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Showing posts with label CLINTON WOODS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CLINTON WOODS. Show all posts

Monday, April 14, 2008

TARVER CALLS OUT DAWSON AFTER BOTH ARE VICTORIOUS

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME


TAMPA, Fla. Antonio Tarver registered a unanimous 12-round decision over defending champion Clinton Woods to capture the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight crown and World Boxing Council (WBC) 175-pound kingpin Chad Dawson remained undefeated with a thrilling, hard-fought 12-round decision over hard-luck Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.

Former undisputed light heavy champ Antonio Tarver had his way against defending champion Clinton Woods, winning a lopsided 12-round decision and the IBF 175-pound title.

The world championship doubleheader, billed as “TNT: Title Night in Tampa,” took place at the St. Pete Times Forum and was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and AT Entertainment in association with Fight Academy. A crowd-pleasing event aired on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Tampa’s Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs), a former undisputed light heavy champion and reigning International Boxing Organization (IBO) titleholder, mostly dominated en route to winning by the scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. There were no knockdowns.



“It’s all about the belts; I’m looking for all the belt-holders,’’ Tarver said. “He was a tough, gritty fighter but I came into this in great shape. I took some and got some (punches) but the best man won tonight. I’m not surprised by anything that went on in there.

“A lot of credit for my performance goes to my trainer, Jimmy Williams, who never let me give up or get down on myself. Jimmy is one of the all-time great teachers and absolutely definitely should be in the Hall of Fame."

Tarver, who called out Dawson at the post-fight press conference – Shaw said a unification world title fight could take place in the fall -- wasn’t impressed with Dawson’s performance in the telecast’s opening bout.

“Chad Dawson would be easy pickings now,’’ Tarver said. “He’s not the fighter now that he was before his fight. He’s a wounded duck.

“Dawson took a lot of hard hits against Johnson, but there is a difference between getting hit by Glen Johnson and getting hit by me.’’

There was an electric atmosphere inside the jam-packed room where the weigh-in took place.



Woods (41-4-1, 24 KOs), of Sheffield, England, could not find his range or rhythm for much of the 36 minutes.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


“I fought the best light heavyweight in the world tonight,’’ said Woods, who was making the fifth defense of the crown he won in March 2005. “I don’t know if it is my time to retire or not."

Dawson (26-0, 17 KOs), of New Haven, Conn., wanted a tough test and he got it.

In a tremendous slugfest that featured non-stop, two-way action, Chad Dawson remained unbeaten and retained his WBC light heavyweight title with a close, hard-fought unanimous 12-round decision over Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.


“Johnson is a warrior and we trained for that,’’ Dawson said after winning the fight of the night by the scores of 116-112 on all the scorecards. “We worked on stepping around and boxing him in training and we did that, too.



“I executed my game plan and landed more punches. Glen is a great fighter. He caught me with some good shots but I did my job and took them."

There were no knockdowns in a non-stop slugfest with constant two-way action, but both boxers were rocked on several occasions.

Johnson (47-12-2, 37 KOs), of Miami, by way of Jamaica, owns wins over Tarver, Woods and Roy Jones Jr., but almost is as well known for coming up on the wrong end of close, unpopular decisions.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


Such was the case again Saturday. “The decision was total bull,’’ Johnson said. “Dawson is a good, young fighter with a great future, but I really worked hard for this fight and definitely feel I won it.

Dawson vs Johnson Weigh In


‘I can’t afford to keep losing these kinds of fights at this stage of my career. I wish I knew why these kinds of bad decision keep going against me.

“This loss hurts me more than any other in my career. I would love a rematch.’’

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Karyn Bryant serving as special correspondent. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING fight card will re-air as follows:

DAY CHANNEL

Monday, April 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO

Wednesday, April 16, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME


For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit http://www.SHO.com/Sports.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Kimbo Slice, who headlines the EliteXC mixed martial arts fight card on Saturday, May 31, on CBS, and WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest, who looks to defend his title against Sergio Mora on Saturday, June 7, on SHOWTIME, pose together at Saturday night’s light heavyweight world championship doubleheader in Tampa.

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME



The always entertaining Kimbo was interviewed by Al Bernstein during Saturday’s telecast. You can catch the interview during a replay of the thrilling SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, which featured a war between WBC Champ” Bad" Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson as well as a flashy performance by the always entertaining Antonio Tarver against IBF champion Clinton Woods.

Replay schedule:
Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO;
Wednesday, April 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

The telecast is also available On Demand starting this Tuesday and ending on Monday, May 12 where available.

Friday, April 11, 2008

FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES ANTONIO TARVER & CLINTON WOODS, CHAD DAWSON & GLEN JOHNSON

IBO champion and former undisputed light heavyweight kingpin Antonio Tarver (26-4, 19 KOs), of Tampa, Fla., will challenge IBF 175-pound titleholder Clinton Woods (41-3-1, 24 KOs), of Sheffield, England, and undefeated WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (25-0, 17 KOs), of New Haven, Conn., will defend against former world champion Glen Johnson (47-11-2, 37 KOs) of Miami, by way of Jamaica, this Saturday, April 12, at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME

Tarver, Dawson, Johnson and Woods --


Antonio Tarver (left) and Clinton Woods couldn't resist showing off their upper bodies during Thursday's final press conference at Tampa, Fla. Tarver and Woods will collide in one of two light heavyweight world title fights Saturday at the St. Pete's Forum on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).


Tickets for a doubleheader promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and AT Entertainment in association with Fight Academy are on sale at the McDonald's Box Office at the St Pete Times Forum and all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at (813) 287-8844 or 727-898-2100 or online at ticketmaster.com. They are priced at $27.75, $52.75, $102.75, $202.75, $302.75.

Limited ringside seats are available at $602.75. Limited VIP Packages are available at $1002.75. Prices do not include service charges. For dinner reservations, the night of the event, call 813-301-6926 or log on to ticketmaster.com. Parking passes are available at ticketmaster.com.

ANTONIO TARVER

“I’m glad to be here. If anyone has any doubt who’s the best light heavyweight, I will show them once again on Saturday night. I am delighted that Woods is here and sounds ready to fight.

“But like so many that fought me before him, his dreams and hopes will be dashed.


“This is a tremendous fight card, but my fight is the main event and if you want me to dissect all the reasons why and all the fighters on this card I will.


“There is only one true light heavyweight champion and that’s me. Everybody wants to see me fight Chad Dawson. He is a good fighter but he still has aways to go. I don’t think he’s looked so hot in his last couple fights.

“I’m strong as ever and ready to go. If you can’t be here live in Tampa, watch on SHOWTIME. This is going to be a great night for me, and a great night for boxing.’’


CLINTON WOODS

“I want to thank all involved for making this fight happen. I am very excited to be fighting a great champion like Antonio Tarver. It is a dream come.

“My conditioning is excellent. I’ve been in Florida training for 10 days and spent eight weeks in the gym in Sheffield before that, so I am ready for a war.

“For four of the top light heavyweights in the world to be on the same card makes for an historic event. I am proud to be part of it.

“Tarver can win the war of the words until he talks himself hoarse, but, come Saturday, when the real fight starts, my hands will do all the talking.

“I can’t see our fight going the distance, but I do see me definitely winning and retaining the IBF title and taking it back home to Sheffield.’’

CHAD DAWSON

“I have never been more anxious or ready for a fight. I am determined to make a statement and prove to everybody that I am the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world.

“I have done all that’s been asked, but I definitely feel I’m being underrated and not getting the respect I deserve. Some polls are flat out wrong for having some of the guys ranked ahead of me like they do. As far as I’m concerned all those polls are a farce.

“I have a lot of respect for Glen Johnson. He truly is a warrior and I know he is coming to win the world title again. I expect him to give it everything he has. I am prepared for an onslaught. But he is 39 and I’m just 25.

“Tarver has some nerve saying bad things about my fights. What he said riled me up and there’s nothing hardly that ever riles me up. I guess he hasn’t watched tapes of his last two fights.

“I want to express my gratitude to everybody for giving me the opportunity to showcase my talents. I definitely feel this is the fight card of the year.’’

Unbeaten WBC 175-pound champion Chad Dawson (left) and Glen Johnson square off after the presser.


GLEN JOHNSON

“I have been in a lot of world title fights, but this is my first in Florida and I plan to make it a memorable one for all concerned.

“I appreciate Chad Dawson giving me the opportunity. Most fighters, especially world champs, avoid me.

“I am ready for a great, tough fight that in my mind will be the most exciting of the night.

“I am in tremendous shape. I am ready to bring it like you won’t believe.’’