Boxing: Cameron believes his time will come

Shane Cameron had few problems with Australia's Colin Wilson in April but now the right-hander's plans have been hampered by injury. Picture / Fotopress

Shane Cameron's groin injury is proof, as if he needed any, that the path to heavyweight stardom has its share of tripwires. Certainly, that might be why David Tua won't spar with his old stablemate - there's too much at stake, too much to lose.

"I don't know whether he doesn't want to or if he's just doing his own thing," Cameron said. "We don't need to spar with each other. It's not like there's a bad conflict between the both of us. But we don't phone each other and talk about the weather. We just do our own things."

And that's what Cameron was doing when he strained his problematic groin doing some explosive sprint work at Ericsson Stadium on Thursday - ending his planned fight against Perth-based Nigerian Roger Izonritei in Florida next weekend.

Cameron's manager Don Mann said the Poverty Bay-raised heavyweight would now fight in Las Vegas in the first weekend of October, with an opponent to be announced.

Although the 27-year-old's estimated world ranking is in the top 50 and he is unbeaten in his 12 professional fights, it's his out-of-ring exploits that set him apart.

He was one of the last men to spar with Mike Tyson before the former heavyweight champion's bizarre retirement last month, when he sat down against Irishman Kevin McBride.

What did Cameron do to the man? "I don't know but I got a lot more confidence out of that. I held my own, I didn't look silly. After the first spar, I got a lot more respect. He had good things to say about me. Before that he didn't really respect me. I was a nobody. But I went toe-to-toe with him. I caught him with some good shots - mainly upper-cuts and hooks - but he caught me too.

"The sparring was a lot harder than he fought. He was trying to knock me out from the start. He rushed me. That's why I was surprised when he came out for the fight - he was trying to box the guy rather than knock his block off."

There was no indication Tyson was planning to quit. "He was talking about the fights after that one."

Back in New Zealand, Cameron's training still includes his first great love - pig-hunting. His last foray was into the bush southeast of Auckland six weeks ago.

He says ominously of his opponents, "They wouldn't have faced what I've faced", before admitting wild boars won't attack unless cornered. His biggest pig was 100kg.

He believes his farm-working background in Tiniroto, 40 minutes inland from Gisborne, has provided strength and co-ordination in both his massive hands. It also gives him the unique status of being the only heavyweight boxer who has docked (castrated) sheep using his teeth.

They don't call him the 'Mountain Warrior' for nothing. But Cameron's belated path to boxing wasn't via brawls with boars or shearers. He finally made his way into the ring in 1998 in leafy, sleepy Hampshire, England, where he was working on farms and playing a bit of rugby.

New Zealand took notice when he won the heavyweight bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Kevin Barry turned Cameron pro but after four victories he left the Tua camp and ended up part of Eric Watson's sports stable at the Warriors. Boxing is part of the league players' training and yes, Monty Betham (son of a boxer) does stand out. "He's pretty keen on the boxing and he's handy. He's got pretty fast hands and some good skills."

Cameron's sprint training was to help him become more light-footed. "I do a lot of it. It's better than being flat-footed and plodding around the ring. The Warriors are big on explosive training."

He wishes he'd played league when he was younger. As a teenager, he said, he was more worried about having a good team of sheepdogs.

Of course, Cameron could have been a contender a lot earlier if he had beaten the inconsistent Izonritei, who holds the IBF Pan Pacific title - effectively a Southern Hemisphere championship belt.

Winning such a title would open doors but with his unbeaten record, a reputation as a heavy hitter and vital statistics of 6ft 2in and 107kg, Cameron is an unappealing prospect for boxers chasing a top-20 ranking and a big payday.

Cameron is signed with Gary Shaw Productions, the former US promoter for Lennox Lewis, which should ensure he is looked after. But for a boxer, he is refreshingly realistic about when he'll be ready to face a Klitschko brother. Vitali Klitschko is the current world champion.

"I would rather get a lot more experience underneath me so, when I do get my shot, I'm fully prepared, no excuses. No one's interested in excuses. I'm going to be ready."

Part of that preparation has been sparring with Tonga's 1996 Olympic silver medallist Paea Wolfgramm, an Aucklander who lost to Wladimir Klitschko in the final in Atlanta.

Across town, David Tua is working towards another title shot. Boxing aficionado Sir Bob Jones believes Tua's boxing comeback is a lost cause. Cameron disagrees.

"He only needs three more fights and he can get a shot at a title. He's earned his respect in the division. Maybe it's a race to see who gets there first. I haven't really thought of it like that but you can't ignore it."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY