David Tua


Faumuina To'aletai Mafaufau David Tua , best known as David Tua, is a Samoan-born former New Zealand professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. A highly ranked heavyweight contender for most of his career, Tua was known for his formidable punching power, especially in his devastating left hook. He scored sixteen wins by knockout in 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 world champions Oleg Maskaev and Hasim Rahman. Tua ended his career with a knockout-to-win ratio 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 "Tuamanator", 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 possessed one of the most durable chins of his time.

Early life

Tua said that he lived with four brothers, four sisters and ten other relatives while growing up. Tua said that his mother worked three jobs, and Tua said that his father worked long hours. Tua said that his father forced him to start boxing when he was seven years old, and Tua said that he is grateful to his father for introducing him to boxing.

Amateur career

In his early career, Tua trained three days a week at a small gym in Mangere Bridge, under boxing trainer Gerry Preston. Tua became New Zealand national heavyweight champion in 1988 at age 15.
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 defeat as a professional. Tua turned professional later the same year.

Highlights

Amateur career breakdown:
at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Barcelona, Spain
Qualified at the 1992 National Olympic Trials, Apia, Samoa
at the 1991 World Championships, Sydney, Australia
at the 1991 New Zealand Championships
1990 Junior World Championships, Lima, Peru
at the 1990 Oceanian Championships, Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
at the 1989 New Zealand Championships
at the 1986 New-Zealand Juniors Championships

Professional career

Tua debuted in December 1992. Of his first 27 fights, 23 were won by knockout.
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 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 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.
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.

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.
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, 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, 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.
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 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.

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. 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 gameshow Wheel of Fortune. He had asked for an "O for Olsen" but this was heard by some as "O for awesome". He requested "P" when buying a vowel on the same episode. 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.
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.
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.
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 popular culture

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
59Loss52–5–2 Alexander UstinovUD1216 Nov 2013 Claudelands Arena, Hamilton, New ZealandFor vacant WBA Pan African heavyweight title
58Loss52–4–2 Monte BarrettUD1213 Aug 2011 TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Auckland, New ZealandLost WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight titles
57Win52–3–2 Demetrice KingUD1019 Mar 2011 TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
56Draw51–3–2 Monte Barrett1217 Jul 2010 Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USRetained WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight titles
55Win51–3–1 Friday AhunanyaUD1231 Mar 2010 The Trusts Arena, Auckland, New ZealandRetained WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight titles
54Win50–3–1 Shane CameronKO2, 0:203 Oct 2009 Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New ZealandWon WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight titles.
53Win49–3–1 Cerrone FoxTKO2, 1:417 Sep 2007 Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, US
52Win48–3–1 Saúl MontanaKO1, 1:1518 Aug 2007 South Towne Expo Center, Sandy, Utah, US
51Win47–3–1 Robert HawkinsUD1022 Feb 2007 Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York, US
50Win46–3–1 Maurice WheelerKO7, 2:483 Nov 2006 Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York, US
49Win45–3–1 Edward GutierrezKO4, 2:5926 Jul 2006 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, US
48Win44–3–1 Cisse Salif1021 Oct 2005 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, US
47Win43–3–1 Talmadge GriffisTKO10, 2:3431 Mar 2005 The Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
46Draw42–3–1 Hasim Rahman1229 Mar 2003 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
45Win42–3 Russell ChasteenKO2, 1:4130 Nov 2002 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
44Win41–3 Michael MoorerKO1, 0:3017 Aug 2002 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
43Win40–3 Fres OquendoTKO9, 1:5413 Apr 2002 Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort, New Cumberland, West Virginia, USWon NABF heavyweight title
42Win39–3 Garing LaneTKO8, 2:3519 Dec 2001 Feather Falls Casino, Oroville, California, US
41Loss38–3 Chris ByrdUD1218 Aug 2001 Cox Pavilion, Paradise, Nevada, USFor USBA heavyweight title
40Win38–2 Danell NicholsonKO6, 0:3423 Mar 2001 Texas Station, North Las Vegas, Nevada, US
39Loss37–2 Lennox LewisUD1211 Nov 2000 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, USFor WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles
38Win37–1 Robert DanielsTKO3, 0:4721 Jul 2000 Regent, Las Vegas, Nevada, USRetained IBF Inter-Continental and USBA heavyweight titles
37Win36–1 Obed SullivanKO1, 0:513 Jun 2000 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, USRetained IBF Inter-Continental and USBA heavyweight titles
36Win35–1 Shane SutcliffeTKO2, 1:2023 Oct 1999 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
35Win34–1 Gary BellTKO1, 1:1917 Jul 1999 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, USRetained USBA heavyweight title
34Win33–1 Hasim RahmanTKO10, 0:3519 Dec 1998 Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Miami, Florida, USWon IBF Inter-Continental and USBA heavyweight titles
33Win32–1 Eric CurryTKO1, 0:4326 Sep 1998 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US
32Win31–1 Nate TubbsKO2, 2:1230 May 1998 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
31Win30–1 Cleveland WoodsTKO3 18 Apr 1998 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, US
30Win29–1 Jeff Wooden1010 Mar 1998 National Guard Armory, Pikesville, Maryland, US
29Win28–1 Jeff LallyTKO2, 1:0422 Nov 1997 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
28Loss27–1 Ike IbeabuchiUD127 Jun 1997 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, USLost WBC International heavyweight title
27Win27–0 Oleg MaskaevTKO11, 1:165 Apr 1997 Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USRetained WBC International heavyweight title
26Win26–0 David IzonTKO12, 1:5421 Dec 1996 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, USRetained WBC International heavyweight title
25Win25–0 Darroll WilsonKO1, 3:1020 Sep 1996 James L. Knight International Center, Miami, Florida, USRetained WBC International heavyweight title
24Win24–0 Anthony CooksTKO1, 2:2421 Jul 1996 Teamsters Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, US
23Win23–0 John RuizKO1, 0:1915 Mar 1996 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USWon WBC International heavyweight title
22Win22–0 Bruce BellocchiTKO2, 2:3913 Jan 1996 Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
21Win21–0 Mauricio VillegasTKO6, 2:5126 Aug 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
20Win20–0 Sean HartUD815 Jul 1995 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, US
19Win19–0 Dan MurphyTKO5, 0:3520 May 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
18Win18–0 Bruce BellocchiTKO1, 3:004 Mar 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
17Win17–0 Cecil CoffeeKO1, 0:299 Dec 1994 ASB Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
16Win16–0 Ken LakustaKO4 1 Oct 1994 Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, US
15Win15–0 Everton DavisUD1013 Aug 1994 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, US
14Win14–0 Lester JacksonUD87 May 1994 Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
13Win13–0 Calvin JonesTKO4 16 Apr 1994 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US
12Win12–0 Bill CorriganKO2, 1:175 Feb 1994 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, US
11Win11–0 Mike AceyKO1, 0:5626 Nov 1993 ASB Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
10Win10–0 Krishna Wainwright66 Nov 1993 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US
9Win9–0 Rick HoneycuttKO2, 2:1225 Sep 1993 Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York, US
8Win8–0 Larry DavisKO1, 2:1810 Jul 1993 Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, US
7Win7–0 Bruce JohnsonTKO2, 0:4422 Jun 1993 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
6Win6–0 Willie WashingtonKO1 28 May 1993 Houston, Texas, US
5Win5–0 Alfredo NevarezTKO1, 2:3523 Mar 1993 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas, US
4Win4–0 Howard KellyTKO3 27 Feb 1993 Showboat Hotel Casino and Bowling Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
3Win3–0 Lazaro Almanza3 6 Feb 1993 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US
2Win2–0 Lorenzo PooleKO1, 1:0814 Dec 1992 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, US
1Win1–0 Ron Humes1, 0:371 Dec 1992 Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, US

Awards and recognitions