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Confident Tarver Believes Woods Is Not In His Class

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By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

TAMPA - It was less than 30 minutes into Thursday's news conference at the St. Pete Times Forum to hype the light heavyweight fight between Antonio Tarver and Clinton Woods that boxing promoter Gary Shaw showed 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 bout, 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, Thursday's version at the fight venue 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," Woods (41-3, 24 KOs) said. "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 that he isn't looking for a 12-round decision. He would rather make Woods regret asking for the fight by knocking him out within the first 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 to 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 a 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.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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