Antonio Tarver

Boxing

In the 14 months since he stood in a boxing ring with a gold medal around his neck and blared, “We’ve invaded Berlin, baby!” Antonio Tarver has been viewed as the only absolute in a maligned U.S. amateur boxing program.

Although his fast-starting Olympic teammates have somewhat altered that perception, the expectations and pressure still are highest for Tarver.

Tarver ‘95 was historically significant for USA Boxing. The light heavyweight swept gold medals in the nationals, the Pan American Games and the World Championships - an unprecedented achievement.

Tarver ‘96 opened Wednesday at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The lone U.S. boxer to carry the weight of a gold-medal favorite, Tarver defeated Russia’s Dmitri Vybornov 5-2. It was a lackluster bout, and both fighters were booed.

“I tried to box him (Vybornov) and he wasn’t there for me,” Tarver said. “I thought I was ready and I can’t explain what happened. Maybe I lost some fans. I feel like I need to get them back.”

U.S. coach Al Mitchell said the expectations burdened Tarver.

“All you hear is gold medal, gold medal for Tony,” Mitchell said.

“I thought it was a lousy performance, but the important thing is that he came through and won. He needed to get it out of his system.”

Tarver said he felt desperate in the third round. “I felt everything slipping away and I had to fight,” he said. “I’ll start out fighting at first the next time.”

That will come Sunday, when he faces Sierra Leone’s David Kowah.