Date: Wed, Dec 8, 2004, 7:50am (MST-1) Vitali Klitschko vs. Danny Williams /
Preview By Tarver and Johnson

---For Immediate Release---
 
ANTONIO TARVER AND GLEN JOHNSON
BREAK DOWN
VITALI KLITSCHKO vs. DANNY WILLIAMS
 175-POUND STANDOUTS TO ENGAGE IN THEIR OWN SUPERFIGHT
DECEMBER 18 STAPLES CENTER, LIVE ON HBO
 
LOS ANGELES, December 8th - On Saturday, December 18, live from the STAPLES
Center in Los Angeles, Antonio Tarver will face Glen Johnson in a 12 round
championship bout that will determine, once and for all, who is the best
175-pound fighter in the world.
 
Both Tarver and Johnson took time out of their busy training schedules this week
to break down Saturday's heavyweight championship showdown between champion
Vitali Klitschko and hard-hitting challenger Danny Williams.  Here's what the
two best light heavyweights in the world had to say about Klitschko-Williams:
 
The Breakdown
 
Antonio Tarver – "They're setting the stage for Klitschko to go on to be a big
superstar in the game of boxing.  I think it's a risky fight for him, but if he
has trained properly and is on his P's and Q's, he should win this fight.  But
we know Danny Williams can take a punch and the Klitschko chin is still
suspect.  We'll see what happens."
 
Glen Johnson – "We all know that the Klitschkos are big and strong guys, but
they have a work ethic where they work and exhaust themselves.  If you can stay
in there and work a few rounds and let them punch themselves out, between rounds
four and five you're gonna start getting to them.  Williams showed that he could
take the punishment and I don't think Klitschko hits any harder than a Mike
Tyson.  If he can weather the storm he has a chance to do something. I do give
Williams a chance but I still think Klitschko might win the fight.  I don't have
a big favorite in that fight."
 
Thoughts on Danny Williams, who entered into the consciousness of fight fans
with his recent knockout of Mike Tyson
 
Antonio Tarver – "Danny Williams is a guy right now who feels that he's on top
of the world.  He just beat Mike Tyson in emphatic fashion and now he has the
opportunity to capture what everybody out there would want – the true
heavyweight championship of the world." 
 
Glen Johnson – "Williams showed a good chin when he fought Mike Tyson because he
got cracked a few times and he didn't go.  So he showed heart and the ability to
take a punch, which are the two things you need to beat Klitschko."
 
The Intangibles
 
Danny Williams comes into this fight as an underdog, much like he did against
Tyson.  The British contender believes he fights better with no pressure.  Is it
easier for a fighter to enter a fight as an underdog? 
 
Antonio Tarver – "For some fighters it is.  On December 18 it will be my first
time stepping in as the so-called favorite, but I haven't changed one bit.  I
don't see all that, I don't get wrapped up in the media and I know what I am
within.  It's important that I stay grounded.  You can't get a big head."
 
Glen Johnson – "It depends on the mindset the fighter has.  For me there's no
less pressure or more pressure being the underdog because my aim is always the
same, and it's to win.  If the fighter stepping in the ring has the same goal
then the pressure is going to remain the same.  I guess it depends on the
person."
 
The Picks
 
Antonio Tarver
Klitschko, but believes Williams is a live underdog.
 
Glen Johnson
On the fence.
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Tickets for Tarver-Johnson, priced at $25, $50, $125, and $250 are available
now at STAPLES Center Box Office (open 9am to 6pm Monday through Saturday)
and Team LA at Universal City Walk or by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232. 
Tickets are also available online at www.ticketmaster.com.  For group sales,
please call 1-866-LA-GROUP. Tarver-Johnson, which is presented by Joe
DeGuardia's Star Boxing, in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions, will be
televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.