If Frank
Mir is going to showcase his skills in the Sweet Science on
April 17, it won’t be against Antonio Tarver.
The Georgia Athletic Commission denied Tarver a license to fight
Mir on the undercard of the Triller Promotions event that is
headlined by a boxing match between former Bellator champion
Ben
Askren and social media personality Jake Paul.
ESPN was first to report the news.
According to commission executive director Steve Woodruff, Tarver
was denied a license because state bylaws dictate that anyone 50 or
older must have 10 professional fights on their record with in the
last 10 years, “including at least four professional matches or
contests of boxing in the immediately preceding four years.” The
52-year-old Tarver has fought just five times in 10 years and not
at all in the past six. Tarver won multiple champions at light
heavyweight over the course of his career while compiling a 31-6-1
record.
Triller has proposed former IBF cruiserweight champion Steve
Cunningham as a replacement opponent for Mir. The 44-year-old
Cunningham has not fought since losing to Andrew Tabiti in August
2017. The new bout is still pending until Cunningham submits
medicals to the commission.
Mir, 41, will be making his pro boxing debut if the new bout holds
up. The former UFC heavyweight champion last competed in MMA in
October 2019, when he snapped a four-bout losing streak with a
unanimous decision over Roy Nelson at
Bellator 231.