I'm a huge fan of many heavyweight boxers, from past and present. I watch and admire them all, from Lennox Lewis to Sonny Liston to Jack Dempsey. But my favorite heavyweight fighter of all time is still fighting today, and strangely enough, he's never won the heavyweight title. His name is David Tua, and his career is at its final crossroads. He is scheduled to fight Monte Barrett in a rematch on August 13th.

Here is a recent interview with the one we call The Tuaman.

David opened this video by saying that if he can't beat Monte Barrett in their upcoming rematch, then he's going to retire. I'm glad he isn't being delusional. If he can't beat a limited journeyman fighter like Barrett, he has no way of winning a heavyweight title, especially given his old age and the Klitschko brothers having a seemingly permanent lock on the heavyweight championships.

Why do I like Tua? It's quite simple. He KNOCKS PEOPLE OUT. Brutally. And, I've always enjoyed the small guys with a big punch--Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, Mike Tyson, Jack Dempsey, and of course, David Tua. David's left hook was once the most feared punch in the heavyweight division, but does it still have the power to win David a championship?

I have my doubts. As I've said before in a previous blog, David hasn't had a knockout since 2009 when he massacred Shane Cameron in two rounds. He was also officially knocked down for the first time in his career last year against Monte Barrett. Tua's thunderous power and iron chin are evidently fading, which happens with age. I had mixed feelings about David's last fight, when he won a decision over an outgunned novice fighter named Demetrius King. Yes, Tua won the fight. He looked great, and proved that he isn't going to rely only on his powerful left hook anymore. In the fight, Tua was jabbing, working the body, and putting together effective combinations. But if he failed to knock out Demetrius King, how is he gonna knock out Monte Barrett? Tua failed to deck him in their last fight. Instead, it was Tua who found himself on the canvas.

It sounds like Tua knows what's at stake here and is serious. Barrett, however, is a huge threat to Tua. He knows he can withstand Tua's bone-crushing power, and he knows how to box him. Barrett has the psychological edge here. He won their last fight but the judges robbed him.

               My Advice To David Tua For This Fight:

Go to work!! Don't waste any time. Go out there and throw punches...lots of them. Fight like Rocky Marciano. Don't give Barrett any room or time to counter. Press him, stay low, and bang him in the ribs, the body, and blast that chin when he drops his hands. 

If Tua can dish out 3 minutes of severe punishment in each round, he could brutally KO Barrett, or at least win a clear decision. We need the aggressive David Tua who KO'd John Ruiz in 19 seconds, not the lethargic, lazy David Tua who let himself get schooled by Maurice Wheeler for seven rounds.

Some fighters adapt gracefully to their declining skills. Muhammad Ali managed to squeak out some impressive wins during his final years in the ring. When he lost his quick speed and reflexes, he still found ways to outsmart his opponents, winning against George Foreman, Earnie Shavers, Jimmy Young, and other boxers when he was long past his prime. An aging Joe Louis came out of retirement in 1950 to fight Ezzard Charles for the championship, and did pretty well despite losing the fight, even closing Charles' eye. In fact, Louis was on a roll until getting knocked out by Rocky Marciano the following year. George Foreman went 31-3-0 with 26 knockouts during his second career. Unlike these great fighters, Tua looked bad in the ring as he aged, although his power would bail him out.

Here is my prediction...I think the fight will pick up where the last one left off. Tua will start slow and eat jabs and combinations from Barrett, who will dictate the pace. Last time, Barrett got confident during the middle rounds when he realized he could take Tua's shots. This time, he already knows what Tua has to offer and how to fight him. I expect Barrett to come out with his guns blazing. I think Tua may get knocked out for the first time in his career. If he gets careless, he'll definitely find himself on the floor again. He needs to throw a high volume of punches--one left hook on the chin isn't going to cut it with Barrett. 

Tua will be 40 years old soon. The upcoming bout with Barrett is the biggest fight of his career,(disregarding the title fight with Lennox Lewis in 2000).

This fight ultimately depends on Tua's mindset when the bell rings. I'm rooting for him, but based on his recent performances, I think this may be his last fight. I hope I'm wrong, but that's my honest opinion.

David Haye lost to Wladimir Klitshcko last night, just as I predicted a month ago in my "Summer Fight Predictions" blog. It unfolded just as I thought it would. Haye was hopelessly outclassed by the bigger, stronger athlete. He had no idea how to get inside and be effective. Wladimir, meanwhile, was popping his jab and using his skill to make sure that David couldn't reach his chin. Now he has all of the major heavyweight titles except for the WBC Championship, which is held by his brother, Vitali.

This is not my first time correctly predicting a Klitshcko fight. I boldly predicted that Shannon Briggs would lose to Vitali last fall. And guess what? He did. Badly. Why are the Klitschkos dominating so much?

Several reasons. First, it's a weak heavyweight division. There's nobody around to give them a decent fight. And the Klitschkos train harder than everyone else. It's pretty obvious. They never run out of gas and can fight 12 rounds without difficulty.

Seriously, since Lennox Lewis retired, who is there to give them any trouble? Evander Holyfield is still fighting at the age of 48, and is the current WBF Heavyweight Champion. But both Klitschkos have stated numerous times that they will not fight him. I respect their decision. Why beat up on an ancient fighter from your childhood? That's like me getting into the ring with Mike Tyson right now.

This leads me to the man many considered the "savior" of the heavyweight division....David Haye.

David Haye was overrated and overhyped for years--Klitschko has finally exposed him. He was on a roll against lackluster competition, but folded when he fought a legit champion. Haye's journey reminds me of guys like Ray Mercer and David Tua; men who appeared to be almost unstoppable until they stepped into the ring with an all time great and got humiliated. Making things worse was Haye's excuse of losing because of his "broken toe." 

I knew Haye would lose, but it would have been better for boxing if he'd won. He'd have three titles, and after fighting Vitali for the WBC crown, one of them would be the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Now the division is at a halt. Wladimir has three belts and will not fight his brother to become the Undisputed Champion.

In my opinion, the Klitschko brothers are not all time greats. Don't get me wrong...the Klitschkos have talent. Like Lennox Lewis, they move moderately well for men over 6'5. But there's so many flaws in their robotic styles that would get them steamrolled by several of the great heavyweight champions of the past. For example, I see Rocky Marciano knocking out Wladimir sometime before round 12, and outworking his brother Vitali to get a unanimous decision or late stoppage. Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis both had the speed and the attack to lay out the Klitschkos.

Vitali is the more of the brawler between the two brothers. He has an excellent chin--he hasn't been put on the canvas yet. (He took some crushing punches from Lennox Lewis in their 2003 battle, and stayed on his feet) Vitali also packs a serious wallop. But, he drops his left hand after jabbing. He also has poor balance at times. But he has hasn't fought anyone smart enough to counter him or take advantage of these flaws.

Wladimir backpedals often, leading me to suspect that an inside pressure fighter would have an easy time forcing him against the ropes and landing at will. Someone like Joe Frazier would love a big , retreating opponent like Wladimir Klitshko. Wladimir also has an average chin--a soli could knock him cold if they get inside and catch him flush. It happened when he fought Corrie Sanders in 2002. But, no one is talented or clever enough to do it in today's heavyweight division.

The Klitshkos are being guided through their championship years by the genius of Emanuel Steward in their corners. Without his intelligent ring strategies, they would not have won the belts anc kept them this long.

And, there's no one around to fight them. The only fighters around who could beat them are too old to pull it off today. Of today's roster, I think a prime Evander Holyfield would have beaten both fighters. David Tua would have knocked out Wladimir, but would defeat Vitali on points or by late TKO in a slugfest. A peak Shannon Briggs may get a quick knockout over Wladimir, but loses to Vitali.

I never thought I'd say it, but I'm now a Klitshcko fan. I have no choice. I've got to respect them. But I guarantee you that if we could rewind the clock and put them in the ring with the heavyweights from previous eras, they wouldn't have much success at all.