When Antonio Tarver sat a few feet away from the ring and watched Roy Jones Jr. face Glencoffe Johnson in September, he thought he was previewing a Jones emphatic comeback as he drooled over the possibility of a lucrative rubber match.

Instead, he saw Johnson knock Jones senseless and the chance of a third fight with Jones evaporate into thin air. So Tarver decided the logical thing to do was for him and Johnson to fight each other.

And that's what will happen this Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, in a non-title fight between the only two fighters to knock out the former pound-for-pound king - and in the same year, no less. Johnson, a veteran of the ring who had a few bad decisions called against him until recently, is a solid, workman-like fighter with sound boxing skills and deceptive power. Despite a record of 41-9-2 (28), he claims his only legitimate loss was to Bernard Hopkins. Tarver, 22-2 (18), who with his big mouth came dangerously close to mimicking the fighter he was accusing of being all talk in Jones, is the reigning light heavyweight champion of the world. Though his record is more impressive than Johnson's, he was once accused by his U.S. Olympic teammates of eating himself out of shape by binging on free Mcdonald's cheeseburgers, and his dedication to the sweet science hasn't always been there, even if the talent has.

And that's why I'm picking Johnson to win. Maybe I'm being idealistic, and I'm defintely in the minority, but I'd like to think that the hard-working Johnson who's struggled all these years to support his family, understands the significance of the fight and outworks the spoiled, more talented southpaw who once took his skills for granted. I bet Johnson never took anything for granted in his life.

When Johnson knocked out Jones, he told HBO's Larry Merchant, "I'm not the best, I'm just a guy willing to fight the best". And after he beats Tarver, he may well BE the best. Belt or no belt.

Prediction: Johnson KO 6