by James Slater – Most of us thought all hope was lost, and that exciting heavyweight powerhouse David Tua’s career had come to an end with a whimper and not a bang. This is not the case, though, as news has broken of how “The Tuaman” will get back in the ring this coming June 6th. Taking on fellow New Zealander Shane Cameron, Tua, now aged 36, will have his first fight for almost two years.
The clash with the 31-year-old Cameron, 22-1(19) has been a fight that has been in the pipeline for some time, only to have failed to materialise until now due to money issues on both sides. Now, with a guaranteed purse of $500,000, Tua will take on the man known as “The Mountain Warrior” in one of the biggest fights in New Zealand’s history..
In an interview with nzherald.co.nz, “The Terminator” spoke of how he intends for the Cameron bout to be the beginning of the remainder of his career, and that another shot at the world title is his ultimate goal.
Tua, 49-3-1(42) began by speaking about his June foe, Cameron.
“I have a lot of respect for him and he is one of the hardest working fighters I have seen,” Tua said. “I have a lot of respect for his heart – he is The Mountain Warrior and he comes to fight. There was nothing to prove before [against Cameron] but things are different now. While I’ve been inactive he’s been winning, done well, got a name and is a fighter I believe who has got the respect of the public here. And he’s ranked. If I am to have another serious run at boxing, I need to fight this guy, I need to beat this guy.”
And Tua feels he will win in June, and that then, hopefully in the future, he will be given another shot at the heavyweight title.
“The ultimate goal, the bigger picture, is to be blessed with another opportunity to fight for the world title,” Tua said. “Then, in four or five years time, If I’m ready to walk away, I can hold my head high and say I gave it my best shot. The greatest thing is I’m going to give it another go. If all goes well and things click, I believe this fight preparation will set me up for the next four years. I really believe that.
“Although I haven’t fought for a long time my passion and love for this sport is still there. What I have been through (managerial and severe financial problems primarily) has brought me to a good place, and I can describe this journey as one of peaceful brutality. It’s about looking in the mirror and asking yourself deep questions. Are you doing it for other people or for yourself? Are you lying to yourself? I’ve determined that I love boxing. I was born to do this.”
It will be very interesting to see what the power-puncher we all fondly remember has left. Tua SHOULD beat Cameron – no disrespect to the 31-year-old. If, however, he has become a faded force due to his long idle spells, Tua’s dream of once again challenging for a world title may well come to and end against his younger rival in the summer. In any case, it’s good to see that the Samoan-born slugger is ready to get back in the ring and see what he has left. What took him so long?!