Boxing: Heaviest blows to Tua's pocket

The days of seven-figure paydays may be over for New Zealand heavyweight boxer David Tua, who yesterday suffered the third loss of his career - and the second in less than a year.

Tua was beaten on points by American southpaw Chris Byrd, just nine months after being beaten, also on points, by the then world champion Lennox Lewis.

The loss is a major blow for Tua, who has been forced to rethink his campaign for the world title as well as come to terms with a shrinking pay purse.

Asked what he would do next, he said: "I'll just have to go back to the drawing board and come back better."

But it remains to be seen whether Tua, now aged 28, can again get himself in a position to be one fight away from a shot at the world crown.

Tua yesterday earned $US600,000 ($1.3 million) plus a share of TV rights, but both purse and pay-per-view income will now shrink.