Time for Tua vs Rahman II is here
By Steve Trellert
31.10 - The time for David Tua vs Hasim Rahman the sequel has come, and there is tremendous impetus for establishing the rematch now. Of course one obvious reason is the fact that the first fight ended on a note of high controversy. The original had Rahman far ahead on the scorecards, dominating the fight with his jab, when Tua suddenly landed a devastating left hook to the face. Rahman reeled back against the ropes slightly stunned and was hit by another that had just grazed him. Finally a third punch came that was similar to the first but it had arrived clearly after the bell rang to end the ninth round. Whether it was by accident or intent is unclear, but the damage certainly was not as Rahman was clearly shaken and wobbled back to his corner. In these circumstances the referee could have given "The Rock" up to five minutes to recover, but he erred in not doing so. By the time the tenth round began it was obvious Rahman was still discombobulated, and Tua characteristically finished effectively and walked away with the win. To this day Rahman supporters state he was robbed, while Tua supporters claim the Rock's failure to "protect yourselves at all times" implies defeat lay at his own feet. Nevertheless, the controversy continues and that is enough, in many eyes, for a repeat.
Of course up until now the respective fighters have not seen it this way, at least simultaneously. Immediately after the first fight, Rahman called Tua out for a rematch and even petitioned to enforce it. Upon deaf ears it fell as Tua, and others, evaded the issue and wisely, though perhaps dishonorably, chose to preserve the mandatory shot at the Heavyweight Championship instead. Why risk something you already have? In boxing though karma is no joke. Once Tua blew his shot against Lennox Lewis, his career took a turn for the worse. As Tua's fortunes ebbed, Rahman's stock grew exponentially. The next time Tua asked for the rematch and Rahman told him justifiably where to go. Whereas mandatory's or pride interfered in the past, the present provides too many opportunities to pass up, even where one's nemesis is involved. Rejection this time would be verging on foolish.
The first and most obvious reason is the fact that the IBF sanctioning body has declared the winner of the rematch between Tua and Rahman, if it occurs, the mandatory challenger to the winner of the Evander Holyfield vs Chris Byrd fight. The rematch, as the original, is once again for a shot at one version of the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Of course the IBF, like all ABC organizations, deserved to be derided for assorted shenanigans, but clearly the belt would bring extra dollars attached and that is the bottom line for many a fighter.
A second reason is the fact that virtually every other top ten Heavyweight worth considering as an opponent are either locked into a fight, or on the verge of it with another top ten (or borderline top ten) fighter. Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko, Holyfield vs Byrd, Wladimir Klitschko vs Jameel McCline, Mike Tyson vs Clifford Etienne and John Ruiz vs Roy Jones Jr. Even Kirk Johnson seems busy as a standy for either the latter fight, or the Klitschko vs McCline fight. That leaves Tua and Rahman two choices. Fight a lesser opponent and put your career on hold, or take on each other. With all of the others drawing swords, it seems fitting that they do as well. David Tua has a lot of momentum right now after wins over Fres Oquendo and Michael Moorer, to take a large step back now in quality would be unwise and risk a decline to mediocrity as had previously occurred before he fought Lennox Lewis (see my last article). For Rahman circumstances are a bit more dicey as he is coming off two successive losses, but then Tua could prove to be the perfect elixir.
Hasim Rahman's reasons for fighting David Tua now are based on the following: 1) David Tua has momentum. The last time Tua offered the rematch he was in a rut and a win for Hasim at that time would have added little prestige compared to now. Currently many are proclaiming the Tuaman's second coming, Rahman upsetting the applecart would certainly turn some heads and get him back into the top five and another shot at the top. 2) Rahman knows how to defeat Tua. Hasim has been there before and fought brilliantly against Tua up to the point of controversy. He kept his right hand up to block Tua's primary weapon, the left hook, while keeping him at bay with his strong left jab. It almost worked to perfection last time, and with a little bit more mental focus it is not hard to see it this time going the distance. 3) Hasim needs to prove that he can once again follow a gameplan. Rahman largely lost his fight to Holyfield by foolishly fighting Evander's fight. He could have been victorious by staying on the outside and using his long jab but instead chose to go 'mano a mano' by slugging it out with a slugger. It is a foolish choice indeed to fight to your opponent's strengths and against your own but that is exactly what Rahman accomplished. Of course some will say the head injury caused Rahman to lose and stop the fight prematurely, but really, knowing both fighters history of stamina, Holyfield has always been far less prone to fatigue that Rahman. Despite claims to the contrary, Holyfield would very likely have won that fight nonetheless, especially with Rahman fighting his style of fight. Hasim was basically outsmarted, his own confidence in himself convinced him he could outslug the slugger. With Tua he can once again prove to us he is an intelligent fighter who can follow a strategy to fruition. After all, when it comes to David Tua, Rahman not only already owns the blueprint, but also has practical experience in using it as well. A prime candidate indeed.
As of last week the Tua camp indicated they wanted to engage Hasim Rahman in a rematch. Tua needs the rounds, and Rahman will certainly provide that and allow Tua to prospectively demonstrate this is indeed his Second Coming. Now the boxing world awaits the undeniably most charismatic heavyweight in the world in Hasim Rahman. Will Rahman choose to rumble or reject, that is the question at hand. The heavyweight division now waits…and holds its breath.
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