Boxing: Tua remains in line for shot at title

By PETER JESSUP

David Tua's shot at the world heavyweight boxing title will not be stalled by a United States Federal Court decision to strip triple titleholder Lennox Lewis of his World Boxing Association belt.

The court yesterday ruled that Lewis should lose the belt for agreeing to fight Michael Grant ahead of WBA No 1 contender John Ruiz. So an alreadyarranged bout between Ruiz and Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas on June 10 will determine the new holder.

Tua's manager, Kevin Barry, said the fact that his charge did not have a deal with either of the big television players, Showtime or HBO, was a plus for him now.

"Whoever has the champ makes the money. That gives us strong negotiating power with both networks," Barry said.

United States courts have already ordered Lewis to open fight negotiations with Tua on August 1 and to meet him by November.

Barry said Tua would fight twice before then and he hoped to finalise details of the first of those bouts in the next couple of days.

Yesterday's ruling, against which Lewis' handlers said he would appeal, does not threaten the April 29 fight with Grant at Madison Square Garden, for which he will get $US10 million and Grant $US4 million.

But significantly, it does let Don King back into boxing, since he has the signatures of both Ruiz and Holyfield.

Tua knowkced Ruiz ouot in 19s of round one in 1998 and Barry said that put pressure on Holyfield - and if Ruiz beat Holyfield, then on Lewis - to finish him quickly too.

Barry said Tua continued to train in Auckland and is looking and feeling great.