By Coach Tim Walker – Ask yourself this question: Why not Tua? I did and I haven’t come up with an answer. In virtually every professional sport modern day athletes, including boxers, are showing an increased ability as a whole to compete well into their 30s and 40s. Vitali Klitschko is 38. His younger brother is 33. Juan Carlos Gomez is 36. John Ruiz is 37. Living legend Evander Holyfield is 47. This is due in part to scientific advances that allow athletes bodies to recuperate and recover, certain individual physical and genetic traits, extraordinary training methods and a sheer desire to prove oneself against the world’s best.
In this spirit, again I say, why not David Tua? He isn’t a fly by night athlete. He isn’t a scrub or a setup fighter. He has been involved in the sport of boxing for nearly 25 years winning his first heavyweight national amateur championship back in 1988 when he, at the age of only 15, won the New Zealand Amateur Title. Plainly, he always comes to fight even on that rare occasion when he is outgunned..
There are far too many examples of older athletes performing well to suggest that there is a definite time for a professional boxer to put away his boxing gloves. Especially one of Tua’s caliber. Have we somehow forgotten the monster of a showing that he and Ike Ibeabuchi put on back in 97? That fight resulted in a very close decision going Ike’s way. Has the demolition of David Izon in the 12th round slipped our minds? Do we remember the amazing devastating first round knock outs of Michael Moorer, John Ruiz and Obed Sullivan that Tua produced? Did we forget that he was the first fighter to knock out Hasim Rahman? We should not forget.
I understand where a lot of you are coming from. In the big show he didn’t live up to the pre-banner hype surrounding him. Yes he lost to Chris Byrd, Lennox Lewis and Ibeabuchi but consider those losses closely. He has only been outclassed once and that was by Lewis, who by the way outclassed nearly everyone he fought. So again why not Tua?
After a two year layoff he came back against hard hitting countryman Shane Cameron and, for lack of more descriptive term, destroyed him. The same Cameron who many thought was too much for Tua. Who many thought would thoroughly outbox and out-slick the Tua-man. He knocked him down twice in the first round and then knocked him out in the second. Put Cameron into perspective also. He was absolutely on the rise and being considered worthy by many as a legitimate challenger to a heavyweight title. He wasn’t a bum fighter he was just beat by a better fighter, Tua.
Why not Tua? He has never, read this carefully, never-ever been knocked out and never touched the canvas as a pro. Put that into perspective also. 53 pro fights! He has never-ever not even once been knocked down. Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis, who he lost to and are considered excellent former world champions, have been knocked out 4 times and 2 times respectively. Why not Tua?
I haven’t come up with a reason. I’m sure, other than maybe the suggestion that he is past his prime, that many of you won’t be able to come up with a valid reason either. He’s in good condition, he still has the hunger to box and obviously still has his best boxing attributes safely tucked away in his back pocket. I haven’t discovered a valid enough reason to suggest it’s time for him to officially hang them up. Until you do I say: Why not David Tua? Stay on the wave Tua. I’m riding with you.
Note: David Tua is scheduled to face good jabbing Bruce Seldon on February 7, 2010 in Atlantic City.
Coach Tim Walker is a contributing writer for Eastsideboxing.com and his own blog at boxing4life.blogspot.com. For questions, comments or to suggest fighters for Weekly Stud or The Prospect please contact him at tpwalker@hotmail.com.