by James Slater – A few hours ago in New Zealand, former heavyweight title challenger David Tua made a brutal return to the ring after a two year absence, as he destroyed rival and countryman Shane Cameron inside two short rounds. Dubbed “The Fight of The Century” in New Zealand, the fight turned out to be anything but as 37-year-old Tua, despite his layoff, proved way too good, way too powerful and way too quick for “The Mountain Warrior.”
Tua, who is now 50-3-1(43) scored two knockdowns in the opening round. Unleashing bombs with both hands, Tua sent the 31-year-old reeling. Barely making it out of the round, Cameron, now 23-2(20) was under more fierce pressure in the 2nd-round, as Tua refused to let him off the hook. Stopping the action, referee Bruce McTavish awarded Tua the TKO win..
Thought by a good many people to be a fight that either guy could win, the heavyweight rumble wound up being a mismatch. Tua, looking fit and trim at just over 237-pounds, proved he has lost none of his power. The question is, how far can the exciting slugger go in this latest comeback? If he stays active, there could be a number of intriguing fights out there for the Samoan.
After the fight, Tua said he felt great and that he believes his career is well and truly back on track.
“I know I’ve lost a lot of weight and I think a lot of people have said I lost my speed,” Tua told The New Zealand Herald. “Now I believe I have just started my career, if anything. So it was important for me to win this fight and win it well.”
Hopefully, Tua’s legal problems with former manager Kevin Barry are now over with and “The Terminator” can get back to doing what he does best – fight – on a regular basis. Even at 37 (Tua turns 38 in November) Tua could become a factor in the heavyweight division once again. Think how thrilling it would be, if he can get a couple more decent wins under his belt, for Tua to go in with the likes of Chris Arreola, David Haye or even Shannon Briggs! There could well be some fine entertainment to come from Tua yet.
As for Cameron, who was not really given much of a chance to get into the fight, his confidence will likely have taken a real hit. Who knows if he can come back. Tua, though, is back!