By Gav Duthie: One might think Antonio Tarver and Shannon Briggs are the same. Washed up 40 something year old ex-champions looking for a big payday. The difference seems to be Tarver has some morals and standards as to how he gets that shot.
Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs thinks he can insult Wladimir Klitschko on twitter, follow him around Europe to his training camp, his press conferences and even in public to goad him into fighting.
By Jay McIntyre: The following article is amended from the one posted on my blog that includes visuals. For those of you interested, please visit: http://a-neutral-corner.blogspot.ca/2014/12/roy-jones-jr-calculated-clowning.html
Roy Jones Jr. is a popular high-light reel fighter. The speed and sheer decisiveness with which he ends fights has made him into something of a living legend. Make no mistake though, the Roy Jones Jr. that boxes today is a shadow of his former self.
By Allan Fox: 46-year-old former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) has no interest in having to toil away slowly to try and get a fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in the future.
Instead, Tarver is hoping that if he can get a big name like David Haye to fight him, he’ll quickly get a fight against Wladimir if he can knock Haye out. Tarver is confident that he’ll beat the British heavyweight if he can just get him to agree to a fight with him.
By Scott Gilfoid: ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas skewered unbeaten #1 WBC heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) last night on the Austin Trout vs. Luis Grajeda card from Temecula, California. Atlas said that 46-year-old #10 WBA Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs) would match up with the 6’7” Deontay, and feels that it would be a competitive fight that he’d like to see.
Tarver defeated Johnathon Banks by a 7th round knockout last night in a very boring fight with little action until the final round. Tarver showed an incredibly low work rate in the fight, and it’s hard to understand where Atlas was coming from in comparing him with a splendid puncher like Deontay.
By Allan Fox: 45-year-old former IBF/WBA/WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (30-6, 21 KOs) suffered a thumb injury during training for his scheduled September 29th fight against Johnathon Banks (29-2-1, 19 KOs) at the State Farm Arena in Hildago, Texas.
By Gav Duthie: At 45 years of age Antonio Tarver 30-6 (21) is taking a massive gamble by attempting to break into the heavyweight ranks by fighting Jonathon Banks 29-2-1 (19) on September 29th.
Up to now Tarver’s most dangerous fight at HW was against Rocky Balboa when he played Mason ‘The Lion’ Dixon. He has fought two proper heavyweight fights one in 2010 and the latest in November last year knocking out journeyman Mike Sheppard in 4 rounds.
By James Harrison: After news that Dereck Chisora had dropped out of his clash with Tyson Fury this Saturday, Antonio Tarver offered to fill in for Chisora via Twitter. Tyson Fury overlooked Antonio Tarver, and chose Alexander Ustinov, which could prove to be a mistake for several reasons.
The first reason he should have taken this fight is because Tarver is not fight-ready. He didn’t go through a training camp for this fight, and hasn’t been in camp since November of 2013. Tarver is also the naturally smaller man as he had to climb to heavyweight (from 168 lbs.), whereas Fury (who’d enjoy a seven-inch height advantage over Tarver) made his professional debut weighing over 250 lbs.
By Eric Thomas: 45-year-old former IBF/WBA/WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (30-6, 21 KO’s) stopped 38-year-old journeyman Mike Sheppard (21-16-1, 9 KO’s) in the 4th round on Tuesday night to capture the interim NABA heavyweight title at the BB&t Center, in Sunrise, Florida, USA. Tarver knocked Sheppard down 3 times in the 4th round to cause referee Samuel Burgos to step in and halt the bout at 1:54 of the round.
Tarver knocked Sheppard down with a left uppercut thrown from the outside. After Sheppard got back to his feet, Tarver flurried on him and send him down for the second time in the round with a right hand to the lower back. The referee still ruled it a knockdown for some reason. Moments later, Tarver nailed Sheppard with a left hook to the head that put him down for the third and final time in the round.
By Eric Thomas: 44-year-old former IBF/WBA/WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (29-20 KO’s) will be returning to the ring next month to face 38-year-old heavyweight journeyman Mike Sheppard (21-15-1, 9 KO’s) in a scheduled 10 round bout at the BB&t Center, Sunrise, Florida, USA.
Tarver has been out of action since his 12 round no decision against Lateef Kayode last year in June. Oddly enough, Kayode hasn’t fought since then either. Tarver has the perfect opponent for him to get an easy victory over as long as he comes into the fight in decent shape and ready to let his hands go.
By Chris Williams: Earlier today the California State Athletic Commission reportedly upheld their earlier 1-year suspension for 43-year-old former IBF/WBA/WBC light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (29-6-1, 20 KO’s) for him having tested positive for an anabolic steroid drostanolone from his last fight against unbeaten cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode on June 2nd in Carson, California. According to RingTV, the CSAC voted 4-1 to uphold Tarver’s earlier 1-year suspension.
According to RingTV, Tarver says that the positive drug test may have come about due to medication given to him by his doctor to treat an ankle injury that Tarver had at the time.