Woods failed to ask questions of his older opponent

Clinton Woods may quit boxing after losing his IBF light-heavyweight title in desperately disappointing fashion to home favourite Antonio Tarver in Tampa.

The Sheffield man was easily outpointed 116-112, 117-111, 119-109 and failed to drain Tarver's questionable stamina.

"I fought the best light-heavyweight in the world," said the 35-year-old.

"I'm happy with my career but I don't know if I'll stop. I've done everything I wanted to do... maybe I have something left."

The defeat now looks to have scuppered any chance of a British super-fight between Woods and Joe Calzaghe later in the year.

Woods came into the fight insisting he was fitter and hungrier than ever but never got going and cut a dejected figure at the final bell after losing a contest to a 39-year-old fighter who is clearly past his best.

The night had started badly for the Briton and got progressively worse as Tarver, despite clearly gasping for breath between rounds, was allowed to dictate the fight and cruise home to victory.

Instead of pressing from the start, Woods sat back and a left uppercut from Tarver was the only punch of a note in a cagey first round, while Woods' workrate barely improved for the second.

Woods was implored by his corner to pick up the pace for round three but he found it hard to find any fireworks with Tarver looking composed off the back foot and countering well.

The largely lackadaisical Tarver did land a flush left in the fourth and continued to look a little too clever for Woods, who pushed forward but without reward.

Tarver then stepped it up in the fifth which he dominated, landing two excellent counter-attacking rights and warming to his task as he dominated the sixth to leave Woods bleeding around his nose.

Although Woods landed a decent right hand at the start of the seventh, he was bereft of ideas and failed to wobble slippery Tarver.

Boos rang out around the arena during a dull eighth round in which Woods lack of activity was matched by a sluggish effort on the part of Tarver.

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Tarver was visibly gasping on his stool in between rounds but frustratingly Woods could not test his stamina, while Tarver was allowed to score at will and take round after round.

In the final throes of a disappointing fight Woods also tired, enabling Tarver to finish strongly, clattering home two big lefts in the penultimate round which briefly prompted Woods to wade in for the first time.

After more sustained punishment in the final round Woods slumped back to his corner and waited for the inevitable verdict after the biggest fight of his career.

"I'll go home, see my wife and play with my kids and make the decision [on my future]," he said.

"I'm just a skinny boy from Sheffield and I never dreamed of things like this. All credit to Tarver, he did a fantastic job."