Boxing: Tua keeping his fingers crossed

By PETER JESSUP

David "The Terminator" Tua was thrilled to see Lennox Lewis win yesterday's big bout, with the change of titles moving away from controversial promoter Don King meaning his shot at the heavyweight crown could come in the next six months.

Tua watched the fight with his family but didn't dwell on the outcome.

Straight afterwards he was out helping dad Tauvele on his paper delivery round in South Auckland on one of two trucks he has bought for his father.

Tua had already rung manager Kevin Barry's home, Barry committed with television comments work but his wife Tanya telling the heavyweight: "David, you're going to be the next champion of the world."

Tua's response: "Tanya, I know. I just hope they live up to their word and give me the fight."

While Holyfield is aligned with the Showtime TV network via King, Lewis is aligned with the HBO opposition.

Showtime also have contenders John Ruiz and Henry Akinwande so Tua would undoubtedly have had to wait behind them had Holyfield won. But HBO's Lou diBella has already commented that Tua would be next if Lewis won.

Barry said his charge was ready to go, with a new management deal to be signed this week that the pair hope will see the Terminator in action for the undisputed heavyweight title in mid-2000.

But it is very unlikely to be that simple. Recent history has proved that as soon as the heavyweight titles are unified, politics within the WBA, WBC and IBF soon take over to muddy the waters and eventually split the titles up again.

The top-rated WBA contender, Britain's Akinwande, lost to Lewis in a 1997 title bout, disqualified for hugging rather than fighting.

"How could anyone possibly put on a fight between Lennox and Akinwande? After what happened the first time no one would want to see it," said Lewis' manager Frank Maloney.

Promoter Panos Eliades agrees, but says Lewis might be able to keep the WBA crown and still not have to meet Akinwande. "Lennox will never fight Akinwande and he will not have to give up the belt. I have a trick or two up my sleeve."

However, Eliades wants no part of the other mandatory challengers either, and that includes the IBF's Tua, and WBC's Ruiz.

Top Eliades choices for Lewis opponents include Mike Tyson and Ukranian-born Vitali Klitschko, who trains in Germany and is champion of the lowly regarded World Boxing Organisation.

Lewis has said in the past that he wants to fight Tyson to complete his career rivals' list, even though he would meet him, as he has Holyfield, well past his prime.

"Beating him would be a great way for me to finish off my time, my period."