Antonio Tarver

Antonio Tarver, a retired American boxer, boasts an impressive professional career that spanned over 18 years, from 1997 to 2015. Tarver had a total of 39 fights, winning 31, losing 6, drawing 1, and had 1 no-contest. He had 22 knockout wins and even more notably, won an impressive seven world titles at the light-heavyweight level, making him one of the most successful boxers in the sport's history.

Tarver's professional debut was against Joaquin Garcia on February 18, 1997, at the age of 28, where he secured a second-round TKO victory. He then went on an incredible 15-fight winning streak, 13 of which ended via stoppage.

When he turned 34, Tarver entered his first world title fight, which took place on April 26, 2003. He fought Montell Griffin for the light-heavyweight WBC (vacant) and IBF titles and won via a unanimous 12-round decision. With this victory, Tarver became the light-heavyweight champion of the world, holding both WBC and IBF title belts.

Tarver went on to be a two-time unified light-heavyweight world champion and won seven world titles in his career at the light-heavyweight level. Among his notable victories are against Hall-of-Famer Roy Jones Jr., Glen Johnson, Clinton Woods, and Montell Griffin.

Out of the six losses suffered by Tarver in his career, five of them were in title bouts, with the remaining one in a non-title fight. His first defeat came against Eric Harding via a unanimous 12-round decision loss, ending his impressive 16-fight winning streak. However, it is worth noting that Tarver never lost via KO as all his defeats came via decision.

Tarver's last professional fight was in a non-title bout against Steve Cunningham on August 14, 2015. The fight ended in a 12-round split-decision draw. It has been seven years and counting since he retired from the sport of boxing, finishing with a career record of 31-6-1, which includes seven title wins and 22 knockout victories.

Antonio Tarver's career highlights include several great fights that have gone down in history as some of the most memorable in the sport. These fights include:

April 26, 2003: Tarver's first world title win where he defeated Montell Griffin via 12-round unanimous decision to become the unified light-heavyweight champion, holding both WBC and IBF title belts.

November 8, 2003: Tarver lost to Roy Jones Jr. via 12 round majority decision, in a fight where he was fighting for the WBA (Super) and The Ring light-heavyweight titles.

May 15, 2004: Tarver won against Roy Jones Jr. via second-round TKO to become the unified light-heavyweight world champion holding the WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring light-heavyweight world-champion belts.

June 18, 2005: Tarver became The Ring light-heavyweight titleholder by defeating Glen Johnson via 12-round unanimous decision.

October 1, 2005: Tarver successfully defended The Ring light-heavyweight title in a rematch against Roy Jones Jr., winning the fight via a unanimous 12-round decision.

April 12, 2008: Tarver defeated Clinton Woods via unanimous 12-round decision to win the IBF light-heavyweight title.

Tarver's career is characterized by the numerous impressive victories he won throughout his career, showcasing his expertise as well as his competitiveness in the sport. He was a boxer who could go toe-to-toe with the best in the world and come out victorious. His retirement from the sport was a significant loss to the boxing world.

Even though Tarver has been out of the ring since 2015, his achievements and contributions to the sport of boxing will always be remembered by fans and boxers alike, making him one of the most iconic boxers of his time.

Antonio Tarver Fight Record