By Luis Sandoval

Antonio Tarver worked out in Carson, CA for his upcoming clash with Cruiserweight powerhouse Lateef Kayode which will take place at the Home Depot Center and airing live on Showtime this Saturday night.

The fight is a classic case of youth vs. experience as Tarver is now 43 years old and Kayode is an up and coming 29 year old force to be reckoned with. There is history between both combatants as Tarver was a commentator for a couple of Kayode’s fights on Showtime and he was critical of his performances. Kayode took offense to that and has used that as his fuel and motivation coming into this fight. When Tarver spoke exclusively to BoxingScene.com he warned that Kayode should leave his emotions at the door as they could cost him in the ring.

“We know he’s an emotional creature and fighting me you better have your emotions in check because it’s going to be chess, not checkers. And we’re going to challenge this young kid in every way and every facet of his mental, emotional, spiritual, and everything. He’s going to get challenged in ways he’s never been challenged before” explained Tarver.

“He predicted a 5th round knockout and that may be true but he just got the [person getting knocked out] wrong. I know I’m going to have to discourage him early to let him know he’s in with a different creature. I can’t let him get any confidence. I got to get his respect early and that’s going to take me having to bite down and let him know I’m too old to run. I’m going to be right there”.

While Tarver will indeed pose the biggest challenge of Kayode’s career, he also feels Kayode will pose a challenge to him as well. Taking on a hungry, young and strong fighter like Kayode at the age of 43 will help Tarver gauge where he is now.

“I know Lateef is going to bring the type of challenge that I need at 43. I’m going to be able to measure myself and judge myself on this performance win, lose, or draw. I haven’t taken Lateef lightly. I feel this is a dangerous fight because he has the type of power that can change a fight with one punch” said the Magic Man.

The Magic Man Antonio Tarver is very much looking forward to this Saturday night and promises he will have a trick up his sleeve for Lateef Kayode.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.