Boxing: Rules favour Tua for crack at heavyweight title

PETER JESSUP finds the Muhammad Ali Bill means Tua is in the lineup for a shot at the new champ.

For the first time in decades the law and fairness might have some bearing on who gets to fight for the world heavyweight title this year - and both enhance David Tua's chances.

Although beaten champ Lennox Lewis continues to bluster about the contract, by which American Hasim Rahman beat him, containing a re-match clause, the clause is unlikely to hold weight in a court or in the ring.

The Muhammad Ali Bill that came into US Federal law last year specifically prevents that, by requiring the various boxing organisations to adhere to their constitutional rules in respect of challengers.

All major organisations require the champion to meet the No 1 challenger within periods ranging from six months to a year.

Under the agreement hammered out between the big three, the IBF, WBC and WBO last year, their respective mandatory challengers would take turns at Lennox Lewis. Tua had first shot.

Now Lewis has gone, Mike Tyson, as No 1 for the WBC, is first in line to take on Rahman for the IBF and WBC belts. John Ruiz, as holder of the WBO belt, is also in line.

Tua, again the mandatory challenger for the IBF as he was last November when he lost to Lewis, is also there.

Tyson is scheduled to fight Nigerian David Izon in Washington in June, but his adviser, Shelley Finkel, said he had a clause allowing him to pull out of that if Tyson got a title shot.

"If Rahman says cancel that and I'll fight you in July, of course we'll cancel," Finkel said.

The Tua camp expects Rahman to go for the big money.

Lewis was not rated in America because he ran to points wins rather than stand to knockdowns, as Tua found to his cost.

Pay-per-view companies estimated Lewis-Tyson for the titles was worth one million buys; they predict Rahman-Tyson will bring five to seven million.

Rahman got $US1.5 million for the Lewis fight; it's predicted he will get $US10 million for putting the two titles up against Tyson.

That fight, as well as Rahman-Tua or Tua-Tyson, can be made more easily than the touted-but-hasn't-happened Lewis-Tyson because there isn't any clash of television interests.

Lewis was with the HBO network, who after his loss do not have any top-10 fighters contracted.

Tyson is with Showtime, which is Tua's preferred company up to now.

Rahman's managers will doubtless play all of them off since he doesn't have a link.

Lewis said this week that Rahman's promoters could forget getting together with Tyson.

"I have a binding contract with Rahman for a rematch. They can dream of matching Rahman with Tyson, but it will remain only a dream."

His England manager, Frank Maloney, had a more subdued view, saying if there were no rematch it would be the end of the 36-year-old Lewis' career.

Rahman's promoter, Cedric Kushner, said the South Africa contract clause allowed his man another fight before any rematch. He is meeting Showtime.

He has also been speaking to Tua's manager, Kevin Barry.

Along with Rahman, Tua has already beaten the Kushner-managed Danell Nicholson and Oleg Maskaev.

Tua lost on points to Ike Ibeabuchi, who was also with Kushner up to his arrest for attacking a woman in his Las Vegas hotel. He remains in a mental institution in Nevada, awaiting a judge's call that he is fit to stand trial.



Tua's camp will be happy if Rahman fights either Tyson or Ruiz in the coming months. They and Tua are all confident the South Aucklander can handle any of the three.

Rahman is 1.89m compared with Lewis' 1.96m; Tyson is 1.80m.

In the meantime, the latest heavyweight in the frame to meet Tua is former Olympic silver medallist Chris Byrd, according to Tua's promoters, America Presents.

Byrd is set to fight journeyman Maurice Harris on May 12 where a win should lock up the IBF No 2 ranking.

America Presents spokesman Fred Sternburg confirmed there had been difficulties securing a top-10 opponent for Tua, but discussions with Byrd were heading in the right direction.

"The winner of Byrd-Harris may be one of the better possibilities," Sternburg said.

"We want to get him back in the ring again in the next few months."

Byrd is a southpaw with a 32-2 record.

One of those losses was to Ibeabuchi.