Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

Tarver talks boxing and Balboa, charms the press

If Antonio Tarver is looking for a new day job, he may have found one. With his performance in Rocky 6 by all accounts a big hit and smash success, the former light heavyweight champion who is on the verge of a comeback made quite a splash last week when he “charmed the press with his stories of movies and boxing,� reports Crave Online. Even though the Crave posting also reads, “Sylvester Stallone is not a boxer, but he plays one in the movies, so he knows a thing or two about the sport,� the interview is below.

Question: What’s it like to be in the ring with Sly Stallone, aka Rocky?

Antonio Tarver: He had some disadvantages but he’s a tough guy, real tough guy. He was in great shape. I was really in awe with his physique, his strength, his energy. I mean, it just goes to show you what hard work can do and I just hope when I’m 60, pushing 60 that I can look half as good as Sylvester Stallone. The guy’s incredible.

Question: Were you worried about having to read for Stallone and the role of Mason Dixon in Rocky 6?

Tarver: Well, he called me directly. He said that he wrote this script with me in mind and that it was mine to turn down. I automatically said, “Where do I sign up?” I wasn’t going to turn down this opportunity for no one. When I heard of the character and I read the script, it was perfect. It was something that I felt confident that I can do and I’m glad that he had faith in me. He’s done that a number of times with Mr. T. he took a chance with him and Clubber Lang and the rest is history. Mr. T was one of the biggest icons in his day with A-Team and all that was a springboard from Rocky. So if I can even just scratch the surface of the success that those guys have had coming off of the Rocky films, then I’m looking forward to the future.

Question: What does it take out of your athletic career to take a break for a movie?

Tarver: I think it should do wonders because I think that being an athlete, we always dream of being on the big screen, bigger than life. This opportunity, I think that a lot of people would have given their right arm to be in my position so I’m very thankful and blessed that Sylvester Stallone believed in me for one, and that I was able to come through and bring Mason “the Line” Dixon to life.

Question: Do you have time to train during the 12 hour movie days?

Tarver: Well, we prepared about a month and a half before we ever started shooting. We got the fight scenes down pat and I trained with the great Gunnar Peterson who is pretty much the trainer of the stars out here in LA. On any given day, I would see Denzel Washington, Nicole Ritchie, just to name a few. They’re just walking out, coming in as I was going and he worked me really, really hard to bulk up to like 215, 218 pounds was hard. I had to fill out to the part but people do it all the time in acting. The hard part was I had to get back down to light heavyweight and that was a tremendous struggle. Maybe it cost me a win. Who can ever say? But I know if I had it all over to do again I would never turn down the opportunity to be in such a great movie, great film, Rocky Balboa and the final chapter of the Rocky franchise. I mean, they’ll forget about the fight I lost but they’ll forever remember Mason “The Line” Dixon. That’s what it is.

Question: In the fight, you look to the ref to stop it, like a real fight you once had.

Tarver: I often wondered how close to real life this thing was, man. That did happen. I hurt the guy pretty bad and I thought the ref should have stopped it way before he did. But we got him out of there and I guess Sly saw that fight.

Question: Compare acting and training for a fight.

Tarver: Well, the physical demand in preparing for a real fight is not as hard as, depending on what role. In this particular role, it was hard because I had to go lift weights, I had to train, I had to look the part, get stronger, get bigger. So that was a real, real grind. As well as my professional career. I think but real boxing is more a toll on your body. It takes your body through a lot of changes. We diet, we spar, you practice and we hit bags and you run in the morning. You tell your girlfriend or your wife to sleep in the other room so it’s hard. A lot of sacrifices.

Question: Could you relate to the scene when the promoters told you that you HAD to take the fight?

Tarver: At the time, [my character] just felt that being 33 and 0 with 33 knock outs, the most superior heavyweight to come along in a long time, it didn’t make sense to me. Like I said, I though that I could beat this guy with both hands tied behind my back. It just really didn’t make sense to me, but after looking at it more carefully, there was something else to gain from fighting a great fighter that had the fan affair and the love that I feel like I didn’t have, that I thought I should have had and it was an opportunity to gain that rather than just the money and the materialistic things because I have that. But it was a lesson learned in fighting Rocky Balboa. There was no real big fight out there for me at the time. When I thought about it, it made sense. And then it was just an exhibition so why not?

Question: Why didn’t they focus on your broken hand in the movie?

Antonio Tarver: Well, I pampered it, I worked on it, I used stimulation on it but it was just one of those things like real life. If you get injured in a fight, you’re not going to quit. You’re going to go through. I fought with a broken jaw for four rounds in the first Eric Harding fight. That’s the mark of a champion. Sometimes you get hurt. But what are you going to do? You’re going to fold? That’s the true life Rocky story. it’s the underdog overcoming your obstacles and becoming better for it.

Question: How hard was it to make the fight look real and not knock out the star?

Tarver: I think he got dazed a couple times but that was not hard. I think that’s the skill that I brought to the movie. He’s been in the ring with a lot of fighters, Joe Frazier, and he’s gotten injured, hurt from those fighters because they just didn’t have the wherewithal to, not pull the punches but not turn them over. I think that’s what I brought to the table, the ability to do that. To jab hard but just really right at impact pull it back. I mean, it’s a talent so I’m just glad that I was able to do that and I’m glad that he was able to see that I had that special thing.

Question: Did he hit you too hard accidentally?

Tarver: Well, he didn’t accidentally hit me. He purposely hit me. It wasn’t accident.

Question: Did you grow up with the Rocky films and did they influence you?

Tarver: Well, I love Rocky. From the very beginning, it changed sport films for ever and a day and it’s been in my generation forever. I’m 38 so I was there and I was old enough to recognize what was going on. Apollo Creed was one of my favorite characters. He had that pizzazz, that bravado that I think I had in my own personal career. And it was great. I rooted for Apollo in the beginning but I’ve been rooting for Rocky ever since.

Question: Is there more acting in your future?

Tarver: I hope that there’s more acting. I want people to believe that I can get the job done and give me an opportunity. So we’re looking forward to that hopefully but right now my focus is definitely on my return to the ring, to the sport that has given me everything, opened every door for me and that I’ve had the opportunity to walk places that I never thought I could, thanks to boxing. When you look at the Olympics and being three time world champion, it’s just great. Truly a real true Rocky story. And I have my back against the wall, once again I’ve got to come back from defeat and show these people that I am truly the talent that I think I am. So my goal now is to get in tremendous shape. I tell my trainer now that we work out now that this is the last time I’m ever going to have to get in shape because I plan on staying in shape. I have to give back to boxing something great and I want to do that in the next three year. If Hollywood is calling, once I hang up the gloves then so be it. It’ll be a great transition I think and I’ll be thankful for that.

Question: Who’s your ideal opponent?

Tarver: For the first comeback? I’m going to do something that I should have done before the Bernard Hopkins fight. I’m going to take a tune-up fight and it’s going to be what you would call the perfect opponent, somebody that has credibility but I should win that fight if I’m in great shape. And then after that, stay in shape and then take on the world. You’ve got guys like Joe Calzaghe, you’ve got Jermain Taylor who’s looking to move up. You’ve got guys like Bernard Hopkins. This rematch will be a dream fight for both of us, so I want to bring those fights to the public.

Question: What did you think of The Contender?

Tarver: I thought The Contender was a great concept. I think the show was really good and it really showed the inside life and why we do what we do. People think that we just show up and fight. They don’t understand the reasons why we do what we do. Our upbringing, the way we were raised and then the cards that we were dealt. I think when you look at Rocky, that underdog story, we all can relate to that because I don’t know how many people were born with a gold or silver spoon in their mouth, and when you look at most boxers, they come from the inner city. We’re always having to—it’s like the American dream to make something out of nothing basically. So I can relate to that. I think all underdogs and all people that have had to build something out of nothing can relate to that Rocky story.

Question: Why do boxers hang out with entourages full of non-fighters?

Tarver: That’s a good question. I don’t have an entourage I’m happy to say. It’s expensive to have one and most boxers are insecure really. I think that’s the best answer, and they need people to reiterate to them how great they are because inside, they’re not really that way. So they put on this persona to be macho and to be a killer so to speak, but I guess we all are just people, you know.

Question: Do they need these people?

Tarver: They need it for their psyche a lot of times. I’m personally, I know who I am. I’m confident in me so I try to keep my circle small. A lot of people that are in your camp is not on your team and you want to try to eliminate that. You don’t want these people because they can be a distraction. I don’t want to meet any new friends. I like the friends that have been there for me when I didn’t have anything and the people that have shown their loyalty. Those are the people that I love and those are the people that love me. But I treat everybody equally and I respect people but when you have people that close to you, they can affect you in a negative way as well. So you want to be sound throughout so a good man, I know a lot of times, they say the bandwagon. But the trip that I’m going on, a lot of people can’t go, so I leave them home.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 19th, 2006 at 7:18 am and is filed under Boxing News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.