Antonio Tarver

Antonio Deon Tarver ( born November 21, 1968 in Orlando, Florida) is an American boxer who enjoyed great success at light heavyweight. It was founded in 1995 amateur world champion and won the Olympic bronze medal in 1996. As a professional, he is a former world champion of the WBA Super, two-time world champion of the IBF and two -time world champion of the WBC.

Amateur

His amateur record is 158 wins and 12 losses. Tarver won the 1993 U.S. Championships at light heavyweight. In 1994 he won the National Golden Gloves light heavyweight, and during 1995 the U.S. Championships at light heavyweight. In addition, he won the 1995 and the 12th Pan American Games in Argentina. He defeated Óscar Amador, Dihosvany Vega, Gabriel Hernandez and Thompson Garcia.

In May 1995, he was an amateur world champion at light heavyweight in Berlin. He won in the first round against the Montenegrins Milorad Gajovic, in the quarterfinals against the Italian Pietro Aurino, in the semifinal against Vasily Shirov from Kazakhstan as well as in the finale again against Dihosvany Vega from Cuba.

At the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, he won in the preliminary rounds against Dmitry Vybornov and David Kowah. With a victory against Enrique Flores in the quarterfinals, he moved into the semi-finals, where he defeated Vassily Shirov just on points and won bronze.

Professional

In 1997, Antonio Tarver professional. He won his first 16 fights in a row, including 14 by knockout.

On 23 June 2000, he boxed at the Grand Casino Biloxi (Mississippi), in a title eliminator fight the IBF, against the also undefeated southpaw Eric Harding. Tarver lost the fight on points clear, went to round 11 to the ground and suffered a broken jaw. In his next fight on 24 February 2001, he defeated Florida in the undefeated, hard-hitting Lincoln Carter by technical knockout in round 5, whereupon he finished his career. On 3 August the same year, he hit the North American champion Chris Johnson in the 10th round Ko, whereupon he also ended his career.

On 25 January 2002, he won on points against former world champion Reggie "Sweet " Johnson, and thus became North American - and at the same time American champion. On July 20 the same year, he was again in a rematch against Eric Harding, winning by technical knockout 5 in round

After WBC and IBF world champion Roy Jones was junior ascended to the heavyweight division and it put down its two championship belts, a battle between former world champion Montell Griffin and Antonio Tarver was agreed to determine a new double world champion. This battle, which took place on 26 April 2003 Tarver won by unanimous decision.

Since Jones but was still regarded as a true light heavyweight world champion because he had not lost his title in the ring, Tarver forced a fight with Jones to be recognized as the undisputed champion of this weight class. This could be provoked and so it happened on November 8, 2003 in Las Vegas this prestige duel. Jones was considered the most at this time " pound- for-pound " ( combat strength in relation to weight) best boxer in the world. He had won 48 of his 49 fights, 38 by KO and five championship belt had already fought in four weight classes. His only loss was a disqualification for lookup against the already downed Montell Griffin, which he then in the rematch by KO defeated in the first round.

Jones, the heavyweight in his ancestral class not found his form after his trip, won narrowly and quite controversial on points, so that a quick rematch was scheduled.

This took place on 15 May 2004 meeting Tarver succeeded surprisingly a knockout victory in the second round, thus winning the WBC and WBA titles.

In December 2004, Tarver was stripped of his belt, however, because he did not compete against the mandatory challenger of the associations, but instead preferred a fight against Jamaican Glen Johnson. Tarver also lost the duel on points. But even here there was a direct rematch, in which Tarver then again prevailed and won the IBO title. Then it came to the third encounter with Jones, he also won on points.

His next fight was on June 10, 2006, meeting with world champion Bernard Hopkins. Here, Tarver suffered a points defeat. After victories against Elvir Muriqi and Danny Santiago, he pushed on 12 April 2008 against IBF champion Clinton Woods and won the title by unanimous decision.

On 11 October 2008, he went to his first title defense against Chad Dawson. There he lost his title after a unanimous points decision. In May 2009, it came to a rematch against Dawson, whom he also clearly again lost on points.

On July 20, 2011, he defeated Danny Green by TKO in round 9, inflicting thus the first premature loss of his career to winning the IBO cruiserweight title. On 2 June 2012, he boxed at cruiserweight against the unbeaten Lateef Kayode ( 18-0 ). The fight ended in a draw.

Others

In the spring of 2006, he played the role of heavyweight titlist " Mason Dixon " in the Stallone movie Rocky Balboa.