We know all about the wrecking ball of a great heavyweight he was as a pro, but David Tua was also a fine amateur, as he learned his craft at a small gym in Mangere Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand, before he went on to win a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Whenever we fight, fans think of two things: a great heavyweight puncher and a heavyweight fighter who should have achieved more than he actually did; plenty of us think of David Tua.
It was a clash of unbeaten heavyweight bangers. Sluggers. Raw, hard punchers. Two men who knew how to inflict hurt, damage……pain.
If you are lucky enough to be Facebook friends with heavyweight legend David Tua (yes, it’s an overused word, especially these days, but this guy is worthy of its distinction), you will have seen how the former contender, who ranks as one of the greatest big men never to have won a world title, has been busily whipping himself back into trim physical condition.
David Tua really was a force of nature, a power-punching force of nature. Blessed also, as we found out later in the Samoan’s career, with a rock for a chin, Tua looked for some time like a future world champ.
A clash between punchers Mike Tyson and David Tua would have been, indeed could have been, one of the most fantastically violent heavyweight wars of the late 1990s/early 2000s.
David Tua gave us some truly special moments during his career: his absolute hammer and tongs war with Ike Ibeabuchi, his controversial stoppage win over Hasim Rahman, his icing of Michael Moorer.
“The Rock” and “The Tuaman.” Hasim Rahman and David Tua: two heavyweight juggernauts who, at their best, were capable of sending shock-waves through the division they both fought in.
Enshrined over the weekend at The Florida Boxing Hall of Fame, Samoan powerhouse David Tua had his mighty fists cast for immortality.
When we look back at their respective talents, it’s quite amazing to think neither Ike Ibeabuchi nor David Tua managed to claim even a version of the world heavyweight title.