The professional boxer from Orlando Florida is popularly known as the “Magic Man”. Not the he performs magic tricks in the boxing ring but he was the first man to give Roy Jones, Jr. a knockout. Jones was known to have never lost a fight by a knockout, and Tarver was the man who did it.

A lot were impressed with his career even when he was still an amateur. In 1994, he was the champion of the National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight. He also reigned as the Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion in the US in 1993 and 1995, where he won the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata in 1995. After two months, he gained victory again when he was given the world title for the Amateur Boxing Championships in 1995 in Berlin, Germany. He was the American bronze medalist in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as well.

Antonio Deon Tarver, in real life, was born on November 21, 1968 in Orlando Florida, U.S. The American boxer in his southpaw stance started his first professional appearance when he was 28 years old. This was in February 18, 1997 at the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, when he gave Joaquin Garcia a Knockout only in the 2nd round.

Tarver earned his first world title for the IBF and WBC in 2003 when he defeated Montel Griffin and Roy Jones, Jr. He gained the world Light Heavyweight championship after a unanimous decision when he made Griffin drop in the first and last rounds.

Years after he had a series of fights were he won and lost. According to his professional record he had 27 wins from his 31 fights, 19 of which were knockouts.

Tarver appeared in the film Rocky Balboa as Mason “the Line” Dixon in 2006.