By Eugene Carnachan — AGE: Tua – 37 next month l Cameron – 32 this month.
Cameron is the younger man by five years.
Will this be a factor in Cameron’s favour? Will the younger man have more zip in his game?
Tua physically has turned back the clock. But will the body clock listen on Saturday night?
PUNCHING POWER:
Tua has knocked out 42 of his 49 opponents. A knockout ratio of 80%.
Cameron has knocked 20 of his 23 opponents. A knock out ratio of 83%
On paper it would appear Cameron has the edge in punching power.
Cameron’s punching power is good.
Tua’s punching power is phenomenal.
Tua has fought a much higher caliber of opponent, including numerous title holders i.e. Moorer, Ruiz, Maskaev, Lewis, Rahman, Chris Byrd.
Tua’s knockout percentage is lesser then that of Cameron but knockouts are harder to come by when you move into the upper canopy of the heavyweight division.
Cameron does carry good power but is more an accumulative puncher as opposed to the one punch knock out power Tua possesses; especially his left hook.
EXPERIENCE:
Tua – 49 fights
Cameron – 24 fights.
As noted above Tua has fought fighters of more pedigree then Cameron.
Cameron hasn’t fought a single fighter ranked in the top 10.
Cameron has been the much busier fighter in the last two years having fought seven times.
Tua on the other hand hasn’t fought in the last two years and only nine times in the last seven years.
Experience wise it’s a no brainer. Tua by the widest of margins.
DEFENSE:
Cameron’s defense has at times been porous.
Much work has being invested in improving this aspect of his game.
Much of his defensive failings can be attributed to his offensive fighting style.
Cameron brings it when he fights and his approach is to wear down opponents with a relentless in your face swarming style.
Cameron doesn’t mind taking a few to give more. It’s largely worked for him bar the Ahununya fight.
Tua’s defense it too not his forte as a boxer. A lack of head movement, his height (5 ft 9) and his walk forward style has seen him take his fair share.
Tua too doesn’t mind taking a few to land one of his bombs.
Defensively these guys can’t be separated. They both have their failings.
FITNESS:
Noted fitness trainer Lee Parore did the initial fitness work with Tua.
Roger Bloodworth known for his punishing training regime has picked up where Parore left off.
Tua has trained the house down for this fight. He is in outstanding shape.
Cameron is a beast in the gym. He is hard wired to train and train hard. In terms of gym ethic Cameron is the equal of any boxer going around.
Cameron is in outstanding condition…but he always is.
Both fighters are primed and in the best possible condition they can be.
MENTAL APTITUDE:
Cameron is supremely confident his training regime will see him come out on top.
Cameron backs his abilities as a boxer/puncher and draws great assurance from knowing he can push himself in the gym in a fashion very few can.
Cameron’s mental aptitude is simply his greatest asset as a fighter.
Tua too is confident given the condition he has trained himself into.
Tua too knows not many can stand up to his punching power. He also draws great confidence from his family and faith.
Both fighters are incredibly confident they have the goods. In this respect they can’t be separated.
WHISKERS:
Tua has the best set of whiskers in the game. Tua has taken the best from big punchers like Lewis, Rahman and Ibeabuchi.
Tua has never in his pro career heard a count of any kind. That’s saying something when you’ve had 49 professional contests.
Cameron is once knocked out. He can take his fair share but has never fought fighters with the power Tua has.
Cameron has a good chin but does feel them. Much lesser fighters then Tua have stunned him and the very hand journey Friday Ahununya has knocked him out.
Cameron too has the unfortunate habit of cutting. He has had corrective surgery to try and fix this problem.
The better chin is undoubtedly owned by Tua. No question.
HUNGER:
Cameron is a hungry fighter. He craves success. Hence why he is such a war horse in the gym. If fighting were food Cameron would be termed a glutton!
Tua has come to the realization that he is on his last run to achieve his dream of fighting for and winning a title.
Tua’s career has been a famine in the last seven years. He knows it’s now or never re his career and this has made him fight hungrier then ever.
Dropping 31 kilos (66.1 pounds) is testament to that.
Litigation over the last six years has largely ground Tua’s career to a halt.
In that same time frame Cameron has being very active. Hunger wise if this were to be summated on the last six years it would be Cameron by a country mile.
However if this fight were looked at in isolation it’s patently obvious both fighters are hungry to put this fight in the W bracket.
Stakes are high given Tua is fighting for Cameron’s ranking and Cameron is fighting to keep them.
Hunger wise and for this particular fight both fighters can’t be separated.
SUMMARY!
On paper this fight is all Tua. Not even his inactivity factors against him losing this fight.
Tua has it over Cameron in terms of experience, power and whiskers.
Both fighters are comparable fitness wise, hunger wise and defensively (neither fighter’s forte).
The only marked advantage Cameron has is age. Will this be a factor? We’ll see on Saturday night!
Merits wise it’s hard to look past Tua. However this is boxing and Cameron is coming to win and thinks he can! And therein much of what makes this such an exciting fight!
Expect fireworks!