Boxing: March in mind for return of Tuaman

By PETER JESSUP

LAS VEGAS - David Tua's management team will give details of the rib injury that stopped him taking the fight to world champion Lennox Lewis at the weekend, believing its release is an important part of re-establishing his credibility.

Manager Kevin Barry will be seeking the medical history today.

"We'll document what happened. We need to," Barry said yesterday.

They want Tua back in the ring in March with a top-10 fighter - "it's no good going soft" - then they will go after the biggest name they can get.

"Holyfield or Tyson, but Holyfield is probably the fight for Dave," Barry said.

The Tua camp were bitterly disappointed yesterday, none more so than the man himself.

He felt he had let down everyone in Samoa and New Zealand, and was carrying a mental burden.

His father, Tuavale, was among those telling him he had done everyone proud, that he went 12 rounds with the world champion and the champ could not knock him out, that he had maintained his professional record of never having been stopped, sat down, or cut.

Tua was largely uninjured, barring the rib problem.

"That's the first thing we have to do, make sure it's properly right," Barry said.

Tua soaked in a spa to get the bruising out then had a slow day in his hotel room yesterday after copping a pounding from Lewis.

He was simply unable to get away the punches that would have put him into the fight.

"After two rounds I was so confident Dave was going to knock Lewis out before the sixth," Barry said.

"But then his movement stopped, everything fell apart. We had to make Lewis fight and we didn't do it.

"David just kept walking into punches round after round and delivering little. It was a nightmare. We let Lewis coast the last rounds."

Barry was sure Tua would cope with the loss mentally and come back, despite having hyped himself up to win.

"We're aware it's a drastic and dramatic event that may affect him. But before the fight he was looking good.

"He had the punches to win when he was in training. He rose to the occasion and he believed in his own ability. I'm aware we need to rebuild that."

Barry was gratified that Lewis had shown plenty of respect by moving backwards for most of the 12 rounds, staying away from punches he obviously thought could hurt him.

Will the Americans buy another Tua fight after the disappointing display?

"Oh yeah, they will. Michael Grant went down to Lewis in two [rounds], Frans Botha in three, Andrew Golota walked out of the ring. We're way better than them. Dave showed true heart."

Headlines in Las Vegas read "Lewis pounds Tua" and "Goliath conquers David." The writers said everything had gone as they expected. The size difference was too much.

Herald Online feature: the Tua fight