22.02.07 – By James Slater: Heavyweight powerhouse David “The Terminator” Tua takes one more step along the boxing comeback trail in New York tonight. David, now thirty-fours years of age and with a record of 46-3-1(40 KO) meets the durable Robert Hawkins, 21-6 (7 KO). Hawkins is a proven survivor, with a points loss to the huge punching Samuel Peter on his record to prove it. In fact, the thirty-six year old has only been stopped once in his entire career – against current WBC heavyweight champ Oleg Maskaev some twelve years ago. Tua, itching for another shot at the title, will want to make a statement by crushing Hawkins at The Roseland Ballroom tonight. And though the fight was only a matter of hours away at the time, yesterday afternoon David very kindly took the time to speak with this writer. Here is what he had to say.
James Slater: I appreciate you talking to me so close to your next fight, David. First of all, how did training go?
David Tua: Training went very, very well thank you. We did about seven or eight weeks in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a great camp, it was a very emotional camp in every sense. I had my trainer with me from New Zealand and we did a very intense boot camp style of training. And on top of that I had some very good sparring. Every day a different person showed up in front of me (to spar with) it was like paying chess – it keeps me thinking and keeps me on my toes all the time. Yeah, it’s been a great camp, I’m really looking forward to the fight..
J.S: What weight will you be coming in at?
D.T: Oh, definitely somewhere in the 240’s. What I would like to do, although not over night of course, is be at the 240’s all the time for my next number of fights. I feel at that weight I’ll be at my very, very best. So about 240-245 is a great weight for me.
J.S: Robert Hawkins then, do you plan to make a statement by knocking him out?
D.T: Well, you know, a KO would be nice definitely. He’s been around a while, he’s game and he definitely comes to fight and to win. I thank Robert for giving me the opportunity, I’ve been working very, very hard for the fight. If this should be a statement fight, then so be it. But pressure is something that can destroy a person if you don’t generate it into the right terms. So for me, this guy is a tough fighter and I’m prepared for anything. So as I say, a knockout would be great but I’m just looking towards going out and performing to the very best that I can be.
J.S: You’re probably the hardest punching heavyweight out there today. What is your game-plan, I know you want a title shot but is there any particular guy that you want to fight?
D.T: Thank you, thank you. To be honest with you, to be blessed with another opportunity to challenge for the heavyweight title and winning it is very important to me. But it’s one fight at a time right now. At the moment this is my title fight, fighting Robert Hawkins. But obviously this doesn’t stop me thinking and seeing what’s out there, you know. I like to give Oleg
Maskaev a lot of credit and respect because at one time, when he’d been knocked out two or three times in a row people wrote him off and said he was not going to make it. But it was his dream and he stuck with it. The only way for me to be where I want to be is to stay busy. It might take two fights, it might take three or four, to get the feeling back. It’s a feeling. It’s got to feel right and then I can go for it. In the next three or four years I’m looking forward to doing it right, or not doing it at all.
J.S: So you’re looking to fight regularly, at an active pace?
D.T: Definitely. I can’t expect myself to be the very best, or even to have a realistic chance in a world title fight if I only fight once every eight months. I can’t do it like that. It’s kind of frustrating because there’s been a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you know that kind of jerked the chain so to speak ( a reference to the managerial problems that forced inactive periods for Tua). But this now is the year. This is the year that I’ve gotta do it in. I’m looking at one fight at a time obviously, but I’ve got to be busy, I’ve got to fight every two months or every three months, I’ve got to be back in the ring.
J.S: The heavyweight division now, how would you compare it to how it was six or seven years ago when you first fought for the world title?
D.T: Respect is due where respect is due. My respect goes out to all these champions. I’ve talked with some fans and some do look at it like it’s gone down hill. I really don’t know, they (the current champs) aren’t as exciting as the fans want them to be, but they’re champions because they’ve fought for it and won it. Certainly what’s lacking in the division right now is that killer instinct, or, if I can speak honestly, the warrior factor. There’s obviously a lot of fighters but no warriors, respectfully.
J.S: And you really feel as though you’re going to stay around another three or four years. Is there still so much that you want to do?
D.T: I really, really believe so. The time that I’ve spent away from boxing for some crazy reason, with the managers I’ve had in the past, allows me to have a different love for boxing. I got to the stage where I started to hate boxing, I was starting to get bored. And even though I’ve been in the wilderness, the time I’ve been away has been great. It’s a positive thing that my body hasn’t taken a beating for two and a half years. It allowed me to look at boxing from another perspective and realise that this is what I really wanted to do. Do I still want to be a fighter? Do I want to be world champion? Do I have what it takes? These were the questions I was able to ask myself and answer during the time that I was away. Now I’m back on board with great teachers, because you have to have the basics. You can have the best left hook in the world, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the basics like the jab and footwork. I’ve found another love for the sport. I love everything about the sport now.
J.S: A lot of heavyweights do mature later, do you feel the best may still be to come from David Tua?
D.T: I really do believe so. I really believe I have a lot more still to offer. I feel that in my heart. I’m not just trying to sell a product, I’m not about that. The people that know me know what I’m like, what I stand for and what I believe in. I do my talking in the ring. It doesn’t matter what people say, real fighters know real fighters. The least I say the better.
J.S: Well, David, I want to thank you for your time and I appreciate you talking to me so close to your fight. I know some boxers don’t want to be disturbed so close to a bout, but you do sound very relaxed and I assume you’re gonna take care of business tomorrow.
D.T: Thank you for the opportunity. It’s not a problem. I’d like to say thank you to the fans for all their prayers and support from day one. Glory be to God.