18-year veteran David Tua (51-3-1, 43 KO’s) has seen, sparred or fought them all over his professional career which began in 1992 after he won the bronze medal at the Olympics. We asked the current WBO #2 contender & WBO Asia/Pacific Heavyweight champ for a few words and comments about some of the major players on the heavyweight landscape today…
Wladimir Klitschko: “Champion. Good champion.”
Vitali Klitschko: “Good champion.”
David Haye: “Good champion.”
Nikolay Valuev: “[Pause]…he should be playing basketball [smiles].”
Alexander Povetkin: “I have to look up.”
Samuel Peter: “Good fighter.”
Chris Arreola: “Good fighter.”
Evander Holyfield: “Fantastic and superb athlete. One of the greatest champions that I admire and I have the utmost respect for. Not only because of his finesse but because of his heart. It’s mad admiration, not only as a boxing fan but as a person. My heart goes out to him. All that’s unfolding and what I see is a great learning experience, and it’s what I can look at and say, Maybe I can do that, maybe I don’t need to do that. I don’t need to go and spar. Or I do need to go and spar. So for me there’s a time limit. And I need to know my limitations. And I know when that will come.”
Odlanier Solis: “Good fighter. Good fighter.”
Ray Austin: “He’s an old timer but he’s a student. He can stay in the gym, do what he need to do, if something comes up, whoever is prepared or unprepared, he’ll hit you.”
Tomasz Adamek: “He’s an awesome person, he’s going to be a good champion as well. Just an honor for me to be around and seeing him train. He reminds me of Holyfield as well. He’s got a frickin’ big heart, man! I seen some of the wars he’s been in in the light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions. Just amazing. He’s just a down to earth guy, he’s a mountain warrior. He’s from the mountains (of Poland).”
And lastly, I asked David Tua what he thinks of the general media and fan perception that it is a weak heavyweight era?
Tua: “I think there’s, sure, that’s true. Some that’s not true. It’s like the cycle. Certain type of heavyweights gonna come around again. So that’s certainly one way to look at it. But fighters don’t become champion because things are just handed to them. They’re champions at heart. But I think it’s good for boxing. It seems like it’s the European’s time, the European fighters’ time to rise up – and they have. So I believe the bright side of it. It’s certainly an encouragement and should be a motivational thing for anybody on this side. To approach the situation, Well, okay, if that’s the case, maybe we need to train a little harder. Maybe we can train a little different – to be better than the fighter who hold the titles. Obviously you have to get past the business and politics of boxing but that’s part of it, the way it is.”