Posted on 4/16/2008 7:32:00 PM

Boxing Betting – Woods vs. Tarver – Does Tarver Still Have It?

By Charles Jay

Two of the world's light heavyweight champions will put their titles on the line on Saturday night in online boxing sports betting action at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa. In one of those bouts, former champion Antonio Tarver challenges Clinton Woods for the IBF crown, and tries to complete a satisfying comeback. The bout is, of course, scheduled for 12 rounds.

BetUS Boxing Betting Odds

IBF Light heavyweight (175-pound) Title

April 12 -- Tampa, FL

CLINTON WOODS -120

ANTONIO TARVER -110

OVER 11.5 ROUNDS -210

UNDER 11.5 ROUNDS +160

For betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:

WOODS (41-3-1, 24 KO's), the -120 favorite in the BetUS boxing betting odds, is best-known to U.S. audiences for his sixth-round stoppage loss to Roy Jones as he was trying to win the light heavyweight title in September of 2002. He won the vacant IBF version of the crown in March of '05 when he stopped previously-undefeated Rico Hoye, and has held it ever since, defending against Glen Johnson, Jason DeLisle and Julio Cesar Gonzalez (twice). The Brit has fought Johnson three times, going 1-1-1 in those efforts.

TARVER (26-4, 19 KO's), the -110 underdog at BetUS, was a legendary amateur and Olympian who turned pro at the age of 28. He won the WBC/IBF light heavyweight titles in April 2003 with a win over Montell Griffin. He is best known for his trilogy with Roy Jones, in which he won two of three fights, including a devastating two-round TKO in May 2004. Tarver has also had a pair of fights with Glen Johnson, losing the first one, with his title, in December of '04, then winning the rematch six months later. But he was incredibly disappointing when he lost a near-shutout decision to Bernard Hopkins in June of 2006. He sat out a year before coming back with two fights over the last ten months.

When Tarver steps in against Woods, he will have fought only five times in the previous three years. He has labored against the ordinary Danny Santiago and Elvir Muriqi in his last two, following the loss to Bernard Hopkins. And in the win against Roy Jones in October 2005 he could have easily been knocked out, had Jones been able to summon up anything out of the gas tank. The point is, what does Tarver have left? I know that Woods is not the most talented fighter in the division - certainly the edge in pure ability goes to Tarver. But remember that Tarver is 39 years old and hasn't looked especially good in the last few years, while Woods has put together some credible performances in the last couple of years, in those title defenses in particular. Woods' style is to make his opponent work, and I'm not convinced Tarver os ready to handle that kind of opponent, since I think he would like to pace himself and fight in spurts.

Right now, Woods is the more proven commodity, and thus provides more value to me at -120 in the BetUS boxing betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: WOODS (-120) ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

Betting on boxing has never been so easy and you can get your bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook. Go to Other Sports: Boxing. Find tons of props on the fight and the fighters in the Future / props section as well!

(Charles Jay of www.eBookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)