BoxRec

Just want to wish Clinton Woods all the very best for the Antonio Tarver fight:

Clinton left this morning with a few of the team - although there was nearly a slip up in proceedings - Femi Fehintola who is a close pal of Clinton Woods nearly missed the flight at Manchester airport and was sending a waiting Clinton & pals mad as to whether Fehintola would make it to the check in desk - on arrival Fehintola did not know what the fuss was about but got duly slaughtered by the lads and made his confession about not putting his clocks and watch forward an hour as an excuse for not being on time and to silence his his crtics!!! - suffice to say he got slaughtered even more!!!

Woods and the team will have nearly 2 weeks in the states to prepare for the Tarver fight - which some have Woods favourite to take away the honours!!! -

Contrary to many peoples opinions - although it is a possibility it is not definite the winner of Woods/Tarver will fight the winner of Johnson/Dawson - a member of Team Woods stated "whilst it is a definite possibility Clinton may face the winner of Dawson/Johnson it is not set in stone. By beating a fighter of Antonio Tarver it will propel Clinton massively onto the world boxing stage and as such all sorts of possibilities will then come to the table".

Another revelation is - that Team Woods firmly believed their man was going to be fighting Joe Calzaghe - however it was stated "It seems Calzaghe is more interested in fighting the over 40's club and once he has them out of the way he is going to turn his attention to people who have fought at far lower weight classes - If Calzaghe wants to be recognised universally as the best Light Heavyweight Champion Of The World - he is going to have to fight Clinton Woods".

Good Luck Clinton!!!

This is a gynormous fight for Clinton, a win here sets him up nicely for either Dawson (preferably over GJ) or Calzaghe. I'd love to see Woods and JC square-off if they both win, but Dawson would be a fine back up plan.

My heart and head says that Clinton beats Tarver, I really hope I'm right, because Tarvers a BIG mouthed twat, and because Clinton has paid his dues and deserves his Indian Summer. He's been getting better with age especially since he got with Richard Poxon

I'm looking forward to the press conferences as much as the fight, they'll be like the Hatton-PBF ones with Tarver gobbing off and Woods taking the piss

Clinton wins 8-4 or 9-3 on the scorecards


COME ON CLINTON!!!!!!

I just see Tarver getting an early stoppage :(

No chance Calzaghe fighting Woods .. he`s after the pay-days now .. Clinton sadly brings nothing .. even if he manages to beat Tarver.

tonyevs wrote:I just see Tarver getting an early stoppage :(

No chance Calzaghe fighting Woods .. he`s after the pay-days now .. Clinton sadly brings nothing .. even if he manages to beat Tarver.

Kin'ell Tony were you on the happy pills yesterday????

Woods should forget about Calzaghe, i don't believe it will happen. Woods needs to fully concentrate on the task at hand, he has the beating of big mouth Tarver and should make Antonio eat his words. It makes me laugh how great Tarver thinks he is, I think he is stuck in the Mason Dixon role. The press conference is making me root for Woods even more. I'm going for Woods wide points win. Good luck Clinton. Femi you dozy sod.

Neri,

Whilst the likes of me are getting excited about a massive fight in the UK -Poxon, Hobson and more importantly Woods are doing exactly what you say they should do - and that is concentrating on the Tarver - a fight in which I believe will be a bloody fantastic one!!!

I think Woods will beat Tarver, will be an interesting fight.

Come on Clinton!!!

At his best Tarver was nothing special.

Now he is borderline basic.


Woods wins

some very split opinions there. I'll back Woods. Never been all that taken with Tarver. Won't be easy but I can see heart being a problem for Tarver should the wheels start to come off.

Woods has nice counter punching ability when he doesn't get Into tear ups.

He should win.

Max Molyneux wrote:Woods has nice counter punching ability when he doesn't get Into tear ups.

He should win.

Yep you got that in one - Clinton never seems to be in a boring fight - I hope he boxes a lot more clever this time around.

Another thing - you can guarantee in the Press Conferences and the Weigh In - Tarver will try to draw Clinton into all of this mind games b*llocks - I hope Dennis and Richard keep Clinton away from all that shit!!

I remember having to take Clinton for a brew prior to the Rico Hoye fight because we had got to the Hilton too early - I am sat in this Cafe alone with Clinton nervous as f*ck whilst he is p*ssing himself laughing at me for being the nervous one and him the one having to fight - I remain convinced if he stays that chilled for this fight then he wins the fight - if he enters into the hype b*llocks things could get messy.

The selling and hyping of the fight and the promotion is done - all Clinton needs to do is concentrate on what he has to do which I am sure he will do - if it is anything like normal - he will sit around with the lads listening to everyone take the p*ss out of each other chuckling away - he will then throw in a comment get everyone biting and get his relaxation that way.

Great bloke and great family man - I hope and pray he does the business.

good luck clinton, i dont think its going to be easy as clinton has been hurt by lesser men, but there are defiantely question marks against tarvers engine and i feel that, if clinton sets a decent pace, then he can take tarver to the trenches in the last half of the fight and grind out a points win or even stop the gobby american twat late on...

People mention Tarver's engine - can we debate this one please??

Best & Worst Tarver fights - and more importantly - why?

I think Tarver's best were against montel griffin 2 and roy jones 1. He did show some good stamina there.

I think both fighters are average but I think Tarver is better.

Woods has been very lucky that he has started to improve just when everyone else was on the slide i.e. Jones, Michaelchevski, Gonzalez, Johnson, Tarver etc.

Remember how limited he was v jones that was one of the most embarassing fights i've ever seen.

I think Tarver wins UD

Floyd,

I am going to have to rise to the bait mate!!! - even though I want to find out more about Tarver!!!

There is no luck in Clinton's improvements - if you ask him or Richard Poxon they will tell you - Clinton really buckled down big time for the Rico Hoye fight - he knew it was his last chance - winning that fight has done wonders for his confidence and in addition enticing him to train even harder but also smarter as well as get the diet bang on!!!

Time and time again we have seen a fighter get to world title level - unexpectedly win the title and then the amasing lift that gives them.

To say Woods is average I consider is a harsh statement to make.

Woods was in against a prime RJJ then though, and Woods is a late developer. This version of Woods would have done far better, even against that version of Roy - not that he'd have won, but he'd be a lot more competetive.

If Woods can box and not get drawn in, I actually think he could win a convincing, if not wide on the cards, decision here.

Floydp55 wrote:I think Tarver's best were against montel griffin 2 and roy jones 1. He did show some good stamina there.

I think both fighters are average but I think Tarver is better.

Woods has been very lucky that he has started to improve just when everyone else was on the slide i.e. Jones, Michaelchevski, Gonzalez, Johnson, Tarver etc.

Remember how limited he was v jones that was one of the most embarassing fights i've ever seen.

I think Tarver wins UD

Are you serious? How the hell was Jones-Woods one of the 'most embarassing fights' you've ever seen? Woods had the bottle to go over to the US and take on the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, then actually took the fight to Jones - something barely anyone else during Jones' light-heavy reign attempted. I remember Woods harassing Roy during the first three rounds and actually having a bit of success. Sure, Jones was a league or two above him, but RJJ was like that with everyone.

The HBO commentators even praised Woods' guts and said that he'd given RJ one of his best fights up at 175. The fact that the Woods performance was probably one of Jones' absolute best tells you what kind of resistance Clinton put up.

Of course Clinton will never be an elite fighter, but he's a damn solid, world-class light-heavy. There are plenty of worse fighters to have participated in so-called world title fights. Evening, Bobby Gunn.

I agree. That was Jones in his final great LHW performance. There was nothing any other LHW could do with him. It was refreshing that Clinton was pushing him up against the ropes, roughing him up and making him fight. He at least scored a few shots rather than just waiting around for the inevitable like his other opponents tended to do.

Jones fight before that was against Glen Kelly and the attitudes that he and Woods took into the ring were like night and day.

Chambers2 wrote:This is a gynormous fight for Clinton, a win here sets him up nicely for either Dawson (preferably over GJ) or Calzaghe. I'd love to see Woods and JC square-off if they both win, but Dawson would be a fine back up plan.

My heart and head says that Clinton beats Tarver, I really hope I'm right, because Tarvers a BIG mouthed twat, and because Clinton has paid his dues and deserves his Indian Summer. He's been getting better with age especially since he got with Richard Poxon

I'm looking forward to the press conferences as much as the fight, they'll be like the Hatton-PBF ones with Tarver gobbing off and Woods taking the piss

Clinton wins 8-4 or 9-3 on the scorecards


COME ON CLINTON!!!!!!

Couldnt have put it better myself.

Bring it on Tarver you cocky prick.

hoping woods can win to set up calzaghe fight

I dont rate tarver he made his name off beating am aging rjj

Clinton to win in 8

I like Clinton and with regards Calzaghe, that wont happen as Joe don't like fighting bigger men - even though he'd probably outbox the game Woods to a points win, there's too much risk to him.

Against Glencoffe Johnson i thought Woods drew that fight in what was a too and fro affair.

That is not a slight against Woods, it's a sign that at this point in the LHW division, Woods can hold his own.

Personally i think that as long as Woods holds it together, he could get a decision over Tarver, who does not press the action as hard as he used to and higher work rate could favour woods.

Tarver is a tough guy though - i recall him losing on points to Harding whilst fighting with a broken jaw.. he rematched Harding and knocked him out at the halfway mark.

Jones played with Woods, he may have been gutsy and entertaining but he didn't land a shot of note. Woods is a tough, rugged, in-form fighter and I think he's marginal favourite to beat Tarver given the form lines.

But Tarver is tall, southpaw and Woods doesn't bring any surprises does he. Tarver will know exactly what to expect.

A tough fight for Woods but I too can see his stamina and determination carrying him through.

Going for Tarver UD, hes performed far better against Glencoffe Johnson and RJJ (I think RJJ still beats Woods today). He is the better boxer, faster, with an excellent southpaw jab not to mention he can bang. Tarver also usually bounces back after a bad performance. The only way Woods wins is if he considerably more left in the tank than Tarver as both are getting long in the tooth as Tarver hasn't looked good in his last 2

I think you may be vastly overrating Tarver, PN.

Woods in the 3rd Johnson did better than Tarver in both the Johnsons as I see it. I had Woods winning and also Woods actually put weight in his shots and met Johnson head on, something the slappy, shifty Tarver could never do.

In the 1st Johnson, Tarver looked so weird, laying on the ropes, gassed from rds 1 to 12, throwing such pathetic incorrect amateur punches.

Autobarn wrote:I think you may be vastly overrating Tarver, PN.

Woods in the 3rd Johnson did better than Tarver in both the Johnsons as I see it. I had Woods winning and also Woods actually put weight in his shots and met Johnson head on, something the slappy, shifty Tarver could never do.

In the 1st Johnson, Tarver looked so weird, laying on the ropes, gassed from rds 1 to 12, throwing such pathetic incorrect amateur punches.

Tarver beat Johnson both times, the first time was a robbery from what I saw it was 8-4 or 9-3 Tarver. I had Johnson beating Woods each time they fought and the last contest was against a shopworn old Johnson. Woods may have faced Johnson head on but he nearly got stopped for his trouble.

So if a johnson at his best can't fairly beat Tarver why would Woods be able to do so?

I also don't know if Woods toolset matches up well against a tall rangy southpaw. BHOPs beat Tarver so convincingly because he is excellent against southpaws with his lead right, Clinton has no such tool.