Boxing: Tua bout should be over in first

By Peter Jessup

Watch out Shane Sutcliffe - David Tua is out to do to you what he did to Evander Holyfield's sparring partner Gary Bell - take you apart in round one.

Tua has been raging in training and knocked out his own sparring partner this week. After a mouthy match-up with Mike Tyson's handlers at both fighters' weigh-in at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas yesterday, Tua was described by his United States trainer, Ronnie Shields, as "mean and angry."

As the world media gather for bad-boy Tyson's showdown with journeyman Orlin Norris, the undercard attraction of Tua versus Sutcliffe is drawing more than the usual attention.

Norris' trainer yesterday suggested his man could take Tyson and as one reason cited the fact that Tyson's mind was on Tua and not Norris.

A Tyson camp worker who turned up in a T-shirt promoting the Tua fight was refused entry to the hotel until he changed clothes.

And Tyson's hangers-on, including a huge guy in camouflage gear always at Tyson's shoulder, nickname "the Crocodile", slung some bad-mouth comments at Tua as he took the stage with Tyson.

"We're looking for you, Tua."

"Don't sing it - just bring it," Tua replied. Tyson just sneered across the stage.

But Tua's reaction afterwards was surprise at Tyson's size. "He's not that big," he told his Kiwi manager Kevin Barry.

Barry told New Zealand fans not to expect the bout to go much more than the 79s Bell lasted, despite the fact Sutcliffe comes with a 21 win (12 tko), eight loss, one draw record and the credibility of being former Canadian heavyweight champion.

Tua, 35-1 with 28 by ko, has been instructed to come out hard and fast and demolish Sutcliffe.

The Canadian is not ranked in the top three in any of the major boxing organisation listings and sees the fight with Tua, the No 1 contender for the IBF and No 3 for the WBC as a great opportunity.

But Barry's measure was: "I see it being a very quick fight."

Tua weighed in at 238 pounds, one heavier than he was for Bell in July, Barry describing him as tighter in the body and with more muscle.

"We're very happy with his condition, he's punching very fast," he said, noting the knockout of sparring partner Tim Knight. "He knows how important this fight is."

Tua's contract with Main Events ends in December, with possibly one more match of similar quality before then, and he hopes for a meeting with WBC titleholder Lennox Lewis in mid-2000.

Sunday's fights are live on TV3 starting at 4 pm.