Fox Sports 1: Antonio Tarver vs. Mike Sheppard & Thomas Williams vs. Yusaf Mack RBR

Stats in the 2nd:

Tarver 15 of 51, 29%

Sheppard 3 of 32, 9%

 

Round 3

Tarver is throwing combinations to the body and pressing in against Sheppard, muscling him into the ropes. Tarver switches to orthodox a bit and pumps the opposite version of the 1-2 he is accustomed to, playing around with Sheppard and testing some things out. Tarver shoves in on Sheppard and pins him on the ropes, throwing uppercuts into his exposed stomach as Sheppard tries jabbing him away or holding on, both unsuccessfully.

10-9 Tarver

30-27 Tarver

 

Round 4

BIG left uppercut by Tarver, puncturing through his guard. Sheppard is on all fours, dazed. Sheppard is up and pressing forward. Body flurry by Tarver, whipping them in underhand. Sheppard is down again on accumulation. Tarver lands a left uppercut as Sheppard moves in to smother him. Right jab on the eye by Tarver, patiently looking to set up the kibosh. Right jabs and left uppercuts rattle Sheppard's face. Sheppard is somehow remaining upright while taking successive flush punches. Another uppercut, Sheppard down, over.

TKO4!

 

I can't help but point out that Adamek fought Nagy Aguilera two years after Tarver did... :!:

Also, dominating Green and drawing with Kayode (reserving judgment on him pissing hot until all the facts are in...last I knew he was still contesting that as having been a false positive...) is every bit as impressive as shutting out a disinterested Guinn and climbing off the canvas to stop Travis "Herbie Hide II" Walker, if not more, IMO. ...and that comprises all their respective creditable victories since each beat Aguilera, being that Adamek received gifts in Chambers and Cunningham II.

 

Tarver got some backhanded compliments by the crew of Fox Sports Live, directly following the conclusion of the boxing program.

Ephraim Salaam, a 37-year-old former offensive tackle in the NFL, remarked that his physique is much better than Antonio Tarver's right now...but also said in that same breath that he would not want to step in the ring and conceded the 45-year-old has more chutzpah than him in that regard.

Tarver was displaying a few extra rolls of back-fat in there. :think I don't know if his training has slackened, if that is just the byproduct of being 23lbs heavier than when he last fought (at cruiser, versus Lateef Kayode), or whether this is as optimal as he can possibly look nowadays given his age and genetic profile...

 

In the last five years, the NABA belt Tarver just rather effortlessly acquired has been held by:

Fres Oquendo (twice)
David Rodriguez
Cedric Boswell
Timur Ibragimov


...all of whom are ostensibly still active. :think None of them lost the belt in the ring; all were stripped.

Any of those four coming to reclaim their property would make for somewhat interesting match-ups and vaguely respectable HW opponents for Tarver.