According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, former Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver will make his first appearance as a Heavyweight when he takes on Nagy Aguilera on October 15th in either Memphis or California in a bout that will be broadcasted on Showtime.
“I won’t be the biggest heavyweight. I won’t be the strongest guy, but I think I’ll be the quickest and most elusive and the best counter puncher the heavyweight division has seen in a long time,” Tarver said. “I want to see if I can hit these big boys and put a dent in them. It remains to be seen, but if I can put a dent in these big boys, I’ll be the next heavyweight champion.
“I think I have so much more to give to the game. People are dying for a guy in the heavyweight division who has a face and a name and has some credibility. That’s what I bring to the table. You look at the American landscape and we don’t have anything out there. So I will give it a try until they beat me. I look at it like I am undefeated at heavyweight. And I am not fighting a dead man. Aguilera is a credible guy and I will see where I stand right off the bat.”
The bout is slated to headline a special edition of Showtime’s “ShoBox: The New Generation” series. Tarver (27-6, 19 KOs) has been working as a ringside commentator on the series.
“Maybe I’ll fight and commentate at the same time and pick up two checks,” Tarver joked.
“I think I stayed too long in that division,” said Tarver, who is best known for defeating Roy Jones Jr. in two of their three fights, including a shocking second-round knockout in their 2004 rematch. “I outgrew that division a long time ago. I was 28 coming out of the amateurs. I fought at 178 and, as a pro, I had to lose three more pounds. It was tough. I did it for a long time and I don’t have any regrets. But my last performances show I wasn’t as strong as I was in the past, and Dawson was 14 years younger than me. That had a lot to do with it. I wasn’t able to be as strong as I should have been in a fight.”
“I feel good right now. My goal is to be very strong and solid at the weight,” said Tarver, whose promotional company AT Entertainment will promote the bout. “I’ll look better with the weight on me. I won’t look frail and drawn and skinny.”
“Aguilera is a bona fide heavyweight and did real well going the distance against Maurice Harris,” Tarver said. “We’ll see if we can best that and step up to the plate with the big boys. This is a great opportunity for him to fight a name guy after just losing a competitive fight. I’m not picking no dead man to fight. Aguilera can hit, so I’m testing myself. I’ll have to get used to the big guys punching me — if they can land one. I am looking to fight those big guys and prove I am worthy of the heavyweight championship.”
