Antonio Tarver facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antonio Tarver
Tarver with the IBO title, 2011
Statistics
Real name	Antonio Deon Tarver
Nickname(s)	The Magic Man
Rated at	Light heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in
Reach	75 in
Born	(1968-11-21) November 21, 1968 (age 56) Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	39
Wins	31
Wins by KO	22
Losses	6
Draws	1
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Pan American Games Gold 1995 Mar del Plata Light heavyweight World Championships Gold 1995 Berlin Light heavyweight Olympic Games Bronze 1996 Atlanta Light heavyweight

Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968) is an American former professional boxer and boxing commentator. He competed in boxing from 1997 to 2015. Antonio held many world championships in the light heavyweight division. These included titles from the WBA (Unified), WBC, IBF, and Ring magazine. He also won the IBO light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles.

As an amateur boxer, Tarver represented the United States at the 1996 Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division. He had previously won a gold medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships. Tarver also won gold at the 1995 Pan American Games and the 1995 U.S. National Championships. He is the only boxer to win gold at all three events in the same year.

Outside of boxing, Tarver played Mason "The Line" Dixon. This was the heavyweight champion character in the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa.

Antonio Tarver's Amateur Boxing Career

Antonio Tarver had a very successful amateur boxing career. He won several important titles before becoming a professional.

Winning National and International Titles

• In 1993 and 1995, he became the United States amateur Light Heavyweight champion.
• In 1994, he won the National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight championship.
• He won a gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.
• He also won a gold medal at the 1995 World Championships.
• At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he won a bronze medal.

Olympic Journey in 1996

At the 1996 Olympics, Tarver had several impressive wins:

• He defeated Dmitry Vybornov from Russia.
• He also beat David Kowah from Sierra Leone.
• He won against Enrique Flores from Puerto Rico.
• His Olympic journey ended when he lost to Vassiliy Jirov from Kazakhstan.

Antonio Tarver's Professional Boxing Journey

Antonio Tarver started his professional boxing career when he was 28 years old. He quickly became known for his powerful knockout punches.

Starting His Professional Fights

Tarver's first professional fight was on February 18, 1997. He won by knockout in the second round. This fight took place at the famous "Blue Horizon" in Philadelphia. He won his first 16 fights, with 14 of them ending in a knockout. This showed how strong he was.

First Loss and Big Wins

In 2000, Tarver had his first professional loss against Eric Harding. However, he later got his revenge. In 2002, Tarver won against former world champion Reggie Johnson. This win earned him a chance to fight Roy Jones Jr.. Later that year, he beat Eric Harding in a rematch.

Becoming a Unified Light Heavyweight Champion

On April 26, 2003, Antonio Tarver got his first chance to fight for a world title. He faced Montel Griffin for the WBC and IBF light-heavyweight titles. Tarver won the fight by a unanimous decision, becoming a world champion.

Battles with Roy Jones Jr.

Tarver had three famous fights with Roy Jones Jr..

• In their first fight on November 8, 2003, Tarver lost by a close decision.
• In their rematch on May 15, 2004, Tarver surprised everyone. He knocked out Jones in the second round! This was a huge win because Jones had almost never been knocked down before. Tarver won the WBC and WBA (Super) titles.
• In their third fight on October 1, 2005, Tarver won again by a unanimous decision.

Growing in Popularity

After his big win against Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver became very famous. He appeared on TV shows and on the covers of boxing magazines. He also started co-hosting "Friday Night Fights" on ESPN.

Fights with Glen Johnson

In 2004, Tarver fought Glen Johnson. Tarver lost this fight by a close decision. However, six months later, Tarver fought Johnson again. This time, Tarver won by a unanimous decision, getting back his The Ring championship.

Challenging Bernard Hopkins

On June 10, 2006, Tarver fought Bernard Hopkins, a former middleweight champion. Hopkins won the fight by a unanimous decision.

Returning to the Ring and New Titles

After his loss to Hopkins, Tarver returned to boxing in 2007. He won against Elvir Muriqi and Danny Santiago. He then won the IBF light heavyweight title by beating Clinton Woods.

Fights with Chad Dawson

On October 11, 2008, Tarver faced Chad Dawson. Tarver lost his IBF title to Dawson by a unanimous decision. They had a rematch in May 2009, and Tarver lost again by unanimous decision.

Moving to Heavier Weight Classes

After his fights with Dawson, Tarver took a break. He then moved up to the heavyweight division in 2010. He won his first heavyweight fight against Nagy Aguilera.

In 2011, Tarver moved to the cruiserweight division. He fought Australian champion Danny Green. Tarver won the fight and the IBO cruiserweight title when Green could not continue after the ninth round.

Later Career and Return Plans

Tarver continued to box until 2015. In 2021, he announced he would return to the ring. He wanted to fight to support mental health awareness. However, he later withdrew from the fight.

Antonio Tarver in Media and Entertainment

Antonio Tarver is not only known for his boxing skills. He also appeared in a famous movie and worked as a boxing commentator.

Starring in Rocky Balboa

Tarver played the role of Mason "The Line" Dixon in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa. In the movie, Dixon is the current heavyweight champion. He fights the retired former champion, Rocky Balboa. Dixon wins the fight by a close decision. The movie shows that Dixon has the heart of a champion. The film's director, Sylvester Stallone, wanted a real boxer for the role. He thought it would be easier to teach a boxer to act than an actor to box.

Working as a Boxing Commentator

After his fight with Chad Dawson in 2009, Tarver became a boxing analyst. He worked for Showtime Championship Boxing, sharing his knowledge of the sport.

Antonio Tarver's Professional Boxing Record Summary

Images for kids

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  Tarver with the IBO title, 2011

See also

In Spanish: Antonio Tarver para niños