Every time we battle, followers consider two issues: a fantastic heavyweight puncher and a heavyweight fighter who ought to have achieved greater than he truly did; loads of us consider David Tua. It’s been nearly 11 years because the highly effective (see lethally so), stocky Samoan fought, and it was precisely 15 years in the past in the present day when “The Tuaman” scored his final knockout. And what a chilling show of brutal punching it was on today in 2009.
Dubbed “The Battle of the Century,” the all-Kiwi showdown between Tua and Shane Cameron was a battle that was years within the making, but was over in a veritable flash when it lastly went down. And Cameron, who was 23-1 and had by no means been stopped, went down laborious. Tua had been inactive by the point the battle got here – to the tune of two years of idleness. This, and the truth that Cameron was 5 years the youthful man, swayed some followers and a few specialists into pondering this one may go both method.
As a substitute, in rock-solid form, in addition to quick and as correct as he had been when he had flattened good males reminiscent of Michael Moorer, Obed Sullivan, and seemingly method, method again on the time of the Cameron battle, John Ruiz (this KO nonetheless rating in the present day as one of the blood-curdling ever seen), Tua was to roll again the years.
At age 37, Tua had missed the boat so far as ever changing into a world champion, or so the pondering went. After wasted months, and after being closely outpointed by Lennox Lewis, this because it turned out, Tua’s one and solely shot on the world crown, Tua appeared destined to go down as probably the greatest massive males by no means to have dominated the world. However the ruthless show that noticed Tua dismantle Cameron compelled loads of us to have a rethink.
Tua got here out blazing, that means enterprise, and he caught Cameron with some bombs early. Slinging out hurtful sledgehammer hooks with each palms, Tua decked “The Mountain Warrior” twice within the opening session. Cameron by no means recovered or bought into the battle, however he did in some way handle to make it out of the spherical. However Tua, all the time a medical finisher, ended his quick evening’s work in spherical two, his fierce assault forcing the third man to name a halt to the battle.
Tua was again for some time. Sadly, for no matter purpose, Tua was unable to construct on his recent momentum, he laboring to a uninteresting choice win over Friday Ahunanya earlier than being held to a draw by Monte Barrett. Tua was then overwhelmed by Barrett in a return, and he was then bested by Alexander Ustinov, this ending his as soon as oh, so promising, certain factor for world domination profession. By way of all of it, Tua, as blessed with a fantastic chin as he was blessed with cracking energy in each palms, was by no means as soon as stopped.
To many people, it truly is a thriller to why and the way Tua may look so deadly and highly effective in a battle after which present up listless and relatively innocent in one other. Tua, on today 15 years in the past, gave the impression to be again on observe. As a substitute, “The Battle of the Century” gave us Tua’s remaining scorching KO. Tua’s remaining report reads 52-5-2(43).
Cameron fought on till 2014, this a yr after Tua’s remaining battle, and apparently, Cameron scored a nasty KO win over the person Tua couldn’t put a dent in, in Barrett. Cameron then misplaced three on the spin, with him retiring with a 29-5(22) report.
To today, Tua’s spotlight reel pulls in lots of viewers, particularly on YouTube. Tua actually was a particular puncher!
