Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver takes on the Brit, Clinton
Woods, on Saturday April 12th at St. Pete Times Forum in
Tampa, Florida for the IBF/IBO Light Heavyweight Title.
Jimmy Boyd weighs the Tarver-Woods odds in this
fight night preview to help you with your boxing
wagering.
Not surprisingly,
Sportsbook.com lists Tarver as the -125 favorite,
fighting in his home state of Florida, despite being the
challenger. But how much magic will be left for the 39
year old fighter is the question we are considering
here. Tarver is a former light heavyweight champion and
is well known for being the first man to knock out Roy
Jones Jr. Tarver is highly decorated with a professional
record of 26-4 (19 wins by knockout).
Clinton Woods hails from Sheffield England. He finds
himself as the underdog despite holding the IBF Light
Heavyweight Title belt, which he earned in 2005 when he
defeated Rico Hoye. Woods has an exceptional
professional record of 41-3-1.
There's no question that Tarver is the more popular
fighter and the one the United States betting public
will be pulling for. His rematch win over Roy Jones Jr.
made him a celebrity. He made appearances on late-night
shows and appeared on the cover of both Ring and KO
Magazine. He was even a co-host on ESPN's "Friday Night
Fights." In 2006, Tarver starred as Mason "The Line"
Dixon, the heavyweight division champion in the last
Rocky Film. I guess what I am getting at here is that
Tarver is much more interested in the money that he can
make now as opposed to the fighting. Tarver's last
serious fight came against Bernard Hopkins in June of
2006. Hopkins won as a 3-to-1 underdog, dominating the
fight to win by unanimous decision. And I think you'll
see the dog barking again in this one as the younger
Woods has the edge by my count.
As far as rounds go, I like this one to go the distance.
Both fighters are very experienced and will not leave
themselves open to a knockout. Take over 11.5
rounds at
BodogLife.com.
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