By Scoop Malinowski

“Magic Man” Antonio Tarver pulled off the unthinkable in November when he beat up Roy Jones like we’ve never seen him beaten on before (though the judges gave Jones the very controversial decision). But to Tarver, it was no surprise at all. He always believed he would beat Jones when he finally, FINALLY got the chance.

Maybe the undisputed pound-for-pound best interview in boxing (and maybe even all sports) Antonio Tarver covers everything in this interview. He elaborates on why he feels he conquered Jones, how Jones even tried to eliminate Tarver as a future threat even as far back as 1995, his thoughts on Lewis, Guinn, Mesi, as well as memories of the toughest fight he ever had. Hint: It happened in the amateurs back in 1994. Second hint: It was against a current unbeaten heavyweight contender!

So enjoy this classic interview with boxing superstar Antonio Tarver.

“When deprivation meets with opportunity, great things happen. I knew Roy Jones would be the fighter that would give me that opportunity to show my greatness.”

“Roy Jones proved over the years he ALWAYS had reservations in his heart for Antonio Tarver.”

“With everything that I’ve gone through, every hurdle, every obstacle I had to climb, I feel like it was preparing me for greatness. And I showed that nothing Roy Jones could have did that night was gonna stop me.”

“His spirit was stripped. For the first time he’s been humbled. Look at him at the final bell, he put his head down. He looked sad.”

“Toughest fight I ever had. We stood toe-to-toe and banged it out. Gutted it out for three rounds.”

Boxinginsider.com: You deserve all the accolades. Great performance against Jones. One of the highlights in boxing in this decade…

Antonio Tarver: “I take that instride, because I worked so hard. All I ever wanted was that opportunity. When deprivation meets with opportunity, great things happen. I knew Roy Jones would be the fighter that would give me that opportunity to show my greatness. Whatever excuse they may make for him, the bottom line is: the guy’s a consummate pro, he just dominated John Ruiz, and they just have to recognize we could fight ten times and I don’t think the result’s gonna be far-fetched from what they were on November 8th. That’s how I feel. Roy Jones proved over the years he ALWAYS had reservations in his heart for Antonio Tarver. All the people that he’s ever faced - and when you look back over his record - I think I proved there’s nobody he’s beaten that I couldn’t beat. So I think Roy Jones met a man that’s as talented and gifted and as determined as he was. I think that when you look at my intangibles, I think I brought them to the table…my height, reach, I utilized my jab, the thing that won that fight for me is my defensive ability. I told these people I’m one of the best defensive fighters in the game. Roy Jones - as quick and as fast as he is - I saw everything. I told the people, the only way Roy’s speed would be a factor was if I was blindfolded. As long as I could see them coming, I’m gonna be able to react. I think that’s one of my best assets - my reaction, my defensive ability. And no fear. I had no fear of the man. I told the guy, I was there TO WIN. You have to beat me. I was determined throughout. And I don’t think Roy has ever been faced with that. And that’s why the guy ducked me as long as he did. Because he knew Antonio Tarver was his biggest challenge. He always knew that. Back in ‘95, I’ll never forget it…Roy Jones sent me and Fernando Vargas up there (to Pensacola). He was courting me to sign with him (Square Ring Promotions). Him as my promter. He had HBO on the telephone. And they all said, if I won the gold medal (at the ‘96 Olympics), Lou DiBella said, they were looking to sign me. I told them then - on that conference call - ‘There’s no way in hell I can sign with Roy Jones because I’m campaigning at light heavyweight, that’s a conflict of interest. I told them that year. How could I see that far in time? If I didn’t believe in my heart of hearts that I was the only man in the world who could beat Roy Jones. I told my Olympic teammates this. That I was the only man that could beat Roy Jones. That was my motto. My whole thing was to get that gold medal in Seoul, Korea. I knew the guy was a great fighter. But no one ever recognized me as that type of great fighter. That’s what hurt. That’s why I was so determined to prove myself on November 8th.”

Boxinginsider.com: Interesting. It sounds like Roy Jones was cleverly trying to cancel you out as a future threat - even back then.

Antonio Tarver: “Even back in ‘95. When we fought at 13, he was just a huge talent. But, man, I fought his ass so hard. He won the fight. But he won for one reason only - he had more experience that I had and he had a helluva trainer named Roy Jones Sr. And that was the thing that got him over the hump then. But on raw talent ability, I crushed Roy Jones head just like I did when I had him against the ropes. That was the first round when we were 13 years old - in Sunshine State Games back then. So I knew he was great. But so was I. I dominated the amateurs when I was an amateur. I was one of the greatest amateurs. Roy Jones never fought no Cubans. He never fought no Russians in the Olympics. In Seoul, Korea half the world didn’t show up. I won the amateur world championship with the whole world participating. I won a bronze medal with the whole world participating. It’s a difference.”

Boxinginsider.com: What about that alleged letter Roy wrote to the IBF three years ago (requesting that his then mandatory Tarver fight another eliminator with Eric Harding, claiming Tarver wasn’t worthy of a title shot). How did that factor into your supreme confidence against Jones?

Antonio Tarver: “It wasn’t alleged. That was real [laughs]! No, it wasn’t that. It was my beliefs, vision. God gave me visions. I always believed I was meant to be great. When I didn’t win the gold medal, maybe I wasn’t ready for it. But when a guy earns it - with everything - he appreciates it more. I believed in my dream. I felt it was my time. With everything that I’ve gone through, every hurdle, every obstacle I had to climb, I feel like it was preparing me for greatness. And I showed that nothing Roy Jones could have did that night was gonna stop me. I showed I belong at the top and pound-for-pound one of the best fighters today. Guys don’t take the risks I take. That I’ve taken to get to where I’m at. Fighting Eric Harding - one of the most dangerous guys in the light heavyweight division - while being the mandatory challenger (to Jones), laying it all on the line in the rematch against a guy that broke my jaw. When I overcame that, I knew there was no stopping me.”

Boxinginsider.com: Since the Jones fight you seem more confident than ever. And Jones seems to be in hiding, like his ego’s been deflated. Fair assessment?

Antonio Tarver: “His spirit was stripped. For the first time he’s been humbled. Look at him at the final bell, he put his head down. He looked sad. Look at Merk and all his people…when Merchant interviewed Roy they all looked so sad. You never saw Roy like that before. And you never saw Roy so humble after a fight. He’s usually like, ROY YEAH (inaudible)! And when did you ever see the guy that won the fight leave the ring first? And when Roy left the ring first, the fans booed him all the way out of the arena. HBO interviewed me second and I left the ring last. Just like the winner. I know that I won that fight. The world wants to see the rematch. Roy, I’m ready at 185, 190, heavyweight, any weight you want.”

Boxinginsider.com:The three best interviews in boxing today are you, Bernard Hopkins and James Toney. What do you think of their verbal styles?

Antonio Tarver: “They speak from the heart. You can never discredit a guy when he speaks from the heart, honestly. But I think they’re a little rough. I think they come off as bullies sometimes. I’m one of a kind. I mean, there was one other great fighter - he was the greatest of all-time at the verbal game. And that was Muhammad Ali. And I think back, when you look at my one-liners and quotes, I’m second to the greatest of all-time. There hasn’t been a fighter with my articulation, with my personality, with my flash. It’s been a long time. What really has baffled me is, Why won’t boxing promote that? Why won’t boxing get behind that? And push that? People like me are the people that need to be on the forefront. Because the game has had so many blackeyes. Especially with these bad decisions. I don’t understand. It seems like we get one every month. It’s ridiculous. They’re cheating boxing. Because we need fresh faces. We need new names. We need new stars. Look at the boxing game right now. The people that are on top, they’re recycling these guys like they’re a piece of aluminum or something. Out with the old, in with the new. Give these guys the credit that they deserve. Put these new faces out there. Oscar De La Hoya - great fighter. Big box office attraction. But how many times can the guy lose? And still be on top. You’ve got Vargas. They want to recycle him now. He’s lost twice by devastating knockouts. And we don’t even know if the guy is 100% right now, physically.”

BoxingInsider.com: Who do you see as the next potential dominant heavyweight champion when Lennox Lewis retires?

Antonio Tarver: I can’t call it. No one really is chopping down the world and saying, Hey, I’m moving to the forefront. I don’t know who it is. Roy Jones holds a title. We know Roy Jones isn’t going to campaign as a heavyweight. But who’s gonna campaign and hold down the fort? I don’t know. A lot of people are riding on the Klitschkos. I don’t know where they gonna fit at in the big picture.”

Boxinginsider.com: What’s your opinion of Joe Mesi?

Antonio Tarver: “A promoter’s dream. Big fan-base in Buffalo. I see they’re moving him very carefully. I’d like to see him with Dominick Guinn.”

Boxinginsider.com: Your opinion on Dominick Guinn?

Antonio Tarver: “I like Dominick Guinn. He’s shown me a lot. I love his composure.”

Boxinginsider.com: Your opinion on Juan Carlos Gomez?

Antonio Tarver: “A helluva fighter, man. Tough fighter. I had the opportunity to fight him as an amateur - in late ‘94 at Foxwoods. Toughest fight I ever had. We stood toe-to-toe and banged it out. Gutted it out for three rounds. They called it a draw. He has some of the quickes hands in the heavyweight division.”

Boxinginsider.com: How do you see a “Fight of the Century of Hopkins vs. De La Hoya” playing out?

Antonio Tarver: “That’s gonna be a very interesting fight. I think De La Hoya has all the skill, talent and heart. But I don’t know if he’s let that beast out yet…I mean, not worrying about getting knocked out. Not worrying about putting it all on the line. When we see that De La Hoya, we’ll see De La Hoya at his best.”

Boxinginsider.com: Which fighters of today are you a fan of?

Antonio Tarver: “I have to say Antonio Tarver. I’m a big fan of myself [laughs]! I’m carrying the torch for these guys to step up. I’m not afraid to take risks. I love this sport, I love the sport of boxing. I think more fighters should have that love for the game and not just be in it for the money. I like Ricardo Mayorga - but not the things he said to Cory Spinks before their fight. He’s a great fighter. A character. We need guys like that to re-invent the sport for the fans. He’s a tremendous, confident fighter. He thinks he can beat anybody. We need guys like that.”

Boxinginsider.com: As a champion who seems destined to be a top TV commentator some day, which boxing commentators do you like to listen to?

Antonio Tarver: You know what? We don’t see a lot of him lately. Al Bernstein - one of the most complete. Jim Lampley. The other commentators…I don’t know what they think they’re doing sometimes. They become fans of fighters and can’t separate the truth from what it is. Manny’s been doing a good job. Larry Merchant - he’s educated in the game. But I’ll never forget being at the De La Hoya-Mosley post fight press conference, and the way he was yelling things out, interrupting Mosley as he spoke. Because he thought Oscar won the fight. That was uncalled for.”