Reporter Kieran "Bad News" Nash has donned his boxing gloves for a good cause - raising money for KidsCan. He's building up for a corporate fight night in November and, this week, meets the biggest name in New Zealand boxing.
There's all this talk of people being built like the proverbial brick outhouse.
It's time to correct that cliche: people are not built like brick outhouses. Brick outhouses are built like David Tua.
Every resource consent application for a concrete latrine should include a photo of the Tuamanator to show the council that appropriate research has been done.
The man is massive. His head is the size of a prize-winning pumpkin. His fists are like two Christmas hams. He's not just barrel-chested - he's double-barrel chested.
Tua came along to inspire the fighters taking part in our charity event.
So I asked the boxing great if I could get a photo with him. He agreed graciously and my furry little paw was lost in his fist. The photographer made some comment about me being a skinny white boy, to which Tua replied: "He's not that skinny."
It's bizarre talking to someone who you've seen decimate people. All I've ever seen Tua doing is knocking people out cold.
It was hard enough getting punched by an amateur - a sparring match left me with a jaw I couldn't close properly for days. A jab from Tua would give me an inverted nose.
If you'd like to help my fundraising effort for KidsCan, a charity that helps young Kiwis in poverty, please visit www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/kierannash.
