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In this video today, we'll discuss the life and career of the talented Antonio Tarver.
Antonio Deon Tarver was born on November 21, 1968 in Orlando, Florida, U.S,
of African-American descent. He is a former professional boxer and boxing commentator,
probably best known as a former WBC, WBA, IBF and The Ring magazine light heavyweight champion.
Tarver competed from 1997 to 2015 and is nicknamed as the Magic Man in professional boxing.
When speaking about his personal life, Tarver was married to Denise Tarver from 1999 to 2004.
They had a son named Antonio Tarver, Jr.
He also had one daughter from previous relationships.
Tarver fell in love with boxing at an early age and started fighting during his teenage years.
His amateur career was impressive, representing the United States at the 1996 Olympics,
winning a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division. Tarver also triumphed at the 1995 Pan
American Games and 1995 U.S. National Championships, winning gold in both. He
remains the only boxer in history to have won gold at the Pan Am Games, World Championships
and U.S. Nationals all in the same year. In February 1997, at the age of 28, Tarver
made his professional debut with a second-round knockout of Joaquin Garcia at the legendary "Blue
Horizon" in Philadelphia. He went on to win his first 16 fights, 14 by knockout, before
stepping up his level of competition. Throughout his professional boxing career from 1997 to 2015,
Tarver had total 39 fights with 31 wins (22 by knock out), 6 losses and
1 draw. He held multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Unified), WBC,
IBF and Ring magazine titles, as well as the IBO light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles. On
February 25, 2021, it was announced that Tarver would be returning to the ring for the first time
since 2015, facing former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. However, On March 23, it was
announced that Tarver had withdrawn from the bout. Aside from boxing, Tarver has served as a boxing
analyst for Showtime Championship Boxing program. He also starred alongside Sylvester Stallone
in the 2006 film “Rocky Balboa”, as a heavyweight world champion Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon, the role
which brought Tarver additional fame and considerably added to his wealth.
In 2021, Antonio Tarver's net worth was estimated to be $1 Million.
In November 2003, Tarver pushed Roy Jones Jr into a title fight. It was a 12-round battle
that saw the pound for pound king punished by Tarver like he had never been before.
Yet when the decision was announced, Jones had regained his championship belts
via a highly controversial majority decision. A rematch came in May 2004 in Las Vegas.
Tarver upset the odds to regain the WBC title and win the "WBA Super" title by knocking Jones out in
the second round. In fifty previous fights, Jones had only been sent to the floor once,
leaving most observers shocked at the result. To many fight fans, Tarver’s win just reinforced what
they always believed, that “The Magic Man” is one of boxing’s best, pound for pound. But the
man Tarver took that crown from, Roy Jones, Jr., was still not convinced. On October 1, 2005, these
two rivals fought for a third time in a match that the boxing world was eagerly anticipating.
It was no surprise to the Magic Man’s fans that night when he nabbed both the title and the belt.
Tarver filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection eight days before a fight against Ray Jones,
Jr that took place on May 15, 2004 in Las Vegas, owing more than $900,000 to several entities.
He has also been reported to owe $750,000 in child support debt.
In 2018, Tarver was taken into custody in Florida and spent the night in jail.
18-year-old Aziya Taylor said he had been attacked by Tarver, who he identified as his "stepfather",
he escaped and called police. Tarver acknowledged an altercation with Aziya but denied punching him,
instead, he says the guy busted his lip when he "tripped and fell" during the tussle.
Ultimately, cops didn't buy Antonio's story and arrested him for domestic battery.
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Thank you so much for watching. See you in the upcoming videos on Amolipi channel.