By Eric Thomas: Former IBF/WBA/WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (27-6, 19 KO’s) could be making his heavyweight debut on October 15th on Showtime, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. This isn’t the kind of boxing news that will make some fans happy, though, because Tarver is 41 now, and has lost three out of his last six fights, including his last two to Chad Dawson. At only 6’2″, Tarver doesn’t appear to have the kind of frame that would allow him to move up in weight and compete with the huge 240+ pound Klitschko brothers or even the faster WBA heavyweight champion David Haye.

To be sure, former light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek has been doing well at heavyweight since moving up in weight last year, but Adamek has been facing less than the very best heavyweights thus far and he looked as mediocre as you can look without losing in his recent win over 38-year-old Michael Grant last weekend. Adamek was a big puncher at light heavyweight and cruiserweight. Tarver isn’t an huge puncher and would be skipping the cruiserweight division altogether in moving up to heavyweight. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Tarver will fail miserably in his efforts.

However, if Tarver is carefully matched like Adamek is being done since he moved up in weight, Tarver could beat a handful of 2nd tier and fringe heavyweights like Adamek, and then get a big money shot against one of the Klitschkos and/or Haye. At 41, Tarver will likely only get one shot at it unless he wants to hang around into his upper 40s like Evander Holfyfield and try to get multiple shots at the title. Tarver might be better off forgetting about the heavyweight division and trying his hand at the much weaker cruiserweight division.

I doubt that Tarver would find any luck whatsoever at that weight, but at least he would have a pretty good idea how he would do against the heavyweights. Tarver would have to be ultra conservative in picking opponents at heavyweight, because even the B level fighters that Adamek has been facing while moving up the heavyweight ladder would likely give Tarver huge problems because of his slender frame, lack of power and limited movement.