Antonio Tarver: record, next fight and profile →
Boxing fans have grown accustomed in the pay-per-view era to shelling out pay-per-view dollars for shows with a set of solid fights but no real main event. Showtime has saved them some coin with a rare quadruple header of interesting fistic encounters.
CARSON, Calif. – All eight fighters participating in Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING “Four Warned” event and the SHOWTIME EXTREME fighters participated in a final press conference on Thursday, just two days before the highly anticipated June 2 Quadrupleheader which will be telecast live on SHOWTIME® (9:00 p.m. ET/PT) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
The weights are in for Saturday's Showtime televised quadrupleheader at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California. In the main event, undefeated Lateef Kayode (18-0, 14 KOs) will challenge IBO cruiserweight titleholder Antonio Tarver (29-6, 20 KOs). Tarver came in at 198-pounds, while Kayode was 199-pounds.
Luis Sandoval catches up with IBO cruiserweight champion Antonio Tarver as training winds down, to discuss his upcoming fight with undefeated Lateef Kayode and more.
At 43 years of age, Antonio Tarver can’t afford to leave anything to chance in his latest comeback. The former light heavyweight king has always been outspoken in regards to his own career, whether during his prime or in his present state in the twilight. No matter the opponent, the pre-fight hype almost always seems to include a war of words at some point when it comes to Tarver (29-6, 20KO).
Don’t let the cruiserweight frame fool you; Antonio Tarver doesn’t plan on sticking around below 200 lb. for very long. The 1996 Olympic Bronze medalist and former light heavyweight king firmly believes in his future lies a win over a Klitschko to capture any portion of the heavyweight crown. Any fight that comes along between now and then is just another stop along his chosen path. Such a road leads to the June 2 cruiserweight collision with unbeaten contender Lateef Kayode. The two square off at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif, with Showtime to televise.
CARSON, Calif. – Former light heavyweight kingpin Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver, hard-hitting world title challenger Delvin Rodriguez and IBF No. 1 rated bantamweight contender Vusi Malinga hosted a workout for the Southern California media at The Rock in Carson, Calif., as they wind down preparations for “Four Warned,” the upcoming June 2 Quadrupleheader which will be telecast live on SHOWTIME® (9:00 p.m. ET/PT) from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Antonio Tarver believes his vast experience against better, higher-profile fighters will be one of his biggest advantages when he faces Lateef Kayode in a cruiserweight bout June 2 in Carson, Calif.
From the moment their fight was inked, the June 2 cruiserweight showdown between Antonio Tarver and Lateef Kayode has been billed as a grudge match. The seeds for the rivalry were planted well over a year ago during a Showtime “Shobox” broadcast. Tarver - who serves an announcer for the series – was critical of Kayode during his Feb. ’11 fight with Nicholas Ianuzzi, a fight in which Kayode won a very unpopular ten-round decision.
Roy Jones Jr. hasn’t been the same fighter since Antonio Tarver drilled him with a devastating left hand in the second round of their May 2004 rematch in Las Vegas. Eight years and six losses later, Jones is scheduled to fight yet again. The former four-division champion from Pensacola, Fla., will oppose Poland’s Dawid Kostecki in a 10-round light heavyweight bout June 30 in Lodz, Poland.