Tua vs Arreola

[eye guy]

Tua has cancelled his fight for July and has been preparing for Arreola. I personally don't think he should've cancelled because he's been inactive for a while, and needs all the preperation he needs.

I'm a big Tua fan, but I think this step in his career might be, not only his last attempt at a title, but might work against him with his lack of quality opponents.

Here's a link to the article...
http://www.davidtua.net/forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=2&TopicID=1352&PagePosition=1&ThreadPage=1

Thought anyone???

[Goodfella2279]

How old is Tua now? It seems like he's been fighting forever. David Tua is a prime example of a guy who has some talent, but never fully realized it. He gave Ibeabucci (sp) all he could handle in their fight, and knocked out Rahman in his prime. But he also had very lackluster performances against Lewis, among others. I mean, Lewis was a dominant champ but I still remember yelling at the screen during that fight for Tua to get more aggressive. Instead, he just sat back and ate jabs. I don't see Tua beating Arreola at this point in Tua's career. Tua's got a granite chin, but he'd be going up against a young, agressive power puncher. I don't see it being all that competitive.

[ray_glenn]

Tua's 36 years old this year... pretty old by heavyweight standards, but then again, he's been pretty inactive the past five years or so, so maybe he hasn't accumulated that much damage (although his conditioning might be a bit off). Still, going up against a hungry (not to mention promising) fighter like Arreola could be a disaster.

The thing Tua has going for him is that Arreola likes to stand in the middle of the ring and trade punches. If Tua doesn't have to expend energy following a guy around and looking for him, and all he has to do is put his mass into those ham-sized fists of his, he has a pretty decent chance at winning.

[CircleChange11]

I haven't seen Tua lately (although I did watch some of the Tua-Ike fight on youtube the other day), but my concern with him (Samoan) being inactive for so long is the risk of him putting on weight (not good weight).

Anyone know what he is weighing these days?

When he's in decent condition and comes to fight, he's a handful. He has looked lackluster at times too, but when you hit like he does, you can get away with that sometimes ... just not against Lennox Lewis.

[korey1980]

I haven't seen Tua lately (although I did watch some of the Tua-Ike fight on youtube the other day), but my concern with him (Samoan) being inactive for so long is the risk of him putting on weight (not good weight).

Anyone know what he is weighing these days?

When he's in decent condition and comes to fight, he's a handful. He has looked lackluster at times too, but when you hit like he does, you can get away with that sometimes ... just not against Lennox Lewis.

He has fought a bunch of nobodies the last couple years, and hasnt looked great against the limited competition hes been in with recently. The guy that gave Ike all he could handle is long gone. The punching power is probably still somewhat intact, but I think that he wont be able to compete against fresh, young talent, ever again. Has he had some injuries or what? It seems like I heard about him making a comeback, then he'd fight once, and disappear. One would think that his name alone wouldve got him back into the title picture or at least fighting top guys much sooner. If I'm thinking correctly his comeback started some 3 or maybe 4 years ago(?). How many years does it take of fighting bums to get in with a top guy, when you were near the top of the sport at one time? Seems like Tua wasted alot of precious time trying to get back to the top, and now its too late. I dont think he can hang with the top heavies now(maybe 3-4 years ago). Sorry about the rant guys, it just seems like the longest "comeback" ever(imo).

[korey1980]

When does Ike Ibeabucci get out of prison? Anyone???????

[ray_glenn]

When does Ike Ibeabucci get out of prison? Anyone???????

He'll be eligible again for parole in 2010 (he's been denied for parole three times previously, though, so I don't see him getting out that early).

If he were lucky enough to serve the minimum for each of his two convictions (battery with intent to commit a crime and attempted sexual assault), he would have been out this year. Alternatively, assuming he serves the maximum sentence for both convictions , he'll be out by 2041. If he serves the median sentences, he'll be out by something like 2023.

[Goodfella2279]

You want to talk about wasted potential, that's Ike in a nutshell. He's like the Michael Vick of boxing. Except, Vick was a superstar when he got convicted. Ike was on the cusp of dominating the heavyweight division and becoming a star, but he screwed up and paid dearly for it. I read somewhere that he has some sort of mental condition, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's unfortunate because Ike, in my mind, was a world class calibur fighter that never got to realize his potential.

[korey1980]

You want to talk about wasted potential, that's Ike in a nutshell. He's like the Michael Vick of boxing. Except, Vick was a superstar when he got convicted. Ike was on the cusp of dominating the heavyweight division and becoming a star, but he screwed up and paid dearly for it. I read somewhere that he has some sort of mental condition, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's unfortunate because Ike, in my mind, was a world class calibur fighter that never got to realize his potential.

I read an article that said he was diagnosed as being bipolar. Either way, he was a talented fighter that couldve been a dominant force in the HW division. Guys like Byrd, and Ruiz never wouldve held titles if Ike wouldve stayed fighting.

[Goodfella2279]

I totally agree. With guys like Ike, along with Lewis, the Heavyweight division would have been a lot more interesting. Nothing worse than wasted potential.