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Mafaufau Tavita Lio Mafaufau Sanerivi TalimatasiRichard Hoffer (13 November 2000). "It Takes Tua to Tango". Sports Illustrated. Minute Media. Retrieved 8 December 2024.Lewis, Brian (19 August 2002). "Tua's in Line for Big Bucks". New York Post. Sean Giancola. Retrieved 8 December 2024. (born 21 November 1972), known as David Tua, is a Samoan-New Zealand former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. A highly ranked heavyweight contender for most of his career, Tua is considered by some to be one of the greatest heavyweights to have never won a world title. He was ranked by BoxRec in the world's top 10 heavyweights from 1996 to 2003, reaching his highest BoxRec ranking of No.3 in 1998. He was also ranked the No.1 heavyweight contender in 2000 by the WBC and IBF, leading up to his bout with Lennox Lewis.
Known for his formidable punching power, especially in his left hook, Tua scored sixteen wins by knockout in the first round, including knockouts of future and former world heavyweight champions John Ruiz and Michael Moorer within thirty seconds of the first round. He also scored stoppages of future world champions Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman. Tua ended his career with a knockout-to-win rate of 82.6%. In a 2003 article by The Ring magazine, Tua was ranked 48th on a list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Nicknamed the "The Terminator", his fast-paced bob and weave pressure fighting style has often drawn comparisons to Mike Tyson. Tua fought many of the best boxers of his era and challenged once for the unified world heavyweight title against Lennox Lewis in 2000. In his five professional losses, Tua was never subject to a stoppage and hit the canvas just once as a fighter, which occurred in the fourth-to-last fight of his career. He is thus considered to have one of the most durable chins of his time.Dettloff, William (9 January 2008). "David Tua's jaw of steel". ESPN. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
At the age of 19 Tua won a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He lost his semi-final to David Izonritei, whom he would later knock out as a professional. Tua turned professional later the same year.
Qualified at the 1992 National Olympic Trials, Apia, Samoa (Heavyweight)
In Tua's 1997 fight against 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 professional loss. Prior to this, Tua had scored devastating knockouts against future titlist John Ruiz (via 1st-round KO, in only 19 seconds) and Darroll Wilson. Tua also beat David Izonritei 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 TKO'd Rahman in the 10th round. 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.
The fight with Lewis was for the WBC, IBF, & IBO heavyweight titles and took place in November 2000. Tua lost on points by a wide margin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 on 18 August 2007 in Sandy, Utah 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.
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, Tua wins again the fight never materialized.
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-Monte 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 Demetrice King on 19 March 2011. Tua defeated King by unanimous decision with the scores of 100–91, 100–91, and 100–90.
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, and 115–112.
In December 2011, it emerged that Monte Barrett tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexanamine 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.
From 1992 to 2003, Tua was managed by former boxer Kevin Barry, who also trained him from 2001. 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 20 million NZD in purses from his professional matches, and important assets Tua thought he owned alone were anything but, including a piece of coastal land at Pākiri. 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.
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 favour 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.
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. Klitschko vs. Tua? Kushner vs. Finkel?
In September 2009, Tua's aunt was killed in the Samoa tsunami. In early October he travelled to Samoa with cousin Va'aiga Tuigamala to see how they could help.
In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Tua was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to youth, boxing and the community, having previously been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to boxing, in the 2001 New Year Honours.
In 1996, Tua was honoured by the country of Tuvalu, with a stamp commemorating the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States bearing Tua's likeness and name on it.
Highlights
Amateur career breakdown: David Tua Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : 12 April 2006.
at the 1992 Summer Olympics, [[Barcelona]], Spain (Heavyweight (– 91 kg))
at the 1991 World Championships, [[Sydney]], Australia (Heavyweight)
at the 1991 New Zealand Championships (Heavyweight)
1990 Junior World Championships, Lima, Peru (Heavyweight)
at the 1990 Oceanian Championships, Nukuʻalofa, Tonga (Heavyweight)
at the 1990 New Zealand Championships (Heavyweight)
at the 1989 New Zealand Championships (Heavyweight)
at the 1986 New Zealand Juniors Championships (Juniormiddleweight)
Professional career
Tua debuted in December 1992. Of his first 27 fights, 23 were won by knockout.
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. Tua's next contest in October 2005 ended in a split decision over Cisse Salif with Tua dominating in the late rounds.
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.
2013 comeback and retirement
In June 2013 it was confirmed that Tua was once again getting back into the ring. Belarusians Alexander Ustinov defeated him by unanimous points decision, following which he announced his retirement from professional boxing. 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".
Outside the ring
On 10 October 1992 Tua appeared on the New Zealand version of the game show Wheel of Fortune. He had asked for an "O for Olsen" (possibly a reference to Olsen Filipaina) but this was heard by some (and widely reported) as "O for awesome". He requested "P" when buying a vowel on the same episode. 20 things you never knew about Tua. BBC Sport. 3 November 2000. He was also heard to ask if he could buy a "constonant" during the same show.
In popular culture
Professional boxing record
59 Loss Alexander Ustinov UD 12 16 Nov 2013 58 Loss 52–4–2 Monte Barrett UD 12 13 Aug 2011 57 Win 52–3–2 Demetrice King UD 10 19 Mar 2011 56 Draw 51–3–2 Monte Barrett 12 17 Jul 2010 55 Win 51–3–1 Friday Ahunanya UD 12 31 Mar 2010 54 Win 50–3–1 Shane Cameron KO 2 (12), 3 Oct 2009 53 Win 49–3–1 Cerrone Fox TKO 2 (10), 7 Sep 2007 52 Win 48–3–1 Saúl Montana KO 1 (10), 18 Aug 2007 51 Win 47–3–1 Robert Hawkins UD 10 22 Feb 2007 50 Win 46–3–1 Maurice Wheeler KO 7 (10), 3 Nov 2006 49 Win 45–3–1 Edward Gutierrez KO 4 (10), 26 Jul 2006 48 Win 44–3–1 Cisse Salif 10 21 Oct 2005 47 Win 43–3–1 Talmadge Griffis TKO 10 (10), 31 Mar 2005 46 Draw 42–3–1 Hasim Rahman 12 29 Mar 2003 45 Win 42–3 Russell Chasteen KO 2 (10), 30 Nov 2002 44 Win 41–3 Michael Moorer KO 1 (10), 17 Aug 2002 43 Win 40–3 Fres Oquendo TKO 9 (12), 13 Apr 2002 42 Win 39–3 Garing Lane TKO 8 (10), 19 Dec 2001 41 Loss 38–3 Chris Byrd UD 12 18 Aug 2001 40 Win 38–2 Danell Nicholson KO 6 (12), 23 Mar 2001 39 Loss 37–2 Lennox Lewis UD 12 11 Nov 2000 38 Win 37–1 Robert Daniels TKO 3 (12), 21 Jul 2000 37 Win 36–1 Obed Sullivan KO 1 (12), 3 Jun 2000 36 Win 35–1 Shane Sutcliffe TKO 2 (10), 23 Oct 1999 35 Win 34–1 Gary Bell TKO 1 (12), 17 Jul 1999 34 Win 33–1 Hasim Rahman TKO 10 (12), 19 Dec 1998 33 Win 32–1 Eric Curry TKO 1 (10), 26 Sep 1998 32 Win 31–1 Nate Tubbs KO 2 (10), 30 May 1998 31 Win 30–1 Cleveland Woods TKO 3 (10) 18 Apr 1998 30 Win 29–1 Jeff Wooden 10 10 Mar 1998 29 Win 28–1 Jeff Lally TKO 2 (10), 22 Nov 1997 28 Loss 27–1 Ike Ibeabuchi UD 12 7 Jun 1997 27 Win 27–0 Oleg Maskaev TKO 11 (12), 5 Apr 1997 26 Win 26–0 David Izon TKO 12 (12), 21 Dec 1996 25 Win 25–0 Darroll Wilson KO 1 (12), 20 Sep 1996 24 Win 24–0 Anthony Cooks TKO 1 (10), 21 Jul 1996 23 Win 23–0 John Ruiz KO 1 (12), 15 Mar 1996 22 Win 22–0 Bruce Bellocchi TKO 2 (10), 13 Jan 1996 21 Win 21–0 Mauricio Villegas TKO 6 (10), 26 Aug 1995 20 Win 20–0 Sean Hart UD 8 15 Jul 1995 19 Win 19–0 Dan Murphy TKO 5 (10), 20 May 1995 18 Win 18–0 Bruce Bellocchi TKO 1 (10), 4 Mar 1995 17 Win 17–0 Cecil Coffee KO 1 (10), 9 Dec 1994 16 Win 16–0 Ken Lakusta KO 4 (10) 1 Oct 1994 15 Win 15–0 Everton Davis UD 10 13 Aug 1994 14 Win 14–0 Lester Jackson UD 8 7 May 1994 13 Win 13–0 Calvin Jones TKO 4 (8) 16 Apr 1994 12 Win 12–0 Bill Corrigan KO 2 (8), 5 Feb 1994 11 Win 11–0 Mike Acey KO 1 (10), 26 Nov 1993 10 Win 10–0 Krishna Wainwright 6 6 Nov 1993 9 Win 9–0 Rick Honeycutt KO 2 (6), 25 Sep 1993 8 Win 8–0 Larry Davis KO 1 (6), 10 Jul 1993 7 Win 7–0 Bruce Johnson TKO 2 (6), 22 Jun 1993 6 Win 6–0 Willie Washington KO 1 (6) 28 May 1993 5 Win 5–0 Alfredo Nevarez TKO 1 (6), 23 Mar 1993 4 Win 4–0 Howard Kelly TKO 3 (6) 27 Feb 1993 3 Win 3–0 Lazaro Almanza 3 (6) 6 Feb 1993 2 Win 2–0 Lorenzo Poole KO 1 (6), 14 Dec 1992 1 Win 1–0 Ron Humes 1 (4), 1 Dec 1992
Awards and recognitions
External links
Categories: Official Website, 1972 Births, Living People, Samoan Male Boxers, Heavyweight Boxers, Boxers At The 1992 Summer Olympics, Officers Of The New Zealand Order Of Merit, Olympic Boxers For New Zealand, Olympic Bronze Medalists For New Zealand, Olympic Medalists In Boxing, People Educated At Otahuhu College, Boxers Trained By Kevin Barry, Boxers Trained By Chris Martin, People From A'ana, Samoan Emigrants To New Zealand, New Zealand Male Boxers, Aiba World Boxing Championships Medalists, Medalists At The 1992 Summer Olympics
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