Roy Jones Jr. finally dared to be great.

In his illustrious career, Jones has been criticized for never taking any chances, for making safe decisions and soft title defences after weighing the pros and cons and calculating the risk factors to the nearest decimal. Even when he beat John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title, the critics said it was a relatively easy fight for Jones, that Ruiz was the weakest link in the chain of heavyweight paper champions, anyway.

Whether you are of the ilk who believe Jones, 49-3 (38), is overrated, or whether you place him among the all-time greats and point out that it's not his fault he was so much better than his opponents, there's no denying Jones' accomplishments. There's also no denying that with two consecutive knockout losses, Jones' legacy is in question, and by seeking out a rubber match with Antonio Tarver, Jones is finally putting it all on the line and taking the biggest risk of his professional career in order to shape his destiny.

After months of silence over whether he would retire or continue fighting, Jones sought out Tarver. He insisted that the fight take place in Orlando, Florida, Tarver's backyard. Then he reunited with his estranged father and trainer. We heard that Jones was holed away, training like a fiend, though he said nothing about the fight; he held no press conferences, gave no interviews and thus far has done nothing to promote the fight. Maybe it's his way of making a statement: the normally loquacious, puff-chested RJ, content to let his actions speak louder than his words. And on Saturday night, Jones will have that opportunity, when he enters the ring as the underdog for the first time in his life and attempts to wrest back his title, his name and his glory from Tarver.

Tarver, 23-3 (18), since knocking out Jones in May of last year, has in his past two fights lost and regained the undisputed light heavyweight title from Glencoffe Johnson in fights that were both close and entertaining. Though Tarver once was labelled as a lazy fighter who didn't like to train, there is absolutely no doubt that he will be in anything but peak shape for this monumental match. As much as this fight says about Jones' legacy, it says perhaps even more about Tarver's. Jones is already a hall-of-fame lock; if Tarver can knock out Jones again, he will put an exclamation point on his career, and with only twenty-six fights, the more big names he can conquer the better.

But really, this Saturday night is all about Roy Jones Jr. Everyone wants to know if he has anything left, if he can recapture his speed, his reflexes, his confidence. It is almost certain that we will see a more improved RJ than the lethargic versions that showed up for his last two fights versus Tarver and Johnson, but to what extent nobody knows. Maybe not even Jones.

In risking his health in order to retain his legacy, Jones is daring to be great. Maybe it's ego, maybe he really did need to feel challenged and inspired - nonetheless, the self-awareness that Jones will confront when he steps into the ring Saturday night may prove to be a more daunting opponent than Tarver. Because Jones knows that another loss - especially another knockout loss - will be a crushing blow to his otherwise stellar career, and will cause historians to redefine it. A win - a knockout win - or even better, a 12-round dominant, vintage RJ performance, puts Jones back on the throne, back in the threshold of transcendentalism. Greatness means excelling when the stakes are high. For Jones, the stakes have never been higher.

Many boxing insiders believe Tarver has Jones' number. They may be right. Jones was battered against the ropes but dominating in the centre of the ring in the first fight with Tarver. In the rematch, Jones clearly won the first round before Tarver blasted him into oblivion in the second. In this, the rubber match, Jones needs desperately to be firing on all cylinders. Tarver's volume-punching was effective - if not particularly damaging - against Johnson, and Jones will have to be sharp and in shape. In short, Jones must fight the perfect fight. If he does - he wins. But how much will fear and self-doubt play into the psychology of RJ?

We'll soon find out.

Prediction: Tarver KO 7