DAVID TUA TO FACE RUSSELL CHASTEEN ON "FISTFUL OF DOLLARS"
20.11 - Highly-ranked heavyweight David Tua (41-3, 36 KOs), is back to the scene of his most recent triumph - a convincing 30-second knockout of former two-time heavyweight champion Michael Moorer last August 17 - when he returns to the ring in a special added attraction 10-round heavyweight contest on Cedric Kushner Promotions' Fistful of Dollars card on Saturday night, November 30, at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, it was announced today.
One of the most formidable contenders in the heavyweight division, Tua is ranked third by the IBF, fourth by the WBA and fifth by the WBC. His last two wins, the Moorer dismantling, and a KO of then-unbeaten Fres Oquendo, have Tua on the verge of a fight against Hasim Rahman for the IBF #1 position in early 2003.
Tua will square off against Russell Chasteen (19-5, 13 KOs, Louisville, KY) on the Thunderbox card. The knockout artist's dismantling of Moorer was just one of 12 career victories in Atlantic City, 11 by way of knockout. It has always been manager/trainer Kevin Barry's plan for Tua to fight again this year and keep the momentum going after back-to-back knockouts over Oquendo and Moorer. Having completed nearly 5 weeks of a 7-week training camp, David is in very good physical condition, with over 35 rounds of sparring already boxed.
The card will be televised live as a special holiday edition of Kushner's Thunderbox series on pay-per-view from the Taj's Mark G. Etess Arena. The show will be headlined by the eight-man, winner take all heavyweight tournament, where the champion must win three fights in one night to take home the $100,000 grand prize.
The round-robin tourney is divided into three explosive periods: four quarter-final matches with the winners returning for two semi-finals, and finally the championship main event. Each will consist of three-round bouts, so the maximum rounds for the winner will be nine. The participants include: Tim Witherspoon (51-11-1, 32 KOs Philadelphia); undefeated heavyweight Gerald Nobles (20-0, 16 KOs, Philadelphia); Olympic bronze-medalist Paolo Vidoz (11-1, 7 KO's, Gorizia, Italy): hard-charging Jeremy Williams (34-2, 31 KOs, North Hills, CA); Ray Austin (17-2-1, 13 KOs, Cleveland, OH); Maurice Harris, (19-12-2, 10 KOs, Newark, NJ); Anthony Thompson (17-1, 9 KOs, Silver Springs, MD) and Derrick Jefferson (26-3, 20 KOs, Detroit MI). The fighters have a combined total of 148 knockout victories.
"The heavyweight tournament is a most unique format, and the addition of David Tua will make the evening that much more exciting on an all heavyweight night," said Kushner.
The pay-per-view is priced at a very reasonable $19.95 and will be available on all P-P-V systems including In Demand, Direct TV, Echostar and Cablevision.
Tickets are priced at $100, $50, and $25, and are available at the Trump Taj Mahal box office, 609-449-1000, or by calling Ticket Master at 800-736-1420.
