By Rick Reeno

This Saturday night, on pay-per-view, Roy Jones, Jr., (49-3, 38 KOs), makes a return to the ring after a one year layoff to face his career rival, Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver (23-3, 18 KOs).

The first bout saw Jones, for the first time is his career, come from behind in order to win. Jones showed championship heart by giving his all in the final two rounds to pull out the fight by way of majority decision.

Due to the conflicting opinions of who won the first fight, a rematch was set for April of 2004. In the rematch, Antonio Tarver turned the entire boxing world upside down when he knocked out Roy Jones in two rounds.

A third fight was in the works for late 04, but the unthinkable happened. Jones was knocked out for the second time in his career while facing Glen Johnson in what was supposed to be a tuneup bout for a third meeting with Tarver.

Tarver has had his own share of disappointments. He faced Jones conqueror Glen Johnson in what should of been another crowning moment, but instead dropped a split decision. Six months later, Johnson and Tarver met in a rematch, this time a refocused Tarver was able to outbox Johnson on route to a unanimous decision. While the decision win over Johnson gave Tarver some redemption, his performance was not spectacular and Johnson had his moments in the fight.

The staff of BoxingScene have come together to voice their predictions, opinions and fighter strategies for the fight.

Frank Lotierzo - I think Jones has more than a chance versus Tarver. Tarver wasn't overly impressive versus Glen Johnson either time, like he said he would be. Nor do I think Jones is as shot as most do. It's a fact, Roy Jones took less punishment than any other upper-tier champion in history. A fighter's chin does not erode like that if it was anything to start with. In their rematch, he looked terrific in the first round. Then with the only solid punch Tarver landed in the fight, he stretches him. I'm not strong on either guy, but Jones can out box Tarver. Which is the only way he can win. This is more of a pick against Tarver. Jones pulls it out and hopes for (Bernard) Hopkins to beat (Jemain) Taylor in December.

Mike Indri - Boxing is a very unforgiving business, especially for fighters who get old fast. Roy Jones has gotten very old....very fast. Tarver, a good, but not great fighter, will defeat the former untouchable and future Hall of Fame bound Jones. Jones will not be around long enough in this fight for the judges to render a decision.

Antonio Tarver over Roy Jones via 6-7 round knockout.

Dr. Peter Edwards - I can't see Jones pulling it off after watching his last two fights. Tarver by a knockout within 6.

Andy Rivera - This is a hard one to pick. Do we base the outcome on Jones' two devastating knockout losses in his last two fights, or do we give him the benefit of the doubt? Tarver was outworked by Glen Johnson in his first defense. Based on the Johnson fight, it's not  impossible for Jones to box Tarver and win. I will go out on the limb and say Jones has one more fight in him to get the job done. I do feel he needs to stay away from Tarver's powerful left hand and use what made him a pound for pound fighter for almost a full decade, his speed. If he has any speed left, he will win a decision. If his chin fails him again,  this will be the end for Roy and Tarver will forever solidify his claim as a better fighter.

Ja Lang Greene - I am in the minority on this one. I know that Roy Jones Jr.  has looked terrible in his last three fights, but I am going with the all time great, by a highly debatable decision. Jones winning by a 12 round split decision.

TK Stewart - I don’t think it is going to go well for Roy Jones, Jr. on Saturday night when he meets Antonio Tarver for the third time. At nearly 37 years of age, having been knocked out in his last two fights and with his last "look-good" performance taking place two-and-a-half years ago against Johnny Ruiz, it will be an awful lot for the Pensacola, Florida native to overcome.

Roy Jones, Jr. has always been a fighter that relied on his amazing reflexes, speed and quickness. Those stunning natural gifts have eroded with time and because Jones never really did anything in an orthodox fashion or ever learned how to fight in the traditional sense, he does not have the strong fundamentals to fall back on in his advancing years.

Like a Muhammad Ali or a Naseem Hamed, once the natural gifts are no longer enough, fighters that were once deemed unbeatable are simply ordinary and extremely vulnerable. In Jones’ case the situation is exacerbated due to the fact that he seems a bit chinny now as well.

The inability to take a solid shot, the tired legs, his infrequent bouts in the last two years and the fact that Antonio Tarver has always given him trouble should spell the end of R.J. on Saturday night. I like Antonio Tarver by a knockout. The "legend" of Roy Jones, Jr. will drift away like dust in the wind.

Sammy Rozenberg - Jones should have never come out of retirement. Bad mistake for Roy and I think Tarver will finally finish him off. Tarver by TKO in 10.

Eric Rineer - I don't think this one is going to end early. Expect Roy Jones to be highly motivated for revenge. He is one of the greatest fighters of this era and he's coming with everything he's got. It is going to be intense in that ring on Saturday night. These fighters have a lot of history together and they're fighting on their home turf. Roy is going to make this fight better than the second bout. But I honestly believe that Antonio, when he's fully focused, can beat Roy 9 out of 10 times. Antonio will not take this fight lightly and I expect him to win by late stoppage.

Rusty Rubin - Tarver by decision or a late knockout. I love Roy Jones, but when the fat lady sings, it's over. I'm afraid the fat lady has sung for this great champion and Antonio Tarver should finish Jones off for good.

David P. Greisman - Unless Antonio Tarver has suddenly become complacent, this is his fight to lose. He should be in good shape, having just fought in June, and of good mind, having spoken all the proper words of how he is not taking Roy Jones Jr. lightly. I wouldn't be surprised if Jones redeems himself by being competitive, but he will need to improve fastly over his past performances in order to beat the best light heavyweight in the world. Tarver by a unanimous decision.

David Wilcox - The Jones kool-aid drinkers are clinging to past greatness in this one, but I'm afraid it is misguided. Jones has lost his key attributes. He lost his unbelievable speed and reflexes. As far as his chin, maybe he never had a chin and we just didn't know it because it was never touched. I'm sure Jones will be in top shape and will come out strong early. He will show signs of past greatness, but in the end, Tarver will catch up to Jones and stop him.. Tarver by KO inside of 9 rounds.

Mark Workman – I've religiously followed the career of the great Roy Jones, Jr. since he beat Bernard Hopkins back in 1993 and he’s always dazzled me with his extraordinary array of speed, power and boxing skills, but even Roy can't turn back time. Antonio Tarver is out to win more than a boxing match; he’s out to win respect. And respect is a high-octane fuel. Tarver’s had Roy's number since day-one and refuses to be denied. I think Roy will come into the fight in the best shape possible and give it his all, but I don't think it will be enough. It’s Tarver's time. I see Antonio Tarver winning a hard-fought unanimous decision.

Matthew Hurley - I've never been a big fan of Roy Jones, but I have developed more than a little bit of respect for his accomplishments in light of his last two defeats. He showed that he indeed has the grit and desire of a champion when he agreed to a rematch with Tarver after his disputed decision victory in their fist bout. And he's showing it again in the rubbermatch, despite his emphatic knockout loss to Glen Johnson.

It's the Johnson fight that troubles me. Jones wasn't just stopped, he was knocked unconscious. I always argued that Jones needed to be tested to see what his true worth was as an elite fighter. He got by for years with his athleticism and speed, but when he got truly tested against Tarver and Johnson he failed. I think he will fail again.

Jones will put up a much better showing this time, but Tarver, believing that he has Jones' number and knowing that Jones can't hurt him, will jump right on top of him. Tarver knows this fight will solidify his legacy and he won't let Jones steal it away with a decision victory. I see Tarver suffering through some of those mental lapses he always seems to go through and then finally putting an end to the bout in the later rounds.

James Blears - Roy had to work pretty hard in their first fight and his punch rate in the final two rounds were the decisive factors in winning a decision. Roy got caught cold in round two by a picture perfect left hook. Not ever fighter can be Muhammad Ali when it comes to recovering from a left leaning blockbuster and it was rightly stopped.

Roy can win this third fight, but it depends on how hard he's trained and how fast and sharp he is. I hope he'll put all his savvy, guile, speed and boxing ability into what must be a swan song, and then walk away while he still can.

Split decision victory for Roy, but we're all going to be on the edge of our seats, as he should have already called it a day.

Don Colgan - Antonio Tarver should win this fight by a technical knockout in 11 rounds.

Ron Gallegos - This is a difficult call. Did Marco Antonio Barrera just have a bad night against Manny Pacquiao? Since the Pacquiao loss, Barrera has looked on top of his game. Strictly judging from the Pacquiao fight, Barrera was through and should retire. Yet here we are and Barrera is once again at a pinnacle by taking on all comers. What does that have to do with Roy-Tarver? Well, with respect to those two fights, Roy just didn't have the fire and maybe the skill to dispose of the brash Tarver. Yet, maybe the loss and the thought that his place in boxing history may not be as firmly etched as once thought, just maybe that is enough to spur Roy on to a final hurrah. My heart says Roy, but my brain says Tarver will repeat.

Tarver in a stoppage around the 6th.

David Selwyn - A lot of people are saying why is Roy Jones fighting Tarver again? The reason is that Jones has a lot of pride and wants to leave the sport of boxing on a high note. I feel that we will see Jones put on a masterful display of boxing skills and badly out box Tarver to win a unanimous decision

Robert Padilla - Can an older Jones bring back the old fire and speed? Has father time finally catch up with him? Will we see him say adios to boxing challenges? I think we will see Jones holding hands with Julio Ceasar Chavez and walking into the sunset. In this fight, Tarver will be the judge and jury with another victory over the man that finally meets father time.

Steve Cummings - Tarver’s got Roy’s number. Jones showed guts that I didn’t think he had by pulling out the victory with a clutch rally down the stretch in their first fight. But Tarver wiped it all out with his over-the-top challenge during the instructions at their second fight and the left hand that put Roy to sleep. Now, and especially after the Jones-Johnson fight, we all know that Roy assumes the position readily when he is hit flush, and he’s not too difficult to hit flush these days. Most importantly, Tarver knows it. Antonio Tarver by knockout.

Ronnie Nathanielsz - I've always been a fan of Roy Jones Jr., but sincerely believe its time for him to quit. Moving up and down in weight has a debilitating effect on the body. Besides, Tarver is too big and too strong for Jones at this stage.

Tarver should be able to win handily unless Jones pulls out something truly extra special which I seriously doubt.

Rick Reeno - After sitting ringside and watching the second meeting between Tarver and Johnson, Jones said that he felt he could beat either fighter. Like Sugar Ray Leonard, sitting ringside for Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, there was something in watching Tarver that made him believe that he could come out of retirement and beat him. 

Unlike Jones, Leonard was not knocked out in his last two fights, prior to meeting Hagler. At the same time, Leonard never faced Hagler prior to making a decision to fight him. Jones has faced Tarver as an amateur and twice as pro. That fact that Jones knows what he is going to face across the ring from him, tells me that he is truly confident about victory. Tarver is not a pressure fighter like Hagler and Jones is no longer agile like Leonard.

Tarver has so much more to lose in this fight. Win or lose, Jones will retire after this fight. Should Tarver lose, he might as well retire because his career is done in my opinion. If an "over the hill" Jones, who was knocked out in his last two fights and inactive for 12 months, comes back to defeat an "in his prime" Tarver, it destroys Tarver's chances of ever being acknowledged as a great fighter. There is not enough talent in the light heavyweight or cruiserweight division for Tarver to resurrect his career from a loss like this, and he is too small to compete with heavyweights.

I think Tarver can sense the urgency of winning and will not let Jones steal his thunder. Tarver by a TKO inside of 10 rounds.

Tom Donelson - Roy Jones is 36, an old 36. Tarver is also 36, but a young 36. Thus lies the tale on why Tarver will win.  In his last fight, Jones looked old, slow and sluggish. Gone was the fluidity of the past and instead stood a fighter who lost interest and speed.  Glen Johnson pushed Jones all over the place and punished him at will.  That was 12 months ago and when a fighter starts to decline, he doesn't get it back.  And taking a 12 month layoff does not help, but only hinders.
 
Tarver has fought half as many fights as Jones and is close to his peak. He has a style that in Jones’ hey day would have given Jones trouble and Jones is not in his hey day. At their peak, both men had power, one punch power. Jones' power came from his speed and Tarver from the leverage that his height gave him.  So both men have the power to win this fight on one punch, but Tarver still has the advantage since he has already knocked Jones out.
 
To win, Jones has to move side to side. He has to adopt and not get caught on the ropes or get caught while going back. In other words, he has to avoid the things he did against Tarver and Johnson in his last three fights. Is he capable at 36 of moving for 12 rounds and not laying on the ropes? If he is, he can win. If he is not, well- Jones’ career ends on a losing note.
 
This fight has already been determined. Jones can't turn the clock back and that is why Tarver wins.  Win or lose, this is Jones' last hurrah, but for Tarver, this is his fight to secure his place in boxing history.