Antonio Tarver's life story began in Florida's inner-city slums, went via the Atlanta Olympics to Las Vegas, where he proved he was the world's best light-heavyweight, and then to Hollywood, where he became a star of the screen. But the movie career is on hold; he wants to be a champion again.

Tomorrow, at the St Pete Times Forum here, Tarver, 39, who calls himself “The Magic Man”, takes a big step towards proving he still has it in the ring when he challenges Clinton Woods, 35, from Sheffield, for the Briton's IBF light-heavyweight title. But, as Woods has been reminding him, this is no longer a movie, it's real life.

“Woods is going to come to fight,” Tarver said. “I'm not fighting a pushover, he's fought the best and I've fought the best. I'm going to rely on my defence to make this guy miss, and when he misses, I'm going to make him pay.”

Tarver's greatest moment in the ring came in 2005, when he beat Roy Jones Jr, a rival since junior days and rated the best boxer of his generation, some say of all time. It was the night he stepped out of Jones's shadow.

As Tarver and Jones stood face to face, Tarver, who six months earlier had lost a controversial decision to his nemesis, took the chance for a final word: “What's your excuse going to be this time, Roy?” It had a sense of the dramatic that appealed to Sylvester Stallone, which was added to when Tarver won. Stallone was planning the comeback of his own pugilistic hero in Rocky Balboa and cast Tarver as Rocky's opponent, Mason “The Line” Dixon.

Tarver had to bulk up more than 4st from his boxing weight of 12st 7lb and he blames the battle of getting those pounds off for the lethargic performance that led to him losing to Bernard Hopkins in 2006.

“I was a shell of myself,” Tarver said. “I left it on the road, I left it in the gym. Wherever I left it, it sure didn't turn up in Atlantic City that night.” In two victories since losing to Hopkins, Tarver still has to convince, but the Tampa native says he is in great shape. “How many 39-year-old fighters are as smart and as fresh as me?” he said. “I know a lot that are younger than me that are retired because the just can't do it. They're washed up. There's a reason why God has preserved me.

“Right now I have my sights on being undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world, nothing else matters. I'm looking at reclaiming what is mine and that's all those belts. If I hadn't given up these belts, I would have nothing to go at. This is how the script is written.” And Tarver is good at working to a script.

Woods v Tarver is live on Setanta Sports 1 at 2am on Sunday.

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