Barry paints Tua's co-manager Pugh as model of frugality

David Tua's former mentor Kevin Barry has painted his co-manager Martin Pugh as a model of frugality in response to accusations that the pair cheated the Samoan boxer of $4 million.

Barry claimed on television's Holmes show that Pugh went to the length of sleeping on a mattress in a wardrobe next to the boxer's room.

He outlined a list of expenses incurred from the boxer's tilt at the world heavyweight boxing title, and described Tua as the extravagant one.

"You have trainers, you have managers, you have training camps - there are all the little things, there are all the incidentals that add up," Barry said.

"David's a big spender, like the buying of vehicles - he's spent over $800,000 on vehicles, you know, like hiring vehicles - there's $50,000 worth of hireage to run around in a Dodge Viper while he's in Las Vegas.

"David's very good at spending money."

He claimed neither manager had access to cash which had been frozen in their accounts after Tua transferred money into his own name and tried to "steal" $1.2 million from Tuaman Inc Ltd, a company in which Pugh is listed as owning all shares.

"The courts have released the funds - if it was David Tua's money, the money would have been released but it belonged to Tuaman Inc."

Barry admitted that the team had "nice training camps" but said the managers "did not live the great life".

"A lot of people have painted this picture of Martin Pugh and it has been very very poorly done and very unfair - Martin comes up and believe it or not lives on the floor of a cupboard off David Tua's bedroom - he sleeps on a mattress in a wardrobe."