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Tarver Takes Some Early Jabs At Woods

Kelvin Ma / Tampa Tribune

Antonio Tarver and IBF champion Clinton Woods pose for a faceoff photo after their fight announcement at the St. Pete Times Forum. The Jones-Woods, Dawson-Johnson fight will happen April 12, 2008 on Showtime.

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By Eddie Daniels / The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 7, 2008

TAMPA - It took less than 30 minutes into today's news conference inside the St. Pete Times Forum touting the light heavyweight fight between Antonio Tarver and Clinton Woods for boxing promoter Gary Shaw to show his hand.

''I'm going to show you how nice we are in the United States,'' Shaw said, peering to his left at Woods and his manager, Dennis Hobson. ''In your corner, we're going to supply a pillow for where you're going to sleep.''

Shaw believes Tarver (26-4, 19 KOs) will knock the British fighter out during their April 12 match, which will be for Tarver's IBO belt and Woods' IBF title.

Shaw later offered: ''You want feather or do you like foam? I know foam doesn't have any allergens.''

Following Tuesday's spirited news conference in England, today's version inside the same venue for the April fight was tame, but it had its moments.

''It's the fight I always wanted since I won a world title and I said it in London, it was against Tarver,'' said Woods (41-3, 24 KOs). ''We come to New York a couple of months ago, and we call up the office and we come asking for Tarver. That's the fight I want. As soon as [Tarver] said I want to fight ... I knew straight on, I can't wait to get in the ring and kick his [butt].''

At 39, Tarver, joked he isn't looking for a 12-round decision. He'd rather make Woods regret asking for the fight by knocking him out within four rounds.

''I think in this fight, that's going to be the difference, my experience,'' Tarver said. ''Being at the big fighting level, being in a hostile territory. I've been through it all. In Vegas fighting Roy [Jones Jr.] three times, [Bernard] Hopkins. I've been you the big dance and I just feel that he's only had one big dance and that was with Roy and when he had that dance, he lost in six [rounds].

''Roy Jones ain't me, Glen Johnson ain't me. He's never been in there with a fighter like me, so he's fish out of water as far as I'm concerned.''

On the undercard, Glen Johnson (47-11-2, 37 KOs) will face Chad Dawson (25-0, 17 KOs) for Dawson's WBC light heavyweight belt. Tickets, which range between $25 and $1,000, go on sale Saturday at the Forum box office and Ticketmaster locations.

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