Tarver familiar with paybacks

Antonio Tarver insists he still has magic in his fists. Even if his last performance clearly showed he didn't.

The self-proclaimed "Magic Man" gets a chance to show that his Oct. 11 loss to IBF light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson was a fluke when the two meet again Saturday night at The Joint at the Hard Rock hotel.

"I envision Saturday being one of my greatest performances," the 40-year-old Tarver said Thursday of the rematch, which will be televised on HBO. "I'm in great shape, and I love being in this position."

It's a position with which Tarver (27-5, 19 knockouts) is familiar. He has avenged losses on three occasions. In 2002, he scored a technical knockout over Eric Harding after losing to him in 2000. He beat Roy Jones Jr. twice, in 2004 and again in 2005, after losing to him in 2003. His most recent act of revenge came in 2005 when he stopped Glen Johnson after losing to him in 2004.

Now, Tarver claims the 26-year-old Dawson (27-0) will pay for beating him in October.

"I'm going to shock the world again," Tarver said. "They've been wrong before, and Saturday they'll be wrong again."

Dawson soundly defeated Tarver in their first meeting, winning a 12-round unanimous decision at the Palms. Tarver conceded he didn't fight a smart fight the first time and said he wasn't busy enough offensively.

"I stayed in a defensive posture too long, and I fell behind early," he said. "But at the end of the fight, I was taking it to him, and, truthfully, he doesn't understand what it's like to be in the ring with the real me. But he's going to find out."

Tarver has brought back trainer Buddy McGirt to work alongside Jimmy Williams for the rematch. Together, they plan to be more aggressive this time and take the fight to Dawson.

"Buddy has a keen insight into the game," Tarver said. "He knows how to build a game plan."

Said McGirt: "It's been a year and a half since I worked with Antonio, and it was difficult at first. But we've worked hard, and I see Antonio winning back the championship Saturday night."

Tarver said he's not going to let Dawson dictate the terms of this fight, as was the case in their first meeting.

"I'm going to let my hands go," he said. "That's what I did at the end of our first fight, and I had him on the run."

Tarver knows at this stage of his career that he needs to prove he still has it.

"Age is just a number," said Tarver, who will be paid $1 million for the rematch, the same purse he earned in the first fight (Dawson will receive $800,000). "I'm at the best stage of my career. I'm doing things now I didn't do 10 years ago.

"I know what a win will do for me and what a loss will do for me. It has to be different this time, and it will be different. I'm going to unveil what Antonio Tarver is all about."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.