Antonio Tarver will return as a heavyweight and face Mike Sheppard on Tuesday, Nov 26 televised by Fox Sports 1. Luis Ortiz, who has recently signed with Golden Boy Promotion, will be in the co-main event against an opponent to be announced later. Tarver has also signed with Golden Boy. His opponent Sheppard has been knocked out 8 times in the first two rounds.
Nothing great but its not very often we get televised boxing on a Tuesday night so I won't complain. GBP is showing some interest in the heavyweight division with Wilder, Mitchell, Ortiz(I think they have him), and now Tarver. Not a great line up but its probably more named heavyweights than any other U.S promoter.
They show so much interest in Wilder , they promote him by placing him on a Hopkins undercard that wont even be televised against a guy with 10 losses. great promotion tactics
His fight on the Hopkins card is suppose to be televised. They are clearly matching him weakly but they are finding t.v spots for him. This will be atleast the third or fourth fight for him on Showitme and he's been on Fox a time or two that I know of, so they are showing interest in him.
I think Ortiz is suppose to be facing Chagaev in a some sort of eliminator so I'd expect someone who isn't going to be too much of a threat and could ruin the Chagaev fight.
showtime extreme....10% of the world might have that channel hes never been on fox....he has been on fox deportes....thats a huge difference than fox
On tonight's edition of FS1 MNF, Tarver said he wants to relaunch his campaign to go after the heavyweight title (abandoned when he dropped to cruiser two years ago despite a somewhat impressive debut against Nagy Aguilera...especially considering he jumped two weight divisions at the age of 42...) He feels confident that his speed, chin, and educated overhand left will be the equalizer for him against naturally bigger stronger men. Thrashing Mike Sheppard, as he ought to easily do even now at 45, won't exactly prove that...but he probably should take a soft touch in his return to HW bearing sixteen months of rust. He won't get near a title opportunity unless there's a big leap in class after Sheppard, that's for sure...and if he struggles in the slightest he needs to give up the dream altogether.
