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Antonio Tarver defends his IBO Light Heavyweight title against Danny Santiago on Showtime Boxing
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00:00Coming up next, former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver takes on Danny Santiago for one of the many fringe alphabet
00:08soup titles, but the significance of this bout goes much deeper.
00:14Tarver clearly at a crossroads in his career.
00:17He is. You know, he believes at age 39, he can still put together a very nice two-year run,
00:22which is the timetable he's laid out for himself, to get some title matches, have some very big wins, and
00:27he feels go undefeated for the rest of his career.
00:30Whether he can do that, the question is, can he stay concentrated on boxing?
00:34He has a lot of other endeavors, acting, a promotional company, even a non-profit foundation.
00:39It takes a lot of time and effort from him, so if he's going to put that two-year run
00:44together, he's going to have to really focus on the sport.
00:46Well, whether you agree with Tarver or not, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer always speaks his mind,
00:52and Jim Gray caught up with him earlier tonight.
00:56All right, Steve, thank you very much.
00:57Antonio, you're now 39 years of age.
00:59How do you assess where you are in your career going forward?
01:02Well, you know, believe it or not, I feel in my heart I'm getting better.
01:05I think, really, I haven't even scratched the surface of what my God-given talents is.
01:10So, you know, that's what we're focusing on tonight and beyond, is just, you know, getting the most out of
01:15my talents and just letting it shine.
01:17You know, everybody knows that I have a world of experience and have done some great things inside the ring,
01:23but I just think that what I'll be remembered for has yet to come.
01:28Wow, that's an interesting assessment.
01:30How would you then say you have fared in your last couple of fights?
01:33Well, you know, it's been a process.
01:35You know, one fight, for whatever reason, you know, I came up short.
01:39It was a big night, and, you know, we wish we could have that night over again.
01:43But, you know, that's water on the bridge.
01:45And my last fight, you know, with all being considered, I think I did pretty well.
01:50I let my hands go.
01:51I threw a lot of punches.
01:52I felt I was busy.
01:53I dictated and controlled most of the fight.
01:56A lot of people thought I should have stopped them inside the distance.
01:58But, you know, I was there for the work.
02:01I got the work in, and then we went right back to the drawing board.
02:03So now you'll see a more complete, polished fighter tonight.
02:07And like Elver Maricchi, Santiago tonight really isn't on the type of level that you've been on in the same
02:14type of class.
02:15Does it make it more difficult to prepare for somebody like that?
02:17Yes, because, you know, there are always critics.
02:20And, you know, I hear them loud and clear.
02:22So, you know, but I got to be deaf to that and just go out and get my work done.
02:26You know what I mean?
02:26And let the fight take its course.
02:29You know, all this stuff is not predetermined.
02:32You can't just say what's going to happen in a fight.
02:34That's why we fight the fight.
02:36That's why boxing is the most intriguing sport in the world.
02:39Have the critics bothered you?
02:40Are you hearing that, and is it getting to you?
02:42They never bother me, but they have helped me.
02:44I never allow my critics to get the best of me.
02:47You know, I use it all as a positive motivation, and we push forward.
02:50I mean, as long as there be critics, I'll have something to work for.
02:53All right.
02:54We look forward to talking to you after the fight, Antonio.
02:56All right.
02:56Back out to you, Steve.
02:58Well, Tarver feels that his ultra-tactical and defensive style is misunderstood, particularly by boxing judges.
03:06That's Tarver's takeout.
03:07What's yours, and are we in for more of the same tonight?
03:10Yeah, you know, seven of the last eight fights that Antonio Tarver has been involved in, he has gone the
03:16distance with it.
03:17And when you do that, you're kind of inviting some erratic scoring, like in his last fight against Alvaro Mariki,
03:23one of the judges scored it a draw.
03:25Many, including me, felt that was not appropriate.
03:28Antonio Tarver shows us brilliant offense in spurts.
03:32He does the same things over and over again and then dares opponents to stop him, which very few opponents
03:39do.
03:44The Tarver jab starts off combinations up the middle.
03:47That's important tonight.
03:49When Tarver bends in, he invites trouble.
03:51Fighting tall is a big key for him.
03:54Santiago was vulnerable to Zolt Erdai's left hook.
03:59Tarver has a good left hand.
04:01Now, Santiago will throw rights like Alvaro Mariki did here against Tarver.
04:07If they end up being off the mark or short, look for Tarver to counter with his left.
04:15Tarver can also use this punch following a jab.
04:30Santiago has a habit of dropping his right hand, and if he does, the Tarver left will be there.
04:35Danny has a good double left hook, always a good strategy against the left.
04:39To win, he must land some overhand rights.
04:41That's his best punch and the one Tarver can be hit with.
04:49Bronx-born, Florida resident Danny Santiago has pretty much labored in obscurity for the better part of ten years.
04:58That's not to say he hasn't had his moments like the time he stopped Alvaro Mariki in four.
05:03Interestingly, now he's inspired by Mariki, who just lost a majority decision to Antonio Tarver.
05:12This music sounds very familiar.
05:14Does it sound like Larry Holmes' music?
05:15He used to come into this.
05:17Santiago has been chasing his fellow Floridian since he was 17.
05:22That's about half of his life, I'd say.
05:24But Tarver was always on a different plateau.
05:28And tonight, the personable Danny Santiago finds himself in a potentially life-changing scenario.
05:35But it is a long shot, Al.
05:37That's for sure.
05:38But, you know, underscoring the importance of this and what he feels about it,
05:41they have four weeks to prepare for this match, and their effort was to pack nine weeks of training into
05:48those four weeks.
05:50They want to make the most of the chances, and he and Pat Burns, they're with him coming in.
05:54They packed nine weeks, they say, into four weeks of training in the best shape of his life.
05:58And the reason Carver's original opponent, Danny Green, decided to fight for a world title instead versus Stipe Drew.
06:12First world title try dropped two times in an eighth-round TKO loss to Zolt Herday.
06:21Some final checking there from referee Steve Smoger.
06:26And Danny Santiago is ready to go.
06:37Thirty-nine-year-old Southpaw Antonio Tarver, the magic man, returning to the scene where he won his first world
06:45title belts over Montel Griffin in 03.
06:49A roster of world champion victims that includes Roy Jones Jr., Glenn Johnson, Reggie Johnson.
06:56No questioning his past achievements, but he comes off the uneven win over the relatively unproven Maricke.
07:03After the lopsided loss a year earlier to 41-year-old Bernard Hopkins,
07:09Tarver has blamed just about everyone from the media to the ringside judges for his latest performances.
07:16He is now on a mission to silence his critics, Al, and prove the best is yet to come.
07:23You know, there are two Antonio Tarvers.
07:25We saw the one with Jim Gray, the one that we see at the meetings, articulate and really a fighter
07:32who understands what he needs to do in the ring and can articulate it very well.
07:38And then there's the public Antonio Tarver, who is maybe a little over the top, creates confrontation with the media
07:46and others.
07:46And that Antonio Tarver is the one that maybe more often people see.
07:53Well, if Tarver wins, he could meet the winner of the upcoming Jeff Lacey-Pita Manfredo Jr. fight.
07:59Chad Dawson, the talented young WBC champ, could fight Glenn Johnson.
08:04And that would set up an interesting light heavyweight tournament.
08:11So, Tarver's in the ring and set for tonight's fight.
08:16Let's go to the numbers as we check out the tale of the tape from Foxwoods.
08:20Tarver turned 39 last month.
08:22Santiago, five years younger.
08:24But a five-inch height advantage for Tarver.
08:27Trainer Pat Burns, who you alluded to, Al, wouldn't allow us to measure Santiago's reach, feeling it would give something
08:34away.
08:35And at yesterday's weigh-in, Tarver 175, Santiago, who has had weight issues in the past, looked in good shape
08:42at 174.
08:44And a look at the key unified rules.
08:46There's no standing eight count, no three-knockdown rule.
08:48A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
08:51If an accidental headbutt causes a fight to end within four rounds, it's a no decision.
08:56After four rounds, they go to the scorecards.
08:58And if a punch causes a cut and the injured fighter can't continue, he loses by TKO.
09:05So here at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, we're getting ready for Antonio Tarver versus Danny Santiago.
09:13Let's get the official introductions from our ring announcer, the classy Jimmy Lennon Jr.
09:26Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Foxwoods Resort and Casino here in Mashantucket, Connecticut,
09:34for the featured bout of the evening brought to you by Gary Shaw Productions in association with Foxwoods and Showtime.
09:43This bout coming away is sanctioned by the International Boxing Organization, the president, Ed Levine,
09:49supervisor, Frank Brunette, along with the Mashantucket-Pequot Athletic Commission.
09:53The chairman is Richard Butler, executive director, Joe Letillier, and the commissioner is Peter Timothy.
10:00Our physicians at ringside, Dr. Michael Schwartz, Dr. Kevin McGuire, and Dr. Tony Alessi.
10:06Time keepers at the bell, also keeping count of the knockdowns, Phyllis Roy and Roland Roy.
10:12Introducing our three judges scoring this bout from ringside, from Avon, Connecticut, Glenn Feldman,
10:19from Boca Raton, Florida, Mark Streisand, and from Coral Springs, Florida, Peter Trematera.
10:26At this time, we introduce to you our third man in the ring, our referee in charge of this bout,
10:32Steve Smoger.
10:34All right, fans, here we go with our main event of the evening, 12 rounds of boxing for the IBO
10:42Light Heavyweight Championship.
10:44And now, ladies and gentlemen in attendance, and boxing fans joining us around the world,
10:51live from Foxwoods, it's showtime!
11:02Introducing to you first, the challenger on my right, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing blue trunks with silver
11:10trim,
11:11he is fighting out of Ocala, Florida, by way of the Bronx in New York.
11:17He weighed in at 174 pounds, with a record of 29 wins, three losses, and one draw.
11:24He has 19 wins coming by way of knockout.
11:28Tonight, he is making his second attempt at the light heavyweight crown.
11:33Please welcome a fighter known as the Bronx Bomber.
11:37Introducing Danny Santiago!
11:45And his opponent across the ring, the defending champion on my left, fighting out of the red corner,
11:52wearing red trunks with silver trim, he is fighting out of Tampa, Florida,
11:57by way of his home of Orlando, Florida.
12:00He weighed in at the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds,
12:05with a record of 25 wins, four losses.
12:08He has 18 wins coming by way of knockout.
12:11Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the former WBA, WBC, and IBF light heavyweight world champion,
12:19and the current IBO light heavyweight champion known as the Magic Man, Antonio Tarver!
12:35Once again, ladies and gentlemen, 12 rounds of boxing scheduled.
12:38Steve Smoker is our referee in charge.
12:42Gentlemen, this is for the IBO light heavyweight championship of the world.
12:45Please obey my commands, respect the bell, and above all, protect yourself at all times.
12:49Touch gloves, touch up.
12:51God bless.
12:55Well, the question is, will we see a fast, quick, more lively Antonio Tarver, as he promised?
13:03And will he take this out of the judges' hands?
13:06He needs an emphatic victory.
13:08But be mindful, he's fighting an unranked, relatively untested Danny Santiago,
13:13who's never been in there with a guy like Tarver,
13:15even what some consider a faded former champion.
13:18Here we go, Tarver, the southpaw, the red, and immediately coming out looking to throw bombs is Santiago.
13:29Santiago has a good power right, but is sometimes wide, is biting the counter left.
13:35And Tarver's KO punch is the booming left.
13:38The punch that crushed Roy Jones in their rematch.
13:41I'm a little surprised Tarver would want to just languish on the inside with him this early in the match,
13:46when, from the outside, the jab and the straight left hand would presumably control the shorter Santiago.
13:52Yeah, to get to Tarver, you've got to get inside and rough him up, as Hopkins did.
13:56Fighting outside versus Tarver is asking for trouble if you're Santiago.
14:00Nice left hand, though, a moment ago by Tarver.
14:02And, of course, that's the punch Santiago is vulnerable to.
14:07Historically, Tarver a cautious starter.
14:09Danny, stay up, Danny. Stay up, Danny.
14:12All right, you all right, Tony?
14:14At his best, the big tall southpaw, a skillful, sharp-punching guy who can lead or counter.
14:21He hits hard with both hands.
14:23Precise long left and left uppercut.
14:25And uses his right hand very well for a lefty.
14:32Santiago, you see him trying to lunge in and land that overhand right.
14:36That's the one punch you want to try and use against Tarver if you can get in position to throw
14:40it.
14:40Mariki was able to land some, and certainly Bernard Hopkins did in his fight with Tarver.
14:56Santiago on the outside now.
14:58That's not where he wants to be.
14:59Exactly.
15:03Santiago's trainer, Pat Burns, an ex-Marine and former Miami policeman, had Tarver in the amateurs.
15:08And he thinks he's very beatable.
15:10Some feel Tarver is one-dimensional.
15:12She have a strain left.
15:14But, Al, as you pointed out numerous times, it works.
15:17Well, Pat Burns was the co-coach in the Olympics, along with Al Mitchell, who previously worked with Forrest in
15:251996.
15:26And it was a contentious time for Tarver.
15:28He ended up winning the bronze medal, losing to Vasily Girov.
15:32And many people feeling like he didn't apply himself enough at those Olympics.
15:37He was the top amateur in the world.
15:39And it was a surprise that he didn't win the gold medal.
15:41And Burns was down there.
15:43And I guess he feels, from that experience, he knows what to do against Antonio Tarver.
15:50Tarver feels that his style is misinterpreted by a lot of people, particularly the judges.
15:57He's penalized because of his defensive prowess.
16:00Makes people miss.
16:02He's tactical to a fault in the eyes of the judges, he thinks.
16:05And just because your back is on the ropes, he says, doesn't mean you're not being effective.
16:12He said it doesn't look like he's working hard.
16:15So maybe he has to start grunting and making sounds and faces.
16:19The right hand in there by Santiago at the end of that round.
16:23That was a close round.
16:24Now let's get it over to Jim Gray with Chad Dawson.
16:28All right, Steve.
16:29Thank you very much.
16:30Chad, a lot of people are wondering when it's going to be you and Chad Dawson getting it on.
16:35Oh, you mean me and Tarver?
16:36Tarver, I'm sorry.
16:37You and Antonio Tarver.
16:38I mean, I'm tired of waiting.
16:41I'm ready for a big fight.
16:43You know what I mean?
16:44With Tarver, anybody.
16:47But Tarver fight is definitely a fight that I want.
16:49Is money the issue here?
16:50Did you want too much?
16:51Did he want too much?
16:51Why couldn't you get together?
16:53I mean, I never got a home.
16:55I mean, we never even got it past signing contract or nothing like that.
16:58So, I mean, the money is definitely not the issue, man.
17:00Is he afraid of you?
17:02I'm not going to say it.
17:03I don't think any fighter is afraid of anybody.
17:05But, I mean, it's time to step up to the plate, you know?
17:08Your fight in April, will that be against Glenn Johnson?
17:12I heard it could be, you know, the rumors.
17:15But, I mean, Glenn Johnson entering the Tarver, it doesn't matter.
17:17As long as bad Chad comes in the ring and prepared and does his job.
17:21Chad, thanks for joining us.
17:22Steve Albert would like to wear your coat.
17:24Is that all right?
17:25Sure, man.
17:25It fits.
17:27He'll make it fit.
17:28Nice to see you, Chad.
17:29We'll see you in April.
17:30I'll make a trade, the headsets that I'm wearing for that coat.
17:33That would keep me a lot warmer outside here in the Foxwoods area.
17:37Thank you, Jim.
17:38You're part of the negotiator.
17:38Yeah.
17:39Well, Chad Dawson from nearby New Haven, the undefeated WBC light heavyweight champ.
17:45Is he studying a future opponent tonight, Antonio Tarver?
17:48Time will tell.
17:50You know, they had good sparring.
17:51Prince Badi Adamu, who fought Roy Jones Jr., and is a pretty good light heavyweight, sparred
17:58with Tarver for this fight.
17:59And he would be a very good fighter to simulate what Santiago would do.
18:06Feeling from Dawson's camp, Tarver not very eager to get in there with the young southpaw,
18:12Mr. Dawson.
18:14But if Tarver really wants to show he's the best, Al, pretty good chance it will go through
18:18bad chat.
18:19Well, I'm sure Tarver wants to challenge for one of the major light heavyweight titles.
18:23Good left hand by Tarver.
18:25He would presumably have a date with Jeff Lacy if Lacy beats Manfredo in the next fight
18:32and then look for a shot at a light heavyweight title, maybe against Dawson.
18:38A Tarver-Hopkins rematch not likely, with Joe Calzaghi targeting Hopkins.
18:44That could be Hopkins' last fight.
18:46All right, round two, midway.
18:49But right now, Tarver has to dispatch Santiago.
18:53And he's got to do it.
18:55Most people think in, I can't put it any other way, electrifying fashion to start winning
19:01people back.
19:03And right now, it's kind of a slow start.
19:07Yeah, I mean, I guess, you know, I'm one of those people that thought the Mariki fight
19:11showed that he, out of their layoff, I thought there was enough sharpness there for me to
19:17feel okay about Antonio Tarver.
19:18Now, if this is a laboring performance against Santiago, another German kind of light heavyweight,
19:24clearly it's not going to bode well for him from a marketing standpoint.
19:27But he's controlling already, we've seen him controlling round two here, for the most
19:32part.
19:33That's it.
19:41But we live in an instant gratification society, which is sometimes not so good.
19:47And people want action.
19:49I mean, they want knockouts, especially at the higher weight classes.
19:54And, you know, even though this is a very talented man here in the red trunks, there's
19:58no question about it.
20:01They want to see fireworks.
20:03Yeah, see, I, my theory about him is, though, he's been involved in a lot of great fights
20:07with Glenn Johnson, and even the Jones fight, and even the last Mariki fight was kind of
20:11interesting.
20:11So, I think it's about him showing a lot of skill, and at least creating, as you say, interesting
20:16fights.
20:33Come on, don't worry about, okay, give me the Vaseline, give me the Vaseline on my hand.
20:37All right.
20:46I want you to get into your rhythm.
20:48If you don't jab, you got to go right to him.
20:52Don't back out.
20:53I want you to back him up.
20:54The guy is a shot.
20:56Just get him out of here.
20:56Get him out of here, please.
20:58Don't wait.
21:00You understand?
21:01I want you to double up and jab, put the pressure on him, back him up.
21:05Come on.
21:05You ain't got nobody in front of you.
21:07Well, he's ready to go.
21:08Should we go right-handed?
21:10No, no, no.
21:11See where he at?
21:12Doing good.
21:14Okay.
21:15That's your condition.
21:16Okay, let's go.
21:17Let's go.
21:17Boxing lifer Jimmy Williams, 80 years young, couldn't have said it more succinctly.
21:23He agrees with you.
21:24He wants Tarver to go after him and get Danny Santiago out of there.
21:29Well, let's see if Tarver heeds Jimmy's advice.
21:35You know, Antonio Tarver, you just saw a combination.
21:37He fights, I mentioned this before, brilliantly in spurts.
21:41And that is part of the issue, I guess.
21:44Then he'll have a little period in the round where he doesn't.
21:47And then he'll do it again.
21:50And it's, you know, for the most part it's a one-dimensional attack, but it's an attack
21:53it's hard for people to stop.
21:55He's got the jab, the straight left hand, occasionally mixes in a hook, not very often.
22:03And then Santiago taking Tarver back.
22:09Danny Santiago, to make it all work here tonight, he's got to do two things.
22:13He's got to, there's the left hook.
22:15He's got to throw that hook to the body, double with it to the head if he can, and then
22:18try
22:19and throw that overhead right and land it with effectiveness.
22:22To me right now, Tarver's looking tentative.
22:26I don't see it.
22:28I mean, this is, this is, you know, it's not Sugar Ray Robinson in front of him.
22:35Nice right hand by Santiago.
22:38In all due respect to Santiago.
22:41And Tarver is missing wildly.
22:43Yeah, Tarver's accuracy not as good as it was in the last fight, interestingly enough.
22:49Missing again, twice.
22:51And those are pity-patty shots.
22:54There's not a lot behind it.
22:57He's got to straighten those out and put more power into it.
23:01More sting.
23:02I mean, and he has it.
23:04Or he had it.
23:05I'm not sure.
23:06Stay up, Danny.
23:06Stay up.
23:07Now there's Santiago.
23:09Good work on the inside by Santiago.
23:11That's where he wants to be.
23:12Yep.
23:13As close as he can get to Tarver so he can rip those body shots and then rip the double
23:17left
23:18hook.
23:19This was a guy who literally jumped for joy when he found out he was going to get this
23:25fight with Tarver.
23:26He was in the gym but not training for anyone in particular.
23:29He had come off a difficult situation coming in over 30 pounds overweight for season three
23:34of the TV show The Contender telling us the problem was due to a medical condition which
23:39was discovered actually, according to him, saved his life.
23:43But as Danny put it, one door closes and another opens.
23:46Nice jab by Tarver.
23:48He's starting to sit down.
23:49I think he hurt Santiago with that left hand.
23:52Tarver's starting to come on here a little bit towards the end of round three and Santiago's
23:56in trouble.
23:58There's the straight left by Tarver.
24:00That's his money punch and Santiago's feeling the power of that punch.
24:04It was a good body shot by Tarver.
24:06All Tarver has to do really is come forward and apply himself and let some of those punches
24:11go like that.
24:13Those fell short but starting to have a little more effect here on the unheralded Danny Santiago.
24:35Listen, you're not going to get opportunities like this.
24:37You had three or four opportunities here and you let it go.
24:41Yeah, man.
24:42Right hand and left hook.
24:43You slipped the uniform.
24:43You had his head here.
24:44You didn't bring anything.
24:45You're moving your upper body.
24:46When you stop moving, you're getting caught.
24:48You understand?
24:49He caught you with a good left hand because you stopped moving that head.
24:52Okay?
24:53What do we want here?
24:54That little minute of Mike Tyson shit, right?
24:56Isn't that what we want?
24:56That good upper body movement and punching off that.
24:59All right?
24:59You ready?
25:00Pat Burns with good advice to Santiago.
25:03Santiago working on the inside trying to work the body and there's the nice right to the
25:08body and right uppercut.
25:09Interestingly, they mentioned Mike Tyson.
25:11That's a combination Tyson kind of created.
25:13Now, later in the round, Tarver with some very good straight left hands.
25:17That was a point where he hurt Santiago.
25:19Santiago simply made him feel the left-handed around in which Tarver won it because he was
25:24more aggressive in the last half.
25:27And he has been known to steal a rounder, too.
25:31Antonio Tarver.
25:32He'll coast for a while and then pick it up towards the end of the round just as he did
25:35there in round three.
25:37Tarver did stun Santiago a couple of times in the third.
25:40But back comes Santiago on the inside, digging to the body, which is what you're supposed
25:44to do against Tarver.
25:47They want the movement as he comes in.
25:49And they called it the Tyson-like movement.
25:51But at the same time, he's very hittable.
25:53And he, you know, he's got to, he's also got to be aware of his defense when he comes
25:59in like that against Tarver.
26:00Right.
26:00And that's why they want the upper body movement.
26:02See, dipping down.
26:03But the problem is, of course, he's still getting hit by Tarver as he comes in.
26:06That was a reference to the Tyson stuff.
26:09And his prime was so good at that.
26:18Santiago's not applying a lot of pressure to Antonio Tarver.
26:20I think that's one thing.
26:22If you're going to try and beat this, you know, light heavyweight icon and you're going
26:28to get in and win that decision, you want to be aggressive.
26:35These punches are just falling short.
26:37That one did.
26:38But that was blocked by Santiago.
26:42But again, Tarver fighting in, as you put it, spurts from his last fight.
26:48Landon, a fair amount of punches here in this round.
26:51Even though he's missing a lot, some of those left hands are getting in.
26:54Santiago just nailed him with a left hook.
26:56And a straight right by Santiago.
26:58There's not a lot of steam behind those punches.
27:00Those rights by Santiago, that's the punch he wants to get in, if at all possible.
27:04And it's the one you can't land against Antonio Tarver.
27:07He loads up with his right like he did just there.
27:10And he has telegraphed it to the body.
27:12He's got to use his left more, Santiago.
27:15He's got to mix it up a little more.
27:18He throws that right hand looping from time to time.
27:21And that's where Tarver could really take advantage and fire the countering straight left,
27:26which is his big money punch.
27:28Good body work a moment ago.
27:30And there's Tarver again.
27:31He's really committing to the body now, throwing a lot of straight left hands down there.
27:35Under a minute remaining.
27:37Round four scheduled for 12.
27:44Santiago game.
27:45Trying to make it competitive.
27:47There's the overhand right by Santiago.
27:48That was the best one he's thrown, I think, in the fight, really.
27:53Santiago has 19 knockouts among his 29 wins, but he's hurt now.
27:56He's hurt.
27:58And he goes through the ropes.
28:01It's a knockdown.
28:05Five, six, seven.
28:07Hey, how you feel there?
28:08How you feel there?
28:09Yeah?
28:09A little bit?
28:10A little bit?
28:13All right, Tony.
28:14All right.
28:17Santiago hangs tough.
28:18Tarver goes right back to work.
28:20Body shots being very effective.
28:22A barrage of shots.
28:24Knockdown number two.
28:25It's over.
28:25Steve Smogger calls it off.
28:27One more, one more.
28:28So, Antonio Tarver.
28:32Okay.
28:32With two knockdowns here in round four.
28:34The second one is the end.
28:38And Tarver makes it pretty short work of Danny Santiago.
28:44Again, kind of choppy at times, but he finished it off the way he wanted to finish it off with
28:50a knockout.
28:53Given the fact that seven of his last eight have not ended in knockout for Tarver, he certainly wanted to
28:59stop it.
28:59And we heard Jimmy Williams urge him to get it.
29:01So, his power showed up here in this round.
29:04So, Antonio Tarver beats Danny Santiago, which is exactly what he was supposed to do.
29:11A loss would have been unthinkable.
29:13Roll, roll.
29:15Let's roll.
29:17He's 39, time running out.
29:19He needs the big fights now from this point on.
29:26We'll see Danny Santiago go down for the first time in this round.
29:31He would end up going down twice.
29:34The uppercut is what really started the problem.
29:36And then the straight left hands by Tarver.
29:41Tarver does what he does.
29:43He just, he throws the jab.
29:44He throws the left hand to the body and the head.
29:48Keeps winging away.
29:49And ultimately gets to Danny Santiago and knocks him down.
29:55And then that's the first knockdown.
29:57Yep.
29:58And now the second knockdown.
30:02Languishing on the inside.
30:03Still Tarver throwing lots of punches.
30:05And the body punches actually had a lot of impact on Santiago.
30:09And throwing hooks and uppercuts.
30:12And finally, that would be the end for Santiago.
30:14Let me ask you a question.
30:16Even though Tarver ended it emphatically here,
30:18the Tarver that we saw here tonight,
30:21how would he do against Jeff Lacey, Chad Dawson, Glenn Johnson, people of that ilk?
30:28I don't know that he was as sharp with his punches,
30:31but we often see him get off to a slow start.
30:34And so if you'd ask me that question in round five or six or seven,
30:38I might have a different answer.
30:39But at that moment, it was a, I think, an uneven effort to that point.
30:44Okay.
30:45And we'll get the official time for our ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr.
30:52Ladies and gentlemen, we have the time of two minutes, 53 seconds.
30:56In round number four, our referee in charge, Steve Smoger, stops the contest.
31:02He is the winner by way of technical knockout.
31:05And still the IBO light heavyweight champion, the magic man, Antonio Tarver.
31:17So Antonio Tarver, now 26-4 with 19 knockouts.
31:23Santiago 29-4-1.
31:26All four of his losses by knockout.
31:30Not an overwhelmingly spectacular performance by Tarver.
31:34You heard the smattering of boos even after the announcement was made
31:38that Tarver won a fourth-round technical knockout.
31:42And, you know, I'm just, you know, Chad Dawson watching this tonight
31:46has to be somewhat salivating.
31:48Let's get it into the ring to Jim Gray.
31:51Steve, thank you very much.
31:53With his wife, Denise, his daughter, Taylor.
31:55Antonio, congratulations to you.
31:58Antonio, what are your thoughts of the crowd booing?
32:00I don't know.
32:01I mean, I really didn't hear the crowd, you know.
32:05I don't know.
32:06I mean, we came in here.
32:07We executed.
32:08We did what we were supposed to do.
32:09Got busy with the jab.
32:10You know, the fundamentals of the game.
32:13And everything came together, you know.
32:15Danny came in here with a chance of a lifetime.
32:17He took some hard shots early.
32:19But, you know, we knew we had to break him down to the body
32:21and get him out of there.
32:22So we did just that.
32:23And we on to the next stage.
32:25Did you feel at all tentative and slow?
32:27Not at all.
32:28Not at all.
32:28I felt good.
32:30I mean, I'm a patient fighter.
32:32Everybody knows that.
32:33And, like I said, the only thing that matters is the end result.
32:36I'm not out here, you know, trying to get outside of myself.
32:40I know my game.
32:42It's worked for me this long.
32:44We're going to stick to it.
32:46But certainly guys like Santiago and Elver Maricchi are not in your class,
32:49or at least they weren't in your class.
32:51So for this to go any time and Maricchi to go any time doesn't demonstrate that really
32:56you're the same fighter that you've been in the past.
32:58Does that concern you?
32:59Well, we'll determine that when we get some big names to step up and challenge me.
33:03That's what it's all about.
33:04Then you'll be able to see me, Jim.
33:05I mean, hey, I came out here.
33:08We worked.
33:08And that's it.
33:09That was all I expected.
33:10I knocked the guy out.
33:11I mean, we'll see.
33:13Can any of the light heavyweight stand up to that power?
33:15Well, when will we see you?
33:16When will we see you with Chad Dawson or Johnson or those likes?
33:19That's up to them.
33:20I mean, Al Heyman Entertainment, I told them, set them up.
33:23I'll knock them down.
33:23I mean, we ready.
33:24And no question about that.
33:26If anybody want to dispute who division this is, come see me.
33:30Is money going to be, obviously money's always an issue,
33:32but will it be an impediment to putting one of these fights together?
33:35Will you ask too much because it creates the impression that you don't want to fight them?
33:39There's never too much money when I lay my life on the line.
33:41You know, I don't know what's your value, but...
33:44Well, I'm not getting hit.
33:45I respect that.
33:46I've earned it.
33:46I respect that.
33:47I understand that.
33:49Olympian, Olympian, four-time world champion, the legend killer.
33:53It goes on and on.
33:54Let's go to the other end of the equation, then, because you understand it, Antonio.
33:57They say that you want too much money because you really don't want to fight them.
34:00There's never enough too much.
34:00I've never ducked anyone, Jim.
34:02Do my track record, man.
34:03I stand by my talents.
34:06Will they stand by theirs?
34:07I fight, and they know that.
34:08Come on, man.
34:08I beat them all, and I'll fight them all.
34:10It's never a question of my courage.
34:11If Jeff Lacy wins that fight, would that be your next opponent probably in April?
34:15That's a good match.
34:16Why wouldn't it be?
34:18Jeff Lacy's a big name.
34:19I mean, he's only lost one, and maybe we can do some comparisons to the Jeff Lacy-Tarver fight,
34:24and you can do the comparison against Cal Zaki and Lacy, and then, you know, we'll set up
34:28the big showdown after that.
34:29You said something really interesting before the fight to me.
34:31You said you thought that your best was yet to come.
34:34Did we see a portion of that tonight?
34:36I mean, I think so.
34:37You saw combination punches.
34:39You saw my defense.
34:40I didn't get hit with anything, and we stayed in there.
34:42When the guy wanted to fight, we fought inside.
34:44We worked our way out, and we got back on the jab.
34:46I'm back, man.
34:47It's never a question of that.
34:49Thank you for your time.
34:50Congratulations, Antonio.
34:51We'll see you next time.
34:52Campbell, Florida.
34:52I'm coming home, baby.
34:54Indeed you are.
34:54We'll see you then.
34:55All right.
34:56Back down to you, Steve.
34:58Thank you very much, Jim.
35:00Let's check out how the scoring went for Tarver versus Santiago.
35:03First, the official judges' scorecards here at Foxwoods.
35:07At the time of the stoppage, Glenn Feldman, Mark Streisand, Peter Tremotera all sought the
35:12same way, 30 to 27.
35:15Yeah, and of course, had the fight been continuing with the knockdowns, that next round would have
35:19been a 10-7 round for Tarver.
35:21And the panel of press row judges sought this way.
35:25Ron Borges actually gave the first round 10-10.
35:28Is that what I'm understanding?
35:29Okay.
35:30Interesting.
35:31And then Keith Eidek and Jack Obermeyer had it the way the official judges had it at the
35:35time of the stoppage.
35:38All right, Al, as we wrap things up from ringside, interested to get your final observations.
35:42How do you think tonight's actual impact on 2008?
35:46Well, you know, we did see some fighters that we think are going to be a part of 2008.
35:50Nonito Donair officially stamping himself as an absolutely fantastic flyweight.
35:55Maybe super flyweight, maybe even a bantamweight.
35:58Can't wait to see him in big matches, maybe against Arcinian.
36:00Vernon Forrest with a brilliant performance, and we hope we'll see him maybe against Mayorga.
36:05And clearly, Dawson looking toward a Lacey matchup and possibly against a light heavyweight
36:11champ, maybe like Dawson.
36:12All three of them, I think we would like to see more of in this next year.
36:16Here's how tonight's tripleheader officially goes in the books.
36:21In our opening bout, the Filipino Flash advances on.
36:24Nonito Donair retained his IVF flyweight belt.
36:26A rematch with Victor Arginian would be very attractive.
36:30In the co-main event, Vernon Forrest, still the WBC Super Weatherweight Champion, did it
36:36in lopsided fashion.
36:38His first successful defense to the dismay of former Weatherweight Champion, Michele Picharillo,
36:43who may have broken his ankle at the end of the fight, is Ricardo Mayorga next for Forrest.
36:48And in our second co-main event, no surprise is Antonio Tarver under sharp criticism following
36:55his last two performances, beat relatively unknown Danny Santiago.
37:00For Al Bernstein, Jim Gray, and our entire crew, Steve Albert saying so long and happy holidays.
37:05And as we close out our 2007 season, here are some memorable moments from this past year.
37:15The new WBC Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, Chad Dawson.
37:23And you see the emotion overcome Chad Dawson.
37:30Fast and left hook to the jaw.
37:32And down goes Marquez.
37:34Sprawling to the canvas.
37:36Sustained, nonstop, two-way action.
37:50Look out, Dargenian down for the first time.
37:53It's all over.
37:54Benito Gildare has pulled out the monstrous upset.
38:03A left hook by Israel Vasquez and Marquez into the canvas.
38:08Bone faces bloody.
38:11Vasquez looking to close the show.
38:13The fight is over.
38:14Revenge.
38:15Redemption.
38:16Unbelievable finish.
38:21The bloody shot just before the bell sent Peter sprawling to the canvas for the first time in his career.
38:30Overwhelming points, victory.
38:31Lifeside, unanimous decision win.
38:35For the Nigerian nightmare.
38:39A spectacular, dramatic one-punch knockdown for Robert De Niro.
38:44Atlanta.
38:45mobilize, dramatic one-punch knockdown for Robert De Niro.
38:53I'm really happy to see Mr. Tνino.
38:54I love you!
38:55I love you.
38:56I love you!
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