John
Matheson Sunday News
David Tua |
David Tua is one fight away from
redemption.
That’s the remarkable news as Sunday News today revealed
the Tuaman has signed up for a title elimination bout against
unbeaten American Chris Arreola.
The prize for the winner of that match-up is a money-spinning
date with WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peters.
It means Tua whose career has been cruelly hijacked by legal battles
will finally get the chance to try and land one of the belts he
last challenged for against Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Last night Tua’s New York-based promoter Cedric Kushner
met with representatives from US pay TV network HBO and was about
to ink the deal.
Arreola’s promoter Dan Goosen was also believed to be at
the meeting.
“Things are happening quickly,” Kushner told Sunday
News.
“The fight against Arreola could happen as early as September.
“The winner of that fight is guaranteed a shot at the title.
“I’m excited for David. If anyone deserves the chance
to fight on sport’s biggest stage again, it’s him.”
Tua has cancelled his scheduled fight in the Ukraine on July 12.
Kushner explained that the stakes were too high to risk an injury
so close to the Arreola fight.
It will mean Tua will go into the Arreola bout after a year of
inactivity following a combination of family tragedies and on-going
court action against his former managers conspired to keep him
out of the ring.
Tua, though, is unconcerned about not having fought since his
second round knockout of Cerrone Fox last September his seventh
consecutive win since his comeback in 2005.
Said Kushner: “David told me that he feels that if he gets
60 days training in before the fight he can take on anyone, anywhere.”
And Tua won’t be starting from scratch when he joins up
with his Arizona-based trainer Roger Bloodworth next month.
He’s been sparring with a number of local boxers in his
south Auckland gym in recent weeks and is understood to have again
acquired the services of the highly sought after personal trainer
Lee Parore to fine-tune his fitness before heading to the US.
“David’s in a very good place both physically and
mentally,” Kushner said.
“He’s been patient, waited for his opportunity and
now it looks like it’s here.”
Tua whose bout against Lewis in Las Vegas still rates as the single
biggest sporting event to appear on New Zealand television will
need to be at his peak to get past Arreola and earn the right
to fight for a belt.
Despite his inactivity, Tua is ranked 23rd in the world while
all four of boxing’s world governing bodies have Arreola
in the top 15.
The WBC ranks him as the No 7 heavyweight in the world and the
IBF has him ranked No 10.
Last week he took.
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