The 45 year-old ‘Magic Man’ dominated Sheppard, putting him on the canvas three times in the fourth to claim the interim NABA heavyweight belt and move on to bigger opponents in the future.
Following his move up from cruiserweight this year, veteran Tarver is targeting one final world title shot in 2014 before hanging up his gloves for good.
On the undercard, WBA number one-ranked contender Luis Ortiz moved closer to a possible shot at the all-reigning Wladimir Klitschko with a first round knockout with over Alex Gonzales.
The 34 year-old Cuban took just two minutes to record his 17th career stoppage, sealing his 20th victory in the process and impressing on what was his debut under the Golden Boy banner.
Also on the at the BB&t Center in Florida, Domini Breazeale and Randy Caballero kept up their unbeaten record with respective early wins over Keith Barr and Jessy Cruz, whilst Thomas Williams Jr. moved to 15-0 with a dominant win over former world title challenger Yusaf Mack.
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