"Possibly I will be in great shape, better shape than when I fought Shane in 2009," said Tua, who was wary of appearing too pleased with himself yesterday. "I can't get too relaxed, I have to stay on top of things, there's still a lot of hard work to do."
Tua, 40, said his calf was now 100 per cent. Likewise, he put a positive spin on his split with Hedgcock, a former kickboxer and bouncer. He denied the pair parted ways due to the injury, saying it was more about "energy".
"The energy in the corner between rounds is very important. Everything needs to be right and I believe he [Schuster] is the right man for this next part of the preparation. David Hedgcock was a great trainer, he had a lot to offer, but for me things didn't quite connect, so respectfully I had to make a decision and got the brother on board to help out.
"I thought about it quite a bit during my rehab. [Schuster's] energy is very different, it's very similar to mine - very calm. I love the energy Dave had but it was a little bit wild for me at that time. He's a good man, though, I have time for him."
Tua said he was training when young heavyweight Joseph Parker beat fellow Samoan Afa Tatupu for the New Zealand National Boxing Federation title recently. Parker won by knockout but suffered a bad head cut, with Tua saying he was "saddened" by the injury.
"It was almost like a curse," he said. "I never wanted to fight a fellow Samoan. During my amateur career and as a pro I've always done my best to avoid that. It was just how I was brought up, it's like fighting one of your brothers. Certainly I understood that it had to take place. The curse part is how he got cut. That cut is a very, very bad cut ... that could be a major factor in his career. It doesn't mean that I'm being negative, I'm being a realist.
"And it doesn't mean he hasn't got what it takes, yeah he's got what it takes. I think the rest is up to him. He's very gifted."
Tua match-up
Tua (won 52, lost 4, drawn 2).v Ustinov (28-1-0).
Claudelands Arena, Hamilton, Nov 16.
