David Tua to make a call on his injured piston

08/12/201308/11/2013 Eugene Carnachan

tua432323 New Zealand based heavyweight David Tua (52-4-2) will make a call on his injured calf. That call is expected today and will be aided by an expert medical assessment that will determine whether his August 31st bout with Alexander Ustinov (28-1-0) goes ahead.

Ustinov when informed of the news was nonchalant, taking the news well in accepting injuries and boxing go hand in hand and there is little he can do about an injury to an opponent.

David Higgins of Duco the events promoters was equally as pragmatic in stating ‘if David Tua needs time to heal, then we will postpone the fight for, at the most, four weeks from the original fight date”

David Tua injured, fight with Alexander Ustinov still on

08/07/201308/06/2013 ESB

THE highly anticipated heavyweight clash between David Tua and Alexander Ustinov has not yet been postponed, promoter David Higgins said today.

Tua, who is slated to fight the giant Russian in their Hyrd8ZERO David vs Goliath blockbuster at Claudelands’ Arena on August 31, suffered a minor calf strain while training.

The initial professional advice from Team Tua’s doctor is that it is a Grade One tear – the least serious of muscle strains.

Mr Higgins – whose company Duco Events is promoting the Hyrd8ZERO David vs Goliath show – said Tua will continue to be accessed over the next few days.

David Tua vs. Alexander Ustinov on August 31st

08/03/201308/02/2013 Eugene Carnachan

tua432323 David Tua (52-4-2) is in training to fight the gigantic Russian Alexander Ustinov (28-1). The IBF has Ustinov ranked at seven the WBA ten. Tua’s career is on last chance lane a decade removed from fighting a world class opponent in Hasim Rahman. Tua’s much storied litigation against former manager Kevin Barry put his career on hold and he has only managed to pull the pig skins on twelve times in the last decade and that intermittency – it goes without saying – has not served his career well.

With Tua’s mental space preoccupied with both his legal mire and the following financial hole he has found himself in his focus has been askew.

Over the years Tua has offered philosophical assurances that he is back and ready to fight, but that sentiment was only evident in totality in 2009 when he blew Shane Cameron out of the water in two destructive rounds.

Povetkin stops Rahman’ Pulev stops Ustinov; Culcay defeats Thompson

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

By Marcus Richardson: In a fight that should have never been allowed to happen, WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17 KO’s) destroyed 39-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (50-8-2, 41 KO’s) in the 2nd round at the on Saturday night at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Rahman just looked shot to pieces, like a fighter that didn’t belong in the same ring with Povetkin due to his faded skills. In the 2nd round, Povetkin staggered Rahman with a left hook to the head that caused Rahman to staggered back against the ropes. Povetkin then teed off on Rahman with combinations until the referee finally stopped the fight at 1:46 of the round.

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Unbeaten EBU heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev (17-0, 9 KO’s) defeated the huge 6’7 1/2″ Alexander Ustinov (27-1, 21 KO’s) by an 11th round knockout in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator bout.

Rahman gets title shot against Povetkin tonight; Pulev faces Ustinov on undercard

09/14/201609/29/2012 ESB

(Photo Wende) By Rob Smith: Former WBC heavyweight champion 39-year-old Hasim Rahman will get getting a shot at the title against WBA World heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin in their fight at the Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, in Hamburg, Germany. A lot of boxing fans thought that Rahman had retired years ago after getting stopped by Wladiimr Klitschko in 2008. Rahman looked old and shot even then, and one can only imagine how much he’s deteriorated since that fight. But Rahman has been piling up wins over little known 2nd tier opposition and has now won his last five fights, albeit against WEAK opposition.

It’s hard to say why the World Boxing Association decided to give Rahman a #1 ranking because he’s done little to deserve even a bottom #15 in my view. It just seems unreal that Rahman can get the top ranking from wins over the likes of Galen Brown (35-16), Marcus Magee (22-17), Damon Reed (46-13), Shannon Miller (16-4) and Clinton Boldridge (9-15-1). This doesn’t boxing fans any good if a guy is given an inflated ranking and then tossed into the ring with a champion, even a fighter that many boxing fans see as a paper champion like the 33-year-old Povetkin.

You can’t blame Rahman for taking the opportunity to fight Povetkin after he was made the #1 challenger by the WBA, but you can sure find blame with the WBA for ranking Rahman so highly in the first place.

Unbeaten Duo Kubrat Pulev, Alexander Ustinov Set For September Clash In Germany

01/27/202008/02/2012 James Slater

By James Slater – “I’m ready now for a title shot. If my promoters give me this chance, I will undoubtedly accept it,” unbeaten heavyweight contender Alexander Ustinov, 27-0(21).

“Of course it is my dream to become world champion one day, and I’m confident my chance will come,” unbeaten heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev, 16-0(8).

An interesting and significant heavyweight clash between two highly ranked, unbeaten contenders will take place in Hamburg, Germany on September 29th. 35-year-old, 6’7.5” giant Alexander Ustinov of Russia will face 31-year-old Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, himself no small heavyweight at a little above 6’4.” The fight will be an IBF eliminator, and the idea is that the winner will go on to give reigning IBF heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko (who of course also holds The Ring Magazine belt, and the WBA, WBO, IBO straps) a good challenge.