Is David Tua Done After Draw Versus Monte Barrett?
David Tua came into his heavyweight bout against Monte Barrett on Saturday night proclaiming to be a different fighter than the one who wasted several world title opportunities during his career. According to him, he recognized that at 37, he was running out of chances to become an elite heavyweight and he was willing to do whatever it took to maximize his unquestionable ability.
His bout against Barrett was a chance to showcase his new commitment while taking on a talented but seemingly overmatched opponent. But instead of putting in a dominating performance in front of the spirited crowd at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, Tua looked like the same fighter whose lack of conditioning and effort doomed him to also-ran status throughout his career. Tua and Barrett slogged through 12 less-than-enthralling rounds before the fight was declared a draw, serving a potentially crippling setback to Tua’s comeback hopes.
In truth, Tua was lucky to escape with the draw against Barrett – most ringside media members felt that Barrett had done enough to win the fight (or that Tua had been lacklustre enough to lose the fight, depending on your perspective). On paper, there was no reason that the bout should have been close. While Barrett (34-9-1, 20 KOs) is a former world title contender, the 39-year-old had lost his last three fights. Few people thought that Barrett had much tread on his tires and the general consensus was that Tua (51-3-2, 43 KOs) would have little trouble dispatching of Barrett.
However, it was Tua who had to struggle to survive. The New Zealander had never been knocked down coming into the bout – an impressive record considering that his past opponents have included Hasim Rahman, Michael Moorer and Lennox Lewis. That streak ended in this fight, as Tua would be dropped in the 12th round after a flurry of punches midway through the round from Barrett. Coupled with a point being deducted from Tua for throwing Barrett to the ground earlier in the round, it was enough for Barrett to earn the draw – even though many people felt that Tua received some favourable judging to even get it that close.
Tua’s supporters are claiming that the result against Barrett is not a true reflection of Tua’s quality, claiming that Tua is still trying to work his way through ring rust. However, Tua fought as recently as four months ago when he defeated Friday Ahunanya in a 12-round unanimous decision in his native New Zealand. In fact, the bout was Tua’s third bout in less than 10 months, a quite respectable work rate for any heavyweight.
It’s more likely that Tua’s lacklustre performance is a result of his declining skills than ring rust. Tua has earned a reputation as one of the most fearsome punchers in recent heavyweight history. It appeared that he had received the perfect opponent in Barrett, who had been stopped early five times in his career and in two of his last three fights. But instead of pummelling Barrett into submission, it was Tua who was coming off the deck after being knocked down.
Tua also went the distance against Ahunanya, making this the second consecutive fight in which Tua has gone the distance against less than elite opposition. This is not to knock the performance of Barrett, who was more aggressive and determined than he has been in years and probably deserved a victory. But Tua was the one who was expected to deliver a star quality performance and instead turned in a dud. The wafer-thin ranks of the heavyweight division right now likely means that Tua can still earn a title shot – the question is whether or not he will deserve it.
Tags: