Boxing: Tua caught in TV row

David Tua's promoter has likened Maori TV to parasites due to their limited promotion of the Friday Ahunanya bout. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Boxing promoter David Higgins has called Maori TV "parasites" following the David Tua-Friday Ahunanya bout this week - strengthening the possibility that David Tua's next two fights could be held overseas.

Higgins, of Duco Events, was reacting sharply to a Maori TV press release which hailed unprecedented ratings from the channel's exclusive, live coverage.

"Duco and David Tua's camp are very proud to have created a large viewing audience over six months of hard work and financial risk," he said.

"Maori TV did very little to promote the fight and, really, what they did could be allied to parasites."

Higgins then backed off, not willing to say any more but did add: "At the end of the day, Duco Events can't do another show like that [Tua-Ahunanya]. It is just not economically viable."

Which means that Duco, at best, either broke even or made a small profit from the sell-out bout at Waitakere's Trusts Stadium.

Without a pay-per-view TV operator, the money that can be generated from a fight is limited.

While Maori TV has always been quick to point out it backed David Tua when no-one else would, boxing insiders believe the Maori TV deal (it still has rights to broadcast the next two Tua fights) is holding Tua back in his quest for a world title fight and/or a major payday.

One source said the Tua camp was always diplomatic in public when it came to Maori TV, but the realisation was sinking in that Tua couldn't attract quality opponents at such a low financial level.

The proposed bout with former world champion Hasim Rahman foundered over the purse after the Maori TV deal kicked in following the $1 million fight between Tua and Shane Cameron, brokered with Sky TV as the PPV operator.

That fight proved win-win-win for all parties and showed that New Zealand as a boxing venue could be financially attractive.

However, after the Ahunanya fight, most insiders were of the opinion that "nobody won".

The fighters took a big pay cut, Duco didn't make money or not much and Maori TV didn't realise the advertising bonanza hoped for - although the press release which irked Higgins was also a way of showing advertisers that they have an opportunity to access a large audience.

Duco's unwillingness to stage another similar fight more likely means the preference will be to have Tua's next two fights overseas.

An alternative is cheaper fights in New Zealand with lesser opponents to end the Maori TV obligation.

Overseas bouts won't worry Maori TV, as they have the cast-iron rights to the New Zealand TV rights. It will allow the organisers to benefit from PPV rights overseas but will still be a less-than-desirable deal, as the New Zealand PPV market is blocked by Maori TV.

That could then influence the choice of Tua's next opponents. Boxing promoters always carefully choreograph a fighter's progress to a world title fight, side-stepping opponents who might curb that progress.

If a dangerous opponent is to be selected, then the risk-revenue equation has to make sense, as is always the case in boxing. In other words, if Tua is to have a fight with world title significance, the money has to be big enough to make it worthwhile for the loser, whose career would be damaged.

Tua's promoter, Cedric Kushner, told the Herald on Sunday before he left New Zealand for the US, that he had expressions of interests from those acting for prominent US heavyweight Chris Arreola - who lost recently to world champion Vladimir Klitchscko - and Polish heavyweight Tomasz Adamek.

Both would be good steps up for Tua, but it's a moot point whether the money on offer without a New Zealand PPV operator would be sufficient to make it happen.

Ironically, Tua's 12-round win over Ahunanya and the lack of a knockout may mean Tua's star may be higher among fighters who believe they could ward off Tua's power with boxing skills.

Ahunanya skilfully slipped or blocked most of Tua's power punches, but did not do enough offensively to win the fight, although it was a lot closer than the judges' verdict made it appear.

Kushner is still keen on Tua fighting in Germany, Hawaii and the US - where PPV input will help financially.

However, while the canny Kushner is not a man to be under-estimated, he is trying to arrange such fights without the financial muscle he would like.

Kushner's droll humour and what can only be termed the "entertainment factor" of boxing was illustrated perfectly moments after the Ahunanya fight.

Friday, who employed his survival strategy skilfully, dodging or deflecting most of Tua's heavy blows, told the media he thought he had won the fight.

Ahunanya's trainer, Luis Tapia, told the media that he had taken telephone calls from the US, from about 15 trainers and boxing insiders, all protesting that Ahunanya had won the fight and had been robbed.

Kushner shifted in his seat and said: "This wasn't televised in the US."

Nor was it streamed online. So how did all those trainers know Friday had been robbed?