranking if his record wasn't hidden due to inactivity. A victory over him with a clear decision factor of 1 will naturally catapult a fighter. As unlikely as it is that Tarver is truly a top 10 heavyweight, on paper he just acquired yet another win over a top 20 opponent, unlike a lot of other heavyweights. Just think of all the fighters who don't have a single win over a top 20 opponent in their whole career -- Solis, Wilder, Hammer, Ruiz Jr, Teper, Browne, Joshua, Parker, etc..

In some ways, this isn't a failing of the formula to rank a fighter based on what's happened on paper. This is, at worst, a failing of the formula to see beyond the information available to it. On the other hand, it is also a failing of boxing fans to realize that Antonio Tarver is a real-ass fighter who has actually been through sh*t and proven himself, whereas a lot of the fighters he just passed-up are all hype and hot air, who have not done a single f*cking thing ever to justify the high estimations that fans have of them.

[Blodhemn]

Banks is garbage. A win over him doesn't rank you #7, I don't care how crap the HW division is, it's not that crappy to have Tarver ranked that highly. A win over Banks should see you in the top 30-40.