The moment of truth arrives for Clinton Woods tonight. If he beats Antonio Tarver at the St Pete Times Forum, he will be remembered as a truly great British world champion; lose and he will be seen as just another lucky one.

Woods, 35, has held the IBF title for three years but is best remembered in the United States for his defeat by Roy Jones Jr in 2002. However, overcoming Tarver, who has beaten Jones twice, in his home city would erase that memory and boost his claim to being the world's No1 light-heavyweight and the best Briton in the division since John Conteh in the 1970s.

“This is what I've wanted,” Woods said. “I don't want to be known as a fighter who came to America for two massive fights and lost both.” But Woods is a different man from the one who lost in six rounds to Jones. His skills, confidence and physique have developed hugely in those six years. “I watched the Jones fight a couple of months ago and couldn't believe the shape of my body,” he said. “For some daft reason I was wearing short shorts and my legs looked like they belonged to Stan Laurel.”

Tarver is the favourite, but at 39 he has had to tell everyone that he can reach his form of old. The wins over Jones and one over Glen Johnson, who boxed Woods three times, led to a role opposite Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa. He has not looked the same in three bouts since, including a defeat by Bernard Hopkins, who faces Joe Calzaghe next weekend.

“I have to take him somewhere he doesn't like,” Woods said. “The first three or four rounds will be very tough. After that I'll start pushing him back and getting on top. He looks in great shape, but he hasn't looked good in his last two fights. I'm here in Tarver's backyard because I wanted to fight him - I didn't have to. Everyone talks about him being the best light-heavyweight, so it's up to me to prove otherwise.”

Woods, though, is in better shape than he has been for some time, after surgery on his elbows in the past two years led to lengthy spells of inactivity. Chad Dawson defends his WBC title against Johnson on tonight's bill, setting up a likely unification bout for the two winners. Or Woods could face Calzaghe, if the Welshman does indeed beat Hopkins in Las Vegas.

“People are saying that I'll fight Calzaghe after this one, but we will have to wait and see,” Woods said. “I'm told I could earn millions if that fight comes off. I've no idea what I would do with money like that. I've not thought about it, though. I'll beat Tarver and then see what happens.”

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