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David Tua, Now Is The Time

7/29/2011

9 Comments

 
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.
9 Comments
geekster
8/1/2011 09:12:02 am

yep agree.. Tua is also my fav boxer. I think the best heavy weight boxer ever, to have never won the heavyweight title.
Tua's history though.
As much as I like and highly admire David and his past skills, he has lost the stamina that gave him the ability to still be throwing massive haymakers right up until the final bell.
And we all know when you run out of puff, you run out of power.

Combine that with massive height difference of the klitschkos makes it an impossible task for Tua to ever get that title.. He's done which is so sad.

What a shame he lost his best years trying to get back his missing $.

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A.J. Dugger III link
8/1/2011 04:57:23 pm

Thanks for the comment, man. I'm literally praying that David wins this fight. If he wins, then he has a chance of fighting Holyfield for the WBF title. Hopefully he wins at least one title during his career. But I'm really, really nervous about this fight.

How did you come across my blog, btw?

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geekster
8/2/2011 10:49:14 pm

I used google to email me any tua updates. It sent me a link to your post above.
I feel so gutted for David. To have done so much and yet to be left with so little, not to mention the massive debts he has hanging over his head.

Im with you totally, I hope David can at least take the WBF title. It would be Kali Meehan he would be fighting for that title.
I sincerely hope David has enough gas left in his tank so that he can retire with something to his name..
God knows he deserves it.

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geekster
8/3/2011 09:17:50 am

lol Dugger you werent supposed to post that last comment about my email.. not that it matters..

Doesn't it feel strange to even be having this conversation.
Tua of old would have knocked out Barrett, Friday and Demetrice with out too much effort.
Now here we are discussing whether he can even beat Barrett.
Even with the age factor, I think what has hurt David more than anything else is his time out of the ring.
As Mike Tyson once said, "it's the layoffs that really hurt you"

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A.J. Dugger III link
8/3/2011 05:39:33 pm

I agree. Sorry about accepting the email comment. I was half sleep and accepted everything. lol.

I agree that The Tuaman would have smashed Barrett, King and Friday in his prime. Tua 's weight and laziness gradually got the better of him after the fight with Ibeabuchi. Have you seen this? Ronnie Shields talks about how lazy Tua was when he was training him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-6bv2BHaSs&list=FLdfP_f4EBbmY&index=1

Ya know, I think David Tua would have beaten Mike Tyson had they fought anytime after 1995, especially if they fought between 1995-97, which was Tua's peak.

Reply
geekster
8/3/2011 09:37:42 pm

hadnt seen that vid clip before..
I had heard Tua was lazy in the gym but never really believed it.. You would have to wonder how some one that was at the top of the heavy weight division, could not take their training seriously.
I guess Ronnie Sheilds should know.
I wonder if it's a Samoan/Islander thing?
I trained with a couple of Islanders. One guy was amazing. In the ring he would have knocked me out in the blink of an eyelid if he wanted too..
He could have gone on to be a serious contender. Last time I heard of him he was round as a ball living on KFC and working as a bouncer. What a waste!
He could really have been somebody.. Maybe the next David Tua.

The other Island dude I trained with never even bothered training for his last pro fight. Just jumped in the ring for the fight with out any sparring etc. He got knocked out in the first round lol. Crazy bugger.

Tyson vs Tua. That's one fight I would hate to call.

I do know one thing, if Tua and Tyson were the height of the Klitchokos, and Lennox Lewis, then they would have dominated the heavy weight division right up to and past their prime.

Tua vs Tyson in their primes, now what a match up that would have been..

Reply
geekster
8/4/2011 09:18:46 am

gee I wish tua would stop talking in riddles. Sounds like his quality of sparring might be a big let down.
Local boys?


http://www.3news.co.nz/Tua-talks-Barrett-bout-and-boxing-future---full-IV/tabid/317/articleID/220819/Default.aspx

Reply
geekster
8/5/2011 10:21:05 am

one last comment from me.
I think there needs to be a height division in heavy weight boxing now.
It's just to unfair how it is currenty.
Valuev has no where near the skills of Tua or Tyson, but what could they do against such a monster? Punch him in the knee caps?

http://brokekid.net/img/Monster_Boxer.jpg

Reply
A.J. Dugger III
8/6/2011 10:01:01 am

Have you read my other boxing blogs? Scroll down and you'll see them. Boxing is the main thing I blog about. Check out the rest of my site when you get time. I'm a journalist and a lot of my work is here.

As far as a weight class, I'm on the fence regarding that one. You saw what Jack Dempsey did to Jess Willard. I'm sure you saw what Joe Louis did to Primo Carnera and Buddy Baer. Dempsey and Louis used to routinely destroy giants. If they were alive and fighting today, they'd easily run through the giant monsters in the heavyweight division. But unfortunately, no one today is clever enough to do anything with the giants.

Are you on facebook? If so, hit me up on there. It might be easier to talk there than through comments. Nice to meet you.

www.facebook.com/duggerman

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    A.J. Dugger is an Award-Winning Television and Print & Media Journalist.

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