It May Be a Battle Roy-al

Their paths were divergent, but similar, fighters struggling up twisted roads with cruel turns and seemingly never-ending obstacles.

For each, the biggest roadblock was Roy Jones, among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. For each, that roadblock turned out to be the biggest steppingstone.

For each, there was one more obstruction blocking the path to the top of the light-heavyweight division, the sanctioning body. Each hurled that obstruction aside, along with his championship belt.

And tonight at 6, their paths finally cross in the ring at Staples Center. Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, both conquerors of Jones with dramatic knockouts, both willing to give up their titles to fight for what will be recognized, by those not beholden to the sanctioning organizations, as the undisputed light-heavyweight championship.

Tarver weighed in at 175 pounds Friday, Johnson at 174 1/4 .

“I had to come through the back roads,” said Tarver (22-2, 18 knockouts) of his ascent to tonight’s showdown. “Some people come in on the front burner, some people come in on the back burner. We came in on the back burner.”

For Tarver, it was always about Jones.

They fought as amateurs when they were 13, Jones winning. When he was 20, Tarver watched on television as Jones competed in the 1988 Olympics and vowed to emulate his old rival with an Olympic journey of his own. That took eight years to complete, Tarver’s winning bronze at the 1996 Games. He lost his semifinal match to Vassiliy Jirov.

So there Tarver was, 28, an age when boxers usually have peaked and have sometimes begun to fade, and he had yet to fight his first professional bout. Still bitter about the judging in his final Olympic bout, Tarver faced more disappointment in the pros -- a 2000 loss to Eric Harding in which Tarver’s jaw was broken, and a loss to his old nemesis, Jones, in a 2003 match Tarver was convinced he had won.

When Tarver, always the trash-talking champion, and Jones squared off in their rematch in May at Las Vegas, Tarver, breaking the tradition of fighters remaining strong, but silent during the pre-fight referee’s instructions, looked at his opponent mockingly and said, “You got any excuses tonight, Roy?”

There were none. Tarver, shocking the boxing world, sent Jones crashing to the canvas and under the ropes with a thunderous overhand left that ended the bout in the second round.

If Tarver was a late bloomer, Johnson didn’t figure to bloom at all. His ring career began on a construction site.

A fellow Jamaican construction worker -- Johnson remembers him only as Patrick -- was looking for sparring partners during his daily lunch break, to help him prepare for a fight. Johnson, then 20, agreed to put on the gloves, a unique experience for him.

As raw and unfamiliar as Johnson was with boxing, he impressed Patrick, who urged him to pursue the sport.

Three months later, Johnson was fighting in the amateurs. Four years later, he was a pro.

But his struggles were only beginning.

In building a 41-9-2 record with 28 knockouts, Johnson fought all over the world, with stops in the Caribbean, Italy, England and Germany. Fighting so often on foreign soil, fighting against favorite sons on their home turf, Johnson figures he has been the victim of some bad decisions.

He hit his low point a few miles down the road in Commerce last year, losing a decision he says should have gone his way against Julio Gonzalez.

Ready to quit, Johnson was coaxed back into the ring by his manager, Henry Foster.

“These guys are not beating you, they are robbing you,” Foster told Johnson. “They are going to go on, so you should go on as well.”

And so Johnson did.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I never felt sorry for myself,” Johnson said, “but I had two choices. I could curl up in a corner or I could say that I still had a life, a wife, three kids, and I had to provide for their future.”

Still, Johnson wasn’t about to quit his day job.

He remained in construction as a carpenter until last May, except for a hiatus of a couple of years. Sometimes, he acknowledges, he fought for nothing, just to keep his career alive.

Then finally, three months ago in Memphis, Tenn., Johnson got his big break, stepping into the ring against Jones. Jones, already softened up by Tarver, was stopped in the ninth round by Johnson on an overhand right followed by a short left.

With a chance to inherit the mantle as undisputed light-heavyweight champion, Tarver (World Boxing Council) and Johnson (International Boxing Federation) gave up their titles, rather than fighting mandatory opponents, so they could fight each other. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the money -- a little more than $2 million for Tarver, more than $1 million for Johnson -- was better.

For one of them, barring a draw, the long journey to the top will end tonight. For the other, it will be another detour.

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Also on tonight’s card, Andre Ward, winner of a gold medal in this year’s Olympics, will make his professional debut against Christopher Molina (2-0, 1) in a four-round super-middleweight bout.

And Julio Gonzalez (36-2, 22) will fight David Telesco (29-4-1, 24) in a 10-round light-heavyweight match.

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The Facts

* What: Boxing at Staples Center.

* When: Card begins at 6 p.m., HBO.

* The bouts: Antonio Tarver vs. Glen Johnson, 12 rounds, light-heavyweights; Andre Ward vs. Christopher Molina, 4, super-middleweights; Julio Gonzalez vs. David Telesco, 10, light-heavyweights; Tarvis Simms vs. Carlos Bojorquez, 10, middleweights; Vinny Maddalone vs. Ronnie Smith, 10, heavyweights.