Sponsored by
The last laugh for Woods?
CLINTON Woods never stood a chance.
Sheffield's world champion had no counter to the lightning-fast fast, aggressive style of opponent Antonio Tarver.
The American boxer was speedier and more decisive in his delivery. The barrage was hostile, sustained and well orchestrated by Tarver's corner.
All Woods could do was take it on the chin.
By any refereeing standards, then, a clear points' victory to Tarver over Woods.
But the win came at a press and media conference....and in the ring it might be so, so different.
For if Woods needed a psychological boost to make him more determined to win his fifth defence of the IBF light heavyweight belt, surely this crass exhibition of immaturity provided it.
Tarver breezed into the conference, at a casino in London's Leicester Square, fashionably late. His first words weren't encouraging: "Say hello to the bad guy. Let's make this short and sweet."
Tarver then held court for the next 40 minutes of attempted bullying and macho-man posturing.
He felt recent comments about Woods' intentions of making "mincemeat" out of Tarver, were disrespectful.
As was the fact that there was no limousine waiting for Team Tarver when they landed at Stansted airport four hours earlier.
After outlining such grievous shortcomings, it was time for Tarver to try and belittle Woods: "I am the best light heavyweight in the world," he said, adding that all his contemporaries should be grateful to share a stage with him.
"You are sitting next to the man who beat the man (Roy Jones Jr) so how in the hell in your right mind do you (Woods) think you can knock me out - something that has never been done before?
"You're the one who knows what it's like to be knocked out."
That raised the stakes with Woods interrupting, Tarver slamming his fist on the table and both men eyeing each other as though they were about to sling the first punches a couple of months earlier than the intended match in Tampa, USA, on April 12.
"You ain't never seen anyone like me" said Tarver, for which Woods can feel eternally grateful.
"You are a hand-picked opponent" continued the American.
Just as it was starting to get repetitive, Tarver played his ace card: "Do I look like a fighter to you? I have been in this game 20 years. I don't have no scar tissue. I've never been cut. I'm as pretty as a girl."
To be fair, there is not much you can say to that.
Other than, perhaps, that there are not many girls in Woods' home village of Ridgeway that bear a striking resemblance to the 6ft 2ins, 39-year-old, 30-fight IBO world champion.
Maybe a few have diamond ear-rings like his, but that's probably as far as it goes.
Woods questioned Tarver's manners and suggested the one-time actor's advancing years pointed at a career that was close to the final curtain.
But Tarver, who says he wants to clean up three Light Heavyweight belts in 2008 responded, in his own inimitable way: "You don't want to make me angry...you ain't fast enough, you don't have any punching power They have cashed me in on your ass...you are going to be unrecognisable on the 12th."
Later, after the dust had settled, Woods made the point that fights are not won by immature trash talk.
"I used to like him once. Now I hate him. He's in for a hard fight."
So all those fancy words could come back to haunt Tarver..and hopefully get rammed right back down his throat.
READ MORE
More boxing.
Sports columnists.
All sport categories
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy snow
Temperature: -2 C to -0 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
