Antonio Deon Tarver, a renowned American former professional boxer and accomplished boxing commentator, embarked on a remarkable boxing career spanning from 1997 to 2015. During this period, he successfully claimed multiple light heavyweight world championships, including the prestigious WBA (Unified),WBC, IBF, and Ring magazine titles, as well as the IBO light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles.
Prior to his professional boxing career, Tarver had an illustrious amateur career, representing the United States at the 1996 Olympics. He secured a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division, ultimately losing to Vassiliy Jirov from Kazakhstan, whom he had previously defeated at the 1995 World Championships to win gold. Tarver's impressive amateur achievements also included triumphs at the 1995 Pan American Games and 1995 U.S. National Championships, where he won gold in both events. His remarkable feat remains unparalleled in history, as he is the only boxer to have won gold at the Pan Am Games, World Championships, and U.S. Nationals in the same year.
In addition to his notable achievements in the boxing ring, Tarver made a memorable appearance in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa, starring as Mason "The Line" Dixon, the heavyweight champion.
