Boxing: 'American' Tua pounds out warning to Lewis

By PETER JESSUP

David Tua and Lennox Lewis will settle on a venue and a purse for their world heavyweight boxing title fight within a fortnight, with the burly South Aucklander already looking at a payday in excess of $US3.5 million ($7.6 million).

Tua's frighteningly methodical third-round demolition of Robert Daniels has raised his stocks still further in the United States, and the backing from fans will give weight to Tua's calling-out of Lewis after the bout.

"Lennox, let's get it on, let's get it on baby, there's no excuses now," was the message Tua sent via the cameras to the undisputed champion.

The Americans are also getting excited about Tua's next fight, with many commentators saying he will bring the title home - not to New Zealand, but to the US.

And Britain's Daily Express has quoted Tua as saying: "Michael Grant was supposed to be the American who was bringing the title back home, but now it is the Tua-man's right to bring the heavyweight championship of the world back to America."

It all helps to boost the purse.

Tua's and Lewis' camps are negotiating to settle a fight prize, venue and other details, including television rights. The date of their meeting for the IBF and WBC belts has already been set at November 12.

Tua would like to fight again in Las Vegas. Lewis represented Canada at the Olympics and Toronto bidders have used that to add weight to their cause. Lewis' home of London is out because the time difference would limit the pay-per-view.

The outcome will be decided by auction on August 1.

One commentator described the No 1 contender as "nothing short of a vicious killer" after watching Saturday's beating of Daniels, which took Tua to 37-1.

Most pleasing for his corner was the way he followed instructions to work for the win. They knew Daniels would fight with his gloves high on defence and Tua's instructions were to hit up from under, to vary the timing and direction of his punches, to use the uppercut and the cross to hurt Daniels so he would not be able to focus on defending the knockout left hook.

It was that hook which first hurt Daniels, less than 30s into round one. His eyes went wide in appreciation of the power and from then on he was scared.

Tua shook him with a couple of fast uppercuts and a flurry of body punches, and at 38s Daniels went down for a count.

Before the fight, Daniels said he was aware of Tua's power and would fight the South Aucklander in centre-ring because he would be damaged if held against the ropes.

But Tua backed him up anyway, and no amount of dancing could hide the fact that he had gone chicken. At the end of round one Daniels' trainer asked what he was waiting for. He did not understand, because he had not felt the power on the end of Tua's gloves.

At 1m 20s in round two, Daniels was put on his knees by an uppercut. He wanted to go on and finished the three minutes backed on to the ropes again.

Tua's trainer Ronnie Shields told his fighter to use combinations to open up Daniels. It took 47s into round three, Daniels succumbing to another flurry of punches, a left uppercut doing the damage before he fell into a couple of rights as he was going down.

After referee Joe Cortez counted him out he was walked to his corner and sat down looking as if he didn't know what had happened.

Tua hardly had a glove laid on him as he went about a perfect performance of intimidation, backed up in the delivery.

"Dave was feeling the pressure before this, it was the most important fight of his career," said manager Kevin Barry.

"We're very happy with the way it went. For the past two years we've been working on varying his speed and delivery, varying the target, so you don't know where the power-punch is coming from, and he did it outstandingly."

Tua is coming home to Auckland for a week, will holiday in his Samoan homeland for a week, and then it's back into serious training.