A fit-looking David Tua has lent his star power to Mea Motu’s upcoming world title fight against Canadian Tania Walters with a training session in front of the media at his Onehunga gym today and then threatened to steal the show by announcing that he would love to come out of retirement and fight Mike Tyson.
It seems the seed was planted by Tua’s appearance on a couple of recent United States podcasts, and the 50-year-old former world heavyweight title challenger, a man who fought 59 times as a professional and is much loved in New Zealand and Samoa for his deeds in and out of the ring, appears happy to nurture it.
“I’m taking care of my own health,” Tua said. “I’m not going to be disrespectful and call the man out. He’s an icon of the sport.
“But certainly, it’s a fight that everyone wants to see and a fight that never happened, could have happened, should have happened. We’ll see what happens.
“It would be a good dance, a nice dance.”
It would also be a lucrative dance and few would begrudge Tua a final payday or two.
Tua, who lost his only world title fight to Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas in 2000, is often described as the best heavyweight to never win a world title, and indeed was often compared with Tyson.
They are both relatively short - 1.78m (5 foot 10 inches) – and were hugely explosive and dominant figures in the ring.
Tua's record of 52-5-2, with a knockout rate of 72% compares well with Tyson's 50-6-0 and 75%, although the latter fought a higher class of opposition, including Evander Holyfield, the second fight between the pair in 1997 finishing in disqualification for the ear-biting Tyson.
Now 56, Tyson, a former IBF, WBC and WBA world heavyweight title holder who was involved in an eight-round exhibition “fight” against former four division world champion Roy Jones Jr in Los Angeles in 2020, a bout that reportedly made both men $US1million each and caught the imagination of long-retired fighters around the world.
Described as the “lockdown knockdown”, the bout was ruled a draw.
Whether Tua’s wish is granted remains to be seen but the man with one of the most fearsome left hooks in the business appears in excellent physical condition.
Tua's final fight was in 2013; a points defeat to Aleksandr Ustinov in Hamilton.
He said he was doing a “lot of walking, hill climbing, wood chopping, weights, a bit of everything.
“At the end of the day it’s about staying healthy," Tua said. "There are too many of our sports heroes who have gone too soon. That’s a reminder for me too.”
Earlier he did some pad work with Motu, the 33-year-old who will become the first woman to headline a Fight for Life boxing event when she takes on Walters for the vacant IBO super bantamweight world title at the Eventfinda Stadium on April 27.
“It’s cool,” replied the undefeated Motu when asked about training with Tua.
“Who would have thought I’d be punching David Tua? He’s definitely a legend, I watched him when I was a kid. Getting to hit him was amazing.”
Tua said: “She knows how to fight. She knows how to jab, she knows how to throw the right hand, she knows how to hook, throw body shots.”
Asked if he had any advice for Motu, Tua replied: “I think it’s like in any sports: keep it simple and do the basics well.”
Jerome Pampellone, a cruiserweight stablemate of Motu’s at Peach Boxing and who is fighting on the undercard, added: “This is the first time I’ve been to his gym and the first time I’ve had the opportunity to do pads with him. It was a surreal feeling. I’m grateful, it was a cool experience.
“He’s a legend, so to get a chance to spend time with him was awesome. A lot of us look up to David.”
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