Tarver: After I Beat David Haye's Ass, I Want Klitschko!

By Edward Chaykovsky

Former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22KOs) is hungry to get more gold, this time in the heavyweight division. Tarver moved up to the heavyweight ranks and already scored two knockout wins, including a recent seventh round stoppage of Jonathan Banks, who trains heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko.

Tarver, 46-years-old, is willing to do something deadly to get the fight, by calling out former two division champion David Haye (26-2, 24KOs). Haye has been inactive since a July 2012 knockout of Dereck Chisora. Due to injuries, Haye has withdrawn from several scheduled returns dates.  

"I’m always about doing something big in order to get to something big. Like I said, if I’m willing to take that risk against David Haye, then he should be willing enough to step up and fight me. He’s claiming to be a heavyweight, let’s do something big. He’s never fought in America, he’s never fought a legend, he’s never fought a star, so let’s do something big," Tarver said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

"Let’s fight a real fight that everybody wants to see and when I do what I do against David Haye, then there’s no way that they can deny me a showdown against the man, the king of the heavyweights, Wladimir Klitschko. That’s gonna be my swan song right there. That’s it, I’m not trying to say, 'Oh give me a title shot Klitschko,' I’m trying to say, 'When I beat David Haye’s ass, you ain’t got nobody else to fight but me!'”