Boxing: Holyfield rates Kiwi true challenger

David Tua is rated a legitimate contender for the world heavyweight boxing crown by none less than three-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

Tua's youth - he is 27 - should not be a factor in the November 12 title fight with Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas, Holyfield said.

Tua is young in heavyweight terms - most are considered in their prime about 30.

"After an extensive amateur career, the Olympics and eight years as a professional, the word 'young' should be dropped. He is definitely a legitimate contender for Lennox," Holyfield said.

He is uniquely positioned for an expert opinion on Tua-Lewis. If anyone should know about Lewis' style it's the 38-year-old Holyfield. They have met twice, the first a draw, the second a decision to Lewis.

Both fights were surrounded by controversy. Lewis was widely regarded the victor in the drawn bout and won the decision in the return. Holyfield, however, clearly won that match to almost everyone watching, bar the judges.

Holyfield has known Tua since the New Zealander turned pro in 1992. When Tua first went to the United States to try to secure a contract with promotional company Main Events, part of the process was working out with Holyfield's sparring partners and trainers.

Holyfield has provided boxing and professional advice for Tua over the years and used him as one of his sparring partners for his first bout with Mike Tyson.

He said he had seen many changes in Tua since meeting him eight years ago. The most rapid had been recently. Since leaving the Main Events team last year, the personality and image of Tua had changed markedly. Tua was now his own man.

In the ring? "He is a much smarter, stronger and quicker fighter now," Holyfield said.

Beating Lewis will not be easy. First there's the Briton's height and reach advantage, then his superior skills and experience. Holyfield's strategy for a Tua victory is simple.

"Tua has explosive power and a good chin. He has to stay inside of Lennox if he wants to win. He has to be very aggressive, throw a lot of punches and sustain a good body attack."

The fight would answer a lot of questions about Tua, Holyfield said.

"Can he perform under the pressure of a championship fight? Can he go the distance if he has to? Can he figure out how to beat a bigger and more skilled fighter?

"These are three key things we will find out about Tua from this fight."

If a poll taken last week in the United States by one of its most respected boxing writers, New York's Mike Katz, is anything to go by, Americans have made up their mind on one thing - going the distance is not an option.

About 44 per cent predicted Tua would knock out Lewis, 30 per cent thought Tua would be floored, and a win for Lewis by decision was favoured by just 22 per cent.

Is there a chance of a Tua-Holyfield fight? Both are with the same cable television network, Showtime, so the politics of competing with HBO are not an issue. Holyfield, the WBA champion, said: "If Tua wins, yes. I plan on retiring as the undisputed champion and I will fight any one I have to in order to make that a reality."

- NZPA

Herald Online feature: Tua v Lewis