Legends Only League Rumors: Former Boxer Gets Wish, Possibly Closer To Jake Paul Fight

KEY POINTS

Antonio Tarver should not take Frank Mir for granted despite his advantage in boxing
Tarver will be an interested spectator at Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event
Tarver could add spice in the post-fight of Paul vs. Askren

Former boxer Antonio Tarver is donning his boxing trunks once more. The 52-year-old reportedly will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in a 10-round boxing match, something that should be interesting to check out.

The showdown will be one of the undercards of the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event happening in Atlanta on April 17, Marc Raimondi and Ariel Herwani of ESPN reported.

As of this writing, the card is still pending since it has yet to get regulatory approval. Once that is cleared, Mir will make his boxing debut against the seasoned fighter, who previously played Mason Dixon in "Rocky Balboa."

Considering that this is a boxing match, there is no question that Tarver holds an edge over Mir. With a professional boxing record of 31-6-1, the 52-year-old owns wins over previous Mike Tyson foe Roy Jones Jr. and Glen Johnson. However, Tarver has not fought since 2015.

Mir, 41, has no boxing experience but has been known to be a competitor. He owns a 19-13 MMA career record and has faced the likes of Brock Lesnar, Tank Abbott and Roy Nelson, to name a few. His last mixed martial arts fight was in 2019 — a win over Nelson via unanimous decision.

But on that day, all the attention will be on the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren main event. The YouTuber is a favorite over “Funky,” although pundits are not entirely counting out the latter. Considering he will be there, expect “The Magic Man” to be among the curious onlookers.

It was previously reported that Tarver called out Paul and challenged him to face someone who has boxing experience. Tarver saw that vicious knockout of Paul on former NBA player Nate Robinson, someone the boxer-actor considered a complete novice.

At the time, Tarver also hinted that he would be returning to boxing action and called on Mike Tyson to make that fight happen. It was not mentioned, but this could be a step toward a potential Paul vs. Tarver fight.

Hence, Tarver has a lot to prove and needs to hurdle Mir first before thinking of Paul. Mir may have no boxing experience, but he is someone who would give the former boxing champion some trouble on April 17.