BOXING: Tua's message gives Cameron lift

There was no mercy in the ring, but the David Tua camp has shown plenty of compassion towards defeated rival Shane Cameron after their heavyweight boxing showdown in Hamilton last weekend.
The latest display came in a text message that Tua's wife, Robina, sent yesterday.
"It was just a text of support from David and Robina," Cameron said.
"They said they respect me highly and they wish me all the best and hope I keep going and stay in the fight game. No hard feelings, basically."
He texted back to say there were no hard feelings on his part and he thanked them for their support.
While the fighters traded verbal blows in the build-up, Cameron said it was all part of the boxing and he described Tua as "a tremendous man and a tremendous champion".
"When the fight's done, all the trash talk is done," he said.
"He was victorious and he was very sportsmanlike, definitely. I totally respect what he has done. Hopefully he can go and do the business and fight for the world title."
After the bout, which was stopped early in the second round, Tua kissed a groggy Cameron on the forehead as the latter sat on a stool in his corner.
He also talked up Cameron's prospects of a comeback. Cameron said he had not underestimated Tua, but the determination in his opponent's eyes during the bout was there for all to see.
Cameron's manager, Ken Reinsfield, said Tua looked like his old self: "He was a hungry, hungry fighter and he fought like that."
Reinsfield said United States-based matchmaker Samson Lewkawic, who was at ringside, believed no one would have been able to stand up to Tua in the form he showed last Saturday night.
 While Tua, 37, can look forward to the prospect of a shot at a world title, Cameron, who was ranked No 7 by the World Boxing Organisation, knows he has suffered a huge setback.
"We're at the bottom of the heap now, so it's time to climb our way to the top," he said.
"It was a hard loss. I came into this fight confident I was going to win, but David caught me good in the first round and I never recovered." The "Mountain Warrior" said the most disappointing aspect of the fight was that he had not been able to show his goods as a fighter.
"My boxing ability, I didn't display that at all," he said.
"That makes me even more eager to come back and display what I have."
Despite the manner of his defeat, Cameron still hasn't given up on his dream of one day challenging for a world belt.
"Hopefully, I can move forward and fight for the title," he said.
"I'm certainly not counting me out. I'm still here. I'm ready to go and I'll do what needs to be done."
Cameron said he had been able to come back from his one other defeat, a final-round technical knockout against Nigerian Friday Ahunanya in Auckland in November, 2007.
After that upset loss, Cameron strung together four consecutive wins before facing Tua.
"I've had to work my way back before," he said.
"There's no doubt I can come back and be in a serious position."
 Reinsfield was also confident Cameron still had a promising future ahead of him.
"Shane is young and plenty of people, including David Tua, have said he's a quality fighter," he said.
"I have no doubt Shane will come back. Where that will be and what we intend to be doing, that's something I've got to be working on for the next couple of weeks."NZPA