Antonio Tarver talked the talk and walked the walk last night, dominating Roy Jones Jr. and almost knocking him out in the 11th round of their rubber match in Tampa's sold out St.Pete Times Forum.

Jones, who looked ripped, relaxed and ready for a 12-round battle, fought only in spurts as he tried to keep the fight in the centre of the ring. At times he looked like the Roy of old, but for the most part RJJ was trying not to end up R.I.P., as he fought tentatively and landed one punch at a time. The fight clearly established Tarver, the undisputed light heavyweight champ, as Jones' superior, but the question remains whether Jones is a shot fighter or if Tarver just has his number.

In round one, Tarver was the aggressor, as Jones stayed off the ropes and feinted, often with his hands down, using his impeccable sense of distance to keep Tarver away. Tarver stuck to his game plan in the second round, sticking out his southpaw jab while Jones continued to not throw, perhaps reluctant to engage with the man who knocked him out in two rounds in their rematch. By the fourth round, Jones appeared to find his groove; in the fifth, his best round, Jones showed flashes of the prime RJ as he landed quick uppercuts and lefts to the body, while showboating and strutting like a peacock. It was Jones' best round, and it showed that he still had the power and plenty of speed to give Tarver fits. Still, it didn't appear as though Tarver was hurt at any point during the fight.

Unfortunately for Jones, it was one of the few signs of aggression he showed, as Tarver dominated the middle rounds while Jones tried to impress the judges by using smoke and mirrors - feinting, sticking his tongue out, grinning. Jones looked very much like the fighter who fought John Ruiz for the heavyweight title, as he was content to potshot Tarver and jump in close to land bodyshots; Tarver meanwhile took a chapter out of their first fight by pinning Jones against the ropes and throwing wild, desperate combinations in an attempt to repeat the outcome of their rematch.

In the 11th, Tarver landed a right hand that stunned Jones and sent him reeling into the ropes. An uppercut landed by Tarver and it appeared that he would have his knockout, but Jones covered up and somehow managed to stay on his feet. It looked as if sheer willpower kept Jones from being knocked out in his third consecutive fight, although Tarver all of a sudden seemed to tire, allowing Jones to go on the offensive and keep an otherwise 10-8 round 10-9. It was the most exciting round of the fight, as both fighters seemed on the verge of exhaustion; but Jones was not playing possum - he was out on his feet. In the final round, Jones was on the offensive while Tarver looked tired, but it was too late for Jones, who needed a knockout to win. He won the round, but lost the fight. The judges scored it 116-112 (twice) and 117-111. I scored it 116-112 for Tarver.

After the fight, a very vocal Antonio Tarver, 24-3 (18), perhaps conscious of the fact that criticizng Jones' effort would diminish his victory, appeared irritated at HBO's Larry Merchant's suggestion that Jones only offered token resistance. "Roy had a lot of resistance. Roy was sharp tonight." Tarver, 36, could go on to fight Bernarad Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, or Winky Wright and has to be considered a threat to any one of them. His career seems to be heading in the opposite direction of Jones'. Jones accepted defeat and said he wasn't sure if he would fight again. His body language suggested retirement.

At 36, the slick Roy Jones Jr., 49-4 (38), who showed up last night was a slightly improved version and could still beat almost everyone he faced. But for a fighter who relied so much on his speed and elusiveness, even a slight breakdown in those departments can prove disastrous, as demonstrated in Jones' previous two losses. Now it may very well be that Tarver would beat Jones on his best night, but THIS was supposed to be Jones' night. He had his father back in his corner, he had Michael Jordan at ringside, he had the fan's support, he trained his butt off. And he still couldn't beat Tarver. Once regarded as one of the greatest ATHLETES - never mind boxers - of his generation, Jones had no other choice but to try to rewrite his legacy, even if the odds were stacked against him. He gave his best effort. He failed.

It's time to say goodbye.

On the undercard, Nate Campbell stopped Almazbek Raiymkulov in the 10th round of their wild lightweight slugfest which saw an impressive-looking Campbell land sharp right hands at will and led Larry Merchant to remark, "He's painting him with a crowbar". Campbell improves to 27-4-1 (23), while "Kid Diamond" drops to 20-1-1 (12).

Also, U.S. Olympic gold-medalist Andre Ward improved his record to 6-0 (4) by stopping 37-year-old Glen LaPlante, 10-2-1 (6), in the opening round of a six-rounder.