In case you’ve been wondering, Antonio Tarver hasn’t fought in almost a year. Since losing his world light heavyweight championship to Bernard Hopkins last summer, the fighter also known as “The Magic Man” has been laying low, waiting for the right moment to make his return to the ring. Tarver (24-4, 18 KOs) was supposed to fight on ABC sometime in April, but the bout never happened, so he patiently waited for it to be finalized by this summer. To him, the time spent away from the spotlight was much welcomed.
“Taking that time off [helped]. I had a busy two, three years and needed a break. I needed to let my body rest, let my mind heal, and now I am rejuvenated and I am back with a vengeance on the light heavyweight division,” Tarver says. “This is still my weight division even though I had a bad night in June. I will fight like I have all the dreams. Until I stamp my ticket to the Hall of Fame, I will not be satisfied. Until I am revered as the best light heavyweight ever, I will not be satisfied.”
The road to Canastota begins on June 9 when Tarver faces Elvir Muriqi, a relatively unknown contender but solid foe who has proven enough to get this kind of opportunity.
Tarver can relate to Muriqi (34-3, 21 KOs), because Tarver always felt on the way up that he was underrated and had to rise through the division by fighting only the hardest opponents. Because he recognizes that struggle, Tarver claims he has not looked past Muriqi in preparation for this fight. In fact, Tarver admits that because Muriqi enters their bout as the heavily favored underdog that makes him all the more dangerous.
“I am giving these guys a chance of a lifetime to truly submit their legacy, make a name for themselves, get rich, and become a star,” Tarver says. “I have been in his shoes and you cannot accomplish a dream if you cannot dream big. So that is why I have to put these guys’ dreams to bed. I am not here to give away anything I worked hard for.”
Though he is almost 40, Tarver claims he’s as good as he’s ever been, which he believes can only mean good things for the sport.
“For some people to think that I am a shot fighter, that I am just a shell of myself and do not have what it takes to be one of the best today, that I am past my prime is ludicrous and beyond my imagination,” he says. “I am what the game has been missing. The old Antonio Tarver [is back], the electrifying fighter that puts those punches together in beautiful combinations [with] a great display of defense.”
Antonio Tarver is one of the most well-spoken boxers of the past several years. That is why many are skeptical if this pre-fight talk is just that: talk. Even before his disappointing performance against Bernard Hopkins a year ago, which he claims was an aberration, Tarver had not looked spectacular in the ring for his last few bouts.
Though he won his rubber match versus former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. in October 2005, he looked far from the fighter who shocked the world when he crushed Jones in two rounds in May 2004. In his rematch with Glen Johnson in June 2005, Tarver could barely hold himself up in the last round, which is not reminiscent of the fighter who destroyed Eric Harding in five rounds back in 2002.
To silence the skeptics and further his career, Tarver states he has worked with a different trainer for this upcoming bout. For the last few years, Tarver had Buddy McGirt working in his corner. Against Muriqi, he will have old trainer Jimmy Williams. Though McGirt is no longer training him, Tarver says there is no animosity between them.
“I would not say that Buddy and I have parted ways. I just chose to stay in Tampa for this fight. I think you will see the difference in just being home. I think at this stage of my career, as a three-time champion, soon to be four, I need a trainer that is going to give me 110 percent. I do not need to share a gym with four and five different other fighters,” Tarver says. “I need to be selfish with me right now. So I have Jimmy Williams, somebody that I know eats, sleeps, and drinks the game plan, the fight, and me.”
Elvir Muriqi may not be as articulate as Tarver, but in speaking with “The Kosovo Kid,” one can tell he is just as motivated. In preparing for this fight, Muriqi has not bought into the notion that Tarver is washed up simply because of his opponent’s flat performance against Bernard Hopkins.
“I have been waiting all my life for this kind of moment and this kind of fight because I know when I fight, when I spar, or whatever I do with the good fighters, I perform right. This is a great opportunity, not just to fight a guy that was a champion [who has done] everything else,” Muriqi says. “I do not even look at him as losing or layoff or any of that. Those things do not matter. What matters is that night and what you do. I want him to be the best he can be, because if he is the best he can be, he will get the best out of me.”
It is evident that the lesser-known Muriqi thinks highly of Tarver, almost referring to him in a reverent tone. But that respect ends on June 9, as Muriqi will have to fight the fight of his life if he wants to propel his career to success.
[There are] a lot of champions in the world. But they only have a couple of superstars in boxing and he is one of them. On June 9, people will start looking at me as a superstar. This fight will put me on the map and make history for me and for Albanians all over the world,” Muriqi says. “If you beat a guy like this, you are ready-made. All the doors all over the world open, not just in the boxing game but in life period.”
