There is nothing small about 5’10, 237 lbs New Zealander David Tua. Older fans may remember him tipping the scales in the upper 250’s in the good ole days.
Nice guy Tua is newsworthy today because yesterday he clocked an over matched Shane Cameron in two rounds for the prestigious New Zealand bragging rights.
I always say a fighter needs a story. David Tua has a whopper. With veteran promoter Cedric Kushner making a comeback of his own, these two can be knocking on the heavyweight door shortly.
OK, let’s not get crazy here. However, Tua is finally free of his former management problems that had him in mothballs for many years. This was his first fight in two years.
He’s obvious serious about his weight. He’s only 38 and he has the fabled left hook.
So what’s the problem?
In his only world title fight 10 years ago, he stunk out the joint. Champion Lennox Lewis was in his prime, vulnerable, but at his peak. His eight- inch height advantage and huge reach advantage didn’t give Tua a chance of connecting with a power punch. He took his beating like a man, but was reduced to just flailing his left hook occasionally. He got back in line for another shot and he’s still waiting and weighting.
Who does he think he is? Hasim Rahman or Oleg Maskaev?
And promoters are probably still paying that show off.
However, things are different today. We have three champions (Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko and Nikolai Valuev) nobody in America cares about. Guys like Chris Arreola are getting title shots and nobody seems to complain or care.
So why not David Tua? You can make a case. Geat record. 50-3 (43 KO’s). Put him in a heavyweight tournament with the winner getting a title shot.
If HBO is a little sensitive that rival Showtime has a popular super middleweight tourney about to kick off, why not go for it? Like I said earlier, you gave Chris Arreola a payday, so who are we kidding here about legitimacy any more?
Welcome back to the big show Tua and Kushner.
