David Tua

To'aletai David Tua
Statistics
Real name	Mafaufau Sita
Nickname(s)	Tuaman Tuamanator
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Reach	178 cm (70 in)
Nationality	Samoan New Zealander
Born	21 November 1972 Faleatiu, Samoa
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	59
Wins	52
Wins by KO	43
Losses	5
Draws	2

David Tua (born Mafaufau Sita; 21 November 1972) is a Samoan New Zealander former professional boxer, often regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights never to win a world title. Known for his brutal punching power, especially in his left hook, he scored sixteen knockout wins inside of the first round, which included knockouts of world heavyweight champions John Ruiz and Michael Moorer within thirty seconds of the first round, as well as late stoppages of other world champions Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman. Nicknamed the "Tuamanator", his fast-paced bob and weave pressure fighting style has often drawn comparisons to Mike Tyson. Tua's professional career spanned 21 years, during which he fought many of the best fighters of the era and challenged for the WBC, IBF and IBO world heavyweight titles. He currently resides in his adopted country of New Zealand, where he runs a boxing gym in central Auckland.

Amateur career

In his early career, Tua trained three days a week at a small gym in Mangere Bridge, under boxing trainer Gerry Preston.^[1] Tua became New Zealand national heavyweight champion in 1988 at age 15.^[2]

At the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships, he was surprisingly knocked out in the first round by three-time Olympic gold medalist Félix Savón. At age 19 he won a Bronze Medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He lost his semi-final to David Izonritei, whom he would later defeat as a professional.^[2] Tua turned professional later the same year.

Professional career

Tua debuted in December 1992 and soon became internationally respected for having one of the most devastating left hooks in world boxing and for his ability to end fights early and to dish out severe punishment. Of his first 27 fights, 23 were won by knockout.^[3]

Tua is known for his devastating knockouts. In his 1997 fight with Ike Ibeabuchi, the two fighters combined to set the record for most punches thrown in a heavyweight fight on record. Ibeabuchi won the decision, handing Tua his first pro defeat. Prior to the loss, Tua had devastating KO wins against future titlist John Ruiz (via 1st round KO, in only 19 seconds) and Darroll Wilson. Tua also beat David Izon and future champion Oleg Maskaev to set up the fight with Ibeabuchi. After the loss to Ibeabuchi, Tua took on future champ Hasim Rahman and stunningly TKO'd Rahman in the 10th round, a fight which Rahman had dominated up to that point. Rahman was stunned late in the 9th round from a punch after the bell, and never seemingly recovered, taking a pummelling in the 10th. The victory over Rahman marked the beginning of Tua's struggles with his weight. He ballooned up to 253 pounds when he defeated Obed Sullivan in 2000 by KO. Later that year, he weighed 245 pounds in the loss to Lennox Lewis. Tua was disappointing in the fight, with both fighters avoiding each other and Tua not throwing combinations. Tua lost a clear-cut decision.

Tua fought for the WBC, IBF, & IBO heavyweight titles in November 2000 - and went the distance in a 12-round bout - but lost on points by a wide margin to defending champion Lennox Lewis.

Following the Lewis loss, Tua regained steam with a KO over Danell Nicholson but lost by a close decision in his next fight to future champion Chris Byrd. In 2002 he beat prospect Fres Oquendo and demolished Michael Moorer in his next fight with a powerful shot 30 seconds into the first round, which put Moorer out cold. In 2003 he drew in a 12-round rematch with Rahman - and following the fight his career drifted into obscurity due to promotional disputes.

2005 comeback

Tua was inactive for over two years before he stepped into the ring on 31 March 2005 and bested Talmadge Griffis in a 10-round bout — ending the match and earning a TKO victory with 26 seconds remaining.^[4] Tua's next contest in October 2005 ended in a split decision over Cisse Salif with Tua dominating in the late rounds.^[5]

Tua defeated Edward Gutierrez by knockout in the fourth round of a scheduled 10-rounder on 26 July 2006. The fight was held at the Manhattan Center ballroom in New York City, and featured on ESPN2. Tua started slowly, scored a knockdown with his famous left hook in the second round, and put Gutierrez down for the count in the fourth round with a combination of two left hooks, one to the head and the decisive one to the body.^[6]

In November 2006 Tua defeated Maurice Wheeler in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-rounder by knockout. Tua ended the bout with a solid left uppercut to the body which immediately sent the howling Wheeler to the canvas.^[7]

Tua continued his comeback in February 2007 with a unanimous decision over Robert Hawkins in a 10-round bout. Tua ended the match being the aggressor and hurt Hawkins in both the ninth and tenth rounds with body punches, but was unable to end the match with a knockout.^[8]

Tua, looking in good shape and weighing in at 237½ lbs (his lightest fight weight since 2001), was featured as the main event of a Pay Per View show^[9] on 18 August 2007 in Sandy, UT and ended the bout quickly with a first round knockout of Mexican champion Saul Montana. Tua threw two powerful left hooks to the head that sent Montana sprawling to the canvas giving Tua his sixth win in a row.^[10]

Tua, again looking in good shape and weighing in at 234 lbs, fought the unheralded Cerrone Fox at the Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan on 7 September 2007. Tua made short work of his over matched opponent ending the bout at 1:41 of the second round.

While Tua's promoter, Cedric Kushner, stated Tua was scheduled to fight an opponent on 18 October 2007,^[11] the fight never materialized.

2009 comeback

Tua fought fellow New Zealander Shane Cameron at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on 3 October 2009 with Tua knocking Cameron out seven seconds into the second round to pick up the WBO Asia Pacific and Oriental Heavyweight titles. The promoters for the fight were John McRae and David Higgins of Duco Events. The fight had been scheduled for an earlier date, but was delayed due to Cameron having surgery on a fractured hand.^[12]

On 31 March 2010 Tua fought Friday Ahunanya, winning on points after 12 rounds. The fight promoters for this fight were again John McRae and David Higgins of Duco Events.

The Tua-Barrett fight had been tentatively scheduled for 26 June in São Paulo, Brazil. However, the fight was moved to 17 July at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City in a bid to promote David Tua's career in the United States. At 38 years old, Monte Barrett (34-9, 20 KOs) was viewed by some as an easy opponent for Tua as he had lost his previous three fights. The match was a controversial draw with Tua being knocked down for the first time in his professional career late in the 12th round.

Tua fought journeyman boxer Demetrice King on 19 March 2011.^[13] Tua defeated King by unanimous decision with the scores: 100-91, 100-91 & 100-90.^[14]

Tua's rematch against Monte Barrett on 13 August 2011 resulted in a unanimous points decision going in favour of Barrett. The judges scored the bout 113-112 115-112 115-112. Despite knocking Barrett down in the final round with a left hook/double right hand combination, Tua had a somewhat subdued fight up until that point. Struggling with range and accuracy he landed few effective shots in the early rounds, and Barrett was able to control the majority of the fight with his superior reach and a very effective jab.

In December 2011, it emerged that Monte Barrett tested positive for banned stimulant methylhex-anemine following a urine test after his 13 August points decision over Tua. Tua's lawyer, Blair Edwards, called for action against the 40-year-old New Yorker requesting the return of Tua's WBO Asia-Pacific and Oriental titles and the restoration of ranking points.^[15]

2013 comeback and retirement

In June 2013 it was confirmed that Tua was once again getting back into the ring. Belarusian Alexander Ustinov defeated him by unanimous points decision, following which he announced his retirement from professional boxing.^[16] Ringside Report were mixed in their evaluation of his career, referring to him as "one of the best heavyweights never to win a world title".^[17]

Titles and accomplishments

• Professional
  • 2009 WBO Asia-Pacific Heavyweight Champion
  • 2009 WBO Oriental Heavyweight Champion
  • 2002 NABF Heavyweight Champion
  • 1998 USBA Heavyweight Champion
  • 1998 IBF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion
  • 1996 WBC International Heavyweight Champion
• Amateur
  • 1992 Summer Olympics Heavyweight (– 91kg)
  • 1992 Oceanian Amateur Boxing Championships (Heavyweight)
  • 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships (Heavyweight)
  • 1990 Oceanian Amateur Boxing Championships (Heavyweight)
  • 1988 New Zealand Amateur Heavyweight champion

Outside the ring

On 10 October 1992 Tua appeared on the New Zealand version of the gameshow Wheel of Fortune. He asked for an "O for Olsen" (a reference to Olsen Filipaina) but this was heard by some as "O for awesome".^[18] He requested "P" when buying a vowel on the same episode.^[19] He was also heard to ask if he could buy a "constonant" during the same show.

From 1992 to 2003, Tua was managed by former boxer Kevin Barry, who also trained him from 2001. But in 2003, Tua ended his business relationship with Barry and financial manager Martin Pugh. Though Barry accepted his dismissal as trainer, he resisted Tua's decision to end their contract, which still had two years to go. In 2004, Tua's accountant learned that the boxer's finances with his boxing company, Tuaman Inc. Ltd., were tangled with company expenses; Tua no longer had most of his $NZ 20 million in purses from his professional matches, and important assets Tua thought he owned alone were anything but, including a piece of coastal land at Pakiri. Tuaman Inc. Ltd had business expenses flowing in various directions, involving companies and clients Tua had no knowledge of. Tua's own home was purchased with borrowed money, and the boxer's purses were linked to renovation costs for Martin Pugh's property. These findings were based on documents from Pugh's offices. Court action was inevitable.

In 2005 Tua took Kevin Barry and Martin Pugh to court over their business arrangements. Barry and Pugh accused Tua of manipulating them to collect revenue, yet Tua maintained that he knew little of the men's affairs and did what they told him to do out of trust. The dispute gave both sides legal victories: over the issue of the coastal land property, the court ruled in favor of Barry and Pugh, since Tua failed to properly clarify his ownership over the land; on the issue of the terminated 2003 contract, the court ruled in Tua's favour, concluding he clearly owed no expenses to his former management from that contract. In October 2009, it was reported in The New Zealand Herald that the parties had settled all previously unresolved matters arising from the protracted litigation.^[20]

In May 2007, Cedric Kushner, president of Gotham Boxing Inc. and Tua's promoter, filed a $5 million lawsuit against IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and promoter Shelly Finkel among others - and while the lawsuit is unrelated to Tua, Kushner has stated he will drop the lawsuit if Tua is given a title bout against Klitschko in 2008, which ultimately failed to materialize.^[21]

In September 2009 Tua lost an aunt in the Samoa tsunami. In early October he travelled to Samoa with cousin Va'aiga Tuigamala to see how they could help.^[22]

David Tua has two children, Kaynan (18) and Klein (20).

David has also opened up his own gym in Auckland Central(2015).

Records

Tua has won 29 of his fights without going to the fourth round; two of his fights lasted less than 30 seconds (he knocked out Michael Moorer in 30 seconds, and floored John Ruiz in 19), a record tied by only one other boxer, Jeremy Williams. At least two more of Tua's bouts have lasted under a minute, although full records of his early fights are incomplete, so he may have more short bouts.

In 2003 Tua was ranked 48th on The Rings list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.^[23]

While Tua received only one shot at a heavyweight title belt, he has won victories over fighters John Ruiz (two-time heavyweight champion), Hasim Rahman (two-time heavyweight champion), Fres Oquendo (two-time heavyweight title challenger), Oleg Maskaev (former WBC heavyweight champion), and Michael Moorer (three-time heavyweight champion).^[19]

In popular culture

• Tua is mentioned in an episode of the animated series Family Guy, when character Stewie draws Tua's likeness on a wall.^[24]

Professional boxing record

References

1. "Boxing: The fist that could win it for Tua". The New Zealand Herald. 11 November 2000. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
2. [Biography at New Zealand Olympic Committee]
3. "David Tua at". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
4. "Boxing: Tua too much for Talmadge Griffis". The New Zealand Herald. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
5. Archived 10 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
6. "David Tua Walks Through Gutierrez - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. 2006-07-27. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
7. "Tua stops Wheeler with body shot". Eastsideboxing.com. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
8. "David Tua tops Hawkins". Eastsideboxing.com. 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
9. http://www.pinnaclefitenite.com/news.php?article_id=11
10. "Is The Tua Man a NUA Man? Greenburg, Quillin and Williams all Victorious". Eastsideboxing.com. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
11. Tua wins again Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
12. "August likely for Cameron v Tua". Home.nzcity.co.nz. 1994-12-17. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
13. "Tua confirms next opponent". Television New Zealand. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
14. "David Tua - Boxer". Boxrec.com. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
15. Liam Napier (2011-12-01). "Third David Tua-Monte Barrett bout likely". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
16. Liam Napier (2013-11-17). "Tua's career over after unanimous loss". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
17. http://ringsidereport.com/?p=32307
18. Samways, Ana (17 July 2009). "O for Olsen". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
19. 20 things you never knew about Tua. BBC Sport. 3 November 2000.
20. "David Tua and managers settle". NZ Herald. 21 October 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
21. Klitschko vs. Tua? Kushner vs. Finkel?
22. Vaimoana Tapaleao (9 October 2009). "Be strong, have faith, says Tua". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
23. ""Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers", about.com". Boxing.about.com. 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
24. "Family Guy 5ACX05 Episode Script | SS". Springfieldspringfield.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-05-11.

External links

• Official website
• Professional boxing record for David Tua from BoxRec
• David Tua MySpace page

Video links

• David Tua highlight video with Tua Rap soundtrack
• David Tua highlight video
• Pinnacle FiteNite August 2007 Pay Per View Promotional Video
• David Tua KOs Saul Montana
• David Tua KOs Shane Cameron
• Family Guy Clip
• Tua "O" for Awesome
• 60 Minutes: Behind the scenes with David Tua ahead of his fight with Friday 13