Wladimir Klitschko vs. Antonio Tarver in 2011?

By Boxing News - 09/30/2010 - Comments

Image: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Antonio Tarver in 2011?By Matt Stein: Believe it or not, IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO’s) could be facing 42-year-old Antonio Tarver (27-6, 19 KO’s) of all fighters in 2011, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Mannix says “One name Klitschko went out of his way to mention as a possible opponent next year is Antonio Tarver.” This sounds like a nice little mismatch for Klitschko and another opportunity for him to milk his title.

Currently, Klitschko is in negotiations with Britsh and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Derek Chisora for a fight on December 11th. That fight is the equivalent of a veteran pro against a mere novice, as Chisora has yet to cut his teeth on top level opposition.

However, in choosing skinny former light heavyweight Tarver to fight next year, Klitschko would be facing slender non-heavyweight and an old one at that. Tarver will be fighting for the first time at heavyweight in his 13 year pro career on October 15th against Nagy Aguilera, and there’s no telling what will happen in that fight. Tarver has lost his last two fights at light heavyweight and has skipped the cruiserweight division altogether to move up in weight to heavyweight in order to get a bigger paydays before he calls it a career.

It’s a move that seems to have been done far too late for Tarver to have any real chance of success. However, Tarver could take a page out of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek’s playbook by focusing on beatable heavyweights without much speed to fight. If Tarver can beat Aguilera and perhaps another one or two soft heavyweights, he could find himself in a title fight with Klitschko for big money without having to earn a shot by beating a top contender.

This is exactly what 38-year-old Shannon Briggs has done in getting a title fight with Wladimir’s brother WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. all Briggs had to do was beat a small handful of 2nd tier fighters, and presto, he’s been awarded a shot against Vitali. It helps Briggs that he has a recognizable name to the hardcore boxing fans and an impressive knockout percentage to get the casual boxing fans interested in the fight. However, it’s likely to be a gross mismatch, as would likely be the case if Wladimir ends up fighting Tarver next year. Tarver is going to have to be extra careful against Aguilera because he can punch and Tarver hasn’t looked good in his last two fights.



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