Former world light heavyweight champion and IBO cruiserweight champion, Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver is looking to add another title to his career accomplishments, the heavyweight title. Tarver, now 46, is hoping that 2015 is the year that he gets his shot and can prove he is still among the very best in boxing.

In part 2 of my interview with Antonio Tarver, I discuss with him his continuing boxing career and when he expects to return to the boxing ring. Tarver also talks about who he would rather fight for a title, Deontay Wilder or Wladimir Klitschko. Additionally Antonio shares his thoughts on Mayweather vs. Pacquiao and if he thinks Pacquiao would do anything different in a rematch. Here is what Antonio Tarver had to say.

Jenna J: Antonio you are still an active fighter, you had an impressive win this past year in which you knocked out Johnathon Banks. What’s going on with you now?

Antonio Tarver: I’m constantly pushing. I’ve been ready. Sometimes in boxing, things have to fall in place for whatever reason. I’m ready to fight, bottom line. There’s some names out there, I definitely want to fight someone that has notoriety and credibility in the game of boxing. I want to prove that I belong amongst the very best and I think my next opponent, whoever it may be, I’m sure you’ll be excited to hear.

I want to fight a credible name that anybody can recognize and also it will be a risky fight for me as well because it’s a 50-50 chance that I could win or lose that fight. A guy that has fought in some eliminators, a guy who maybe has even fought for the title once or twice. We’re trying to get that type of name where we can say, “Look, I’m 3-0 as a heavyweight. I’m filling out as a heavyweight pretty well, I’m banging with these big boys and I’m winning.”

I feel with everything I have behind my name, I don’t know why there hasn’t been more guys chopping at the door to get at me, it’s surprising. I know why but at the same time, that shit halts my opportunities to fight, perform, and make a living.

I’m not happy about the long layoff but I’m hoping in the next couple of week we can make an official announcement and I’ll be in the ring in the next month or so. I’m looking at early August to be ready to fight and fight where everybody can see me perform. I’m ready to show the world that I’m still here, nothing’s changed. My aspirations to become a heavyweight champion are still alive and real, that’s the bottom line.

Jenna J: Wladimir Klitschko is the reigning heavyweight champion, but Deontay Wilder holds the WBC belt. Between the two champions, who would you have a bigger desire to step into the ring with?

Antonio Tarver: Of course Wladimir Klitshcko, he’s the guy that we came from the same Olympics. There’s only three names that still resonate in boxing from the 1996 Olympics: Klitschko, Tarver and Mayweather. I want to fight Klitshcko, the guy who came from the same era I came from.

I want to fight the best, I want to fight the lineal champion. That’s the only way that I feel it’s gonna be worth it if I win, the fact that that I’m going to become the world champion, it’s not like I’m going to go fight somebody else and then get my credibility. I want to fight the guy that has about the same experience that I got and a guy that’s been on top of the game just as long as I’ve been on top of the game. I think our two names together make the most sense out of any two names in the heavyweight division.

They keep finding guys that don’t have near the credibility that I got in boxing, or even the name that I got in boxing. I come from the Olympics just like all these other great young fighters who are making their move to the top. I medaled in the Olympics, I was one of the stars of the Olympic games in ’96.

I want to fight Wladimir Klitschko, I want to shoot the real life Rocky movie for the whole world to see. I’m gonna be Apollo Creed and he can be Drago and we’re gonna see who’s the best. Two worlds collide, that’s what that’s all about. I’m gonna prove I deserve to be in the ring with him.

Jenna J: Do you think it’s more likely that you get a shot with Wilder than Klitschko because you and Wilder share the same connection to Al Haymon?

Antonio Tarver: No, that ain’t what it’s about. I know they want me to fight Wilder but I got my own dream, I want to fight Klitschko because that’s the guy that’s been champions for as long as I can remember and that’s the guy that has all the credibility in the heavyweight division.

I’m always about doing the big thing and I want to be as big as I can be, and beating Klitschko makes me bigger than life. That’s my goal, I don’t know why Al wouldn’t want me to fight Klitschko.

Jenna J: What were your thoughts on the May 2nd fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?

Antonio Tarver: You gotta be a smart fighter but at the end of the day, you gotta close the show too. A lot of guys don’t like to take a lot of risks in fights and they can get away and win like that, but it doesn’t work for all fighters. I could never win like that, I’ve always been expected to do more and with anything less than more, I lose the decision.

It works different for some guys, some guys can win like that and have won like that for a long time. I appreciate it because I know the art, I know the science of the game. I appreciate it but a lot of fight fans don’t, they want to see action.

I like the hit and don’t get hit but I like to knock somebody out too. I like to hurt my guy too, I don’t like to go twelve rounds, period. Anytime I can cut the fight under twelve, it’s a good thing. I like to close the show and I’m sure a lot of fighters do but you gotta take some risks to do that.

With a guy like Manny Pacquiao, if he’s hitting like everybody says he’s hitting, you don’t want to take too many risks because it could cost you. I think Floyd felt him out and pretty much did what he wanted to do and he handled him pretty easily. I don’t know how they can even do a second fight with how their fight happened, I don’t know if they can sell that to the public again, but you never know.

They say Pacquiao had an arm injury, I don’t know if it was a pre fight injury or if he got hurt during the fight. If he got hurt during the fight, then just say you got hurt during the fight. If it happened prior to the fight, he did the fans a disservice. I would have never got in the ring with a damaged shoulder, I would have never done it.

Jenna J: Do you think there’s anything differently that Manny Pacquiao could do in a rematch to have better success?

Antonio Tarver: I don’t think so. I think Floyd solved the puzzle, Manny couldn’t get to Floyd. Manny couldn’t hurt Floyd when he did hit him. I was surprised that Manny didn’t have as good of control of his footing as I thought coming into the fight. He was jumping up, off balance a lot, just flinging. He wasn’t setting traps, he wasn’t really thinking in there with Floyd.

You gotta think with Floyd, you can’t just be a physical fighter, you gotta be an intelligent fighter that has punching power and ability to box and counter punch. You gotta be a complete fighter and complete fighters are very rare. That’s what it’s gonna take to beat Floyd Mayweather. You’re not gonna get lucky beating a guy that’s so sharp like that, he’s not gonna leave no room for luck.

You’re gonna have to outthink Mayweather, you’re gonna have to set traps, you gotta run him into shit. You have to be unpredictable in there, you gotta change it up about five or six different times in order to win a fight with Floyd.