Boxing: Tarver Destroys Jones in Under Two Rounds

As the referee Jay Nady drew Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver together for final instructions before their world light-heavyweight title rematch in Las Vegas, Tarver looked in the eyes of the man who has been acclaimed as the best fighter of the last decade and asked "You got any excuses tonight, Roy?"

Less than two rounds later, the fight was over with Tarver victorious and Jones contemplating possible retirement. Ever since the judges denied what many saw as a rightful victory for Tarver in their first fight last November, the 35-year-old Tarver, had been forced to listen to a catalogue of explanations from Jones for his poor performance.

Jones said he had taken weight off too quickly, been under-motivated and had sleepless nights because of a tooth abscess. But this time, fearful the judges might rob him if the fight went the distance, Tarver gave Jones no opportunity to defend the indefensible.

One thunderous, overhand left landed flush and left Jones spread-eagled in Tarver's corner and after just one minute and 41 seconds of the second round Jones was beaten.

The World Boxing Council champion's head had crashed into the canvas and, though he struggled to his feet and took a few steps forward on unsteady legs, referee Nady waved the contest over.

In the final week before the fight, Tarver had been telling anybody prepared to listen that he had Jones's number, and that real boxing fans knew he had already beaten Jones once. His confidence had been underlined by late gambling support from the casino punters, but Jones, also 35, had still started as the 4-1 on favourite.

As the stunned 10,000 crowd at the Mandalay Bay Hotel tried to come to terms with the fact Jones's era of dominance was over, Tarver explained: "He missed and I turned [his left-hand punch] over perfectly and caught him on the kisser. I missed with my jab, but I beat him to the punch with a beautiful overhand left.

"I saw everything coming. I knew it was my time. It was a perfect punch. It has been so long, but I never gave up on my dream. I knew the steps to get there and I knew I couldn't be denied."

A 6ft 2in southpaw, Tarver was a relatively late starter as a professional, joining the paid ranks at 28, and has had to overcome a drug problem as well as a series of promotional disputes. But he has stalked Jones for years, repeatedly gate-crashing press conferences to demand fights against a champion who had been compared to 1980s greats Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.

Now he says he would be prepared to emulate Jones, who beat the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John Ruiz last year, and step up to fight against the big men.

The promoter Don King, who staged this fight, has no hold over the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, but he has three holders of lesser belts - Ruiz, Chris Byrd and Lamon Brewster - all under contract.

Another option might be a third fight against Jones, should the fighter formerly referred to by King as "Superman" choose to fight on.

"It takes a great fighter to beat a great fighter," Tarver continued. "I will fight anyone, including heavyweights, if the money is right."

Jones became one of the outstanding boxers of recent years after turning professional following the Seoul Olympics of 1988, where he was voted the best boxer of the games.

His only previous defeat was a disqualification at the hands of Montell Griffin in 1997 - he punched his opponent while he was on the floor - and he had been world champion at middleweight and super-middleweight in addition to his most recent title triumphs at heavyweight and light-heavy.

His skills were based on speed and, above all, reflexes. In his prime, Jones had an ability to make good fighters seem clumsy second-raters. But the ageing process has had its effect and now he will have to weigh up the attractions of his lucrative contract as a commentator with the American television station HBO against a return to the ring.

In the immediate aftermath of this shocking reversal Jones was hinting at retirement, but there could always be another payday. "I can fight Tarver again or I can fight the heavyweights," said Jones, who had suggested a possible career-concluding contest against Klitschko. "If I don't have the same enjoyment in fighting I always do, then I will stop."

Jones is a good reader of fights and fighters, but the question now is whether or not he can deliver the ultimate damning verdict on his own shocking loss.