Antonio Tarver makes ring return, faces UFC vet Frank Mir on Paul-Askren card
The Magic Man will return for another act in the ring.
Former light heavyweight titlist Antonio Tarver will square off against Frank Mir in a 10-round bout on April 17 in the chief support bout to the Jake Paul-Ben Askren fight on Triller pay-per-view in Atlanta.
“Show me my opponent,” Tarver said in a video posted Monday. “I’m back.”
Mir is a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion.
“I am a competitor. I have been all my life,” Mir stated on social media Thursday. “I take on challenges to grow and better myself as a person. I have always wanted to test myself in the boxing ring, so when this opportunity arose, I jumped on it. See you April 17th, Antonio Tarver.”
Tarver (31-6-1, 22 KOs) has not fought since August 2015, when he fought former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham to a draw.
However, it was revealed after the fight that Tarver had tested positive for two banned substances in his pre-bout drug exam, which marked the second time in three years that the Florida native had failed a drug test.
Despite his troubles, Tarver is undefeated in his last six bouts since dropping consecutive fights to former titleholder Chad Dawson in 2008 and 2009.
Tarver, a 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, collected his signature win against Roy Jones Jr. in the second of their three-bout trilogy. After losing a competitive majority decision in 2003, the now-52-year-old knocked out Jones in the second round with a razor left hand. In their final encounter, Tarver won a unanimous decision.
Mir (19-13) last fought in October 2019 when he outpointed Roy Nelson in a Bellator main event in Connecticut.
The 41-year-old Mir holds the record for the most finishes and submissions in UFC history.