How good was David Tua back in the day?

[famicommander]

He was a good fighter with some very notable wins on his resume but was largely a gatekeeper in his career at best. He never won a major heavyweight title in his career.

There was nothing special about about his ability other than his chin and power. He was just your typical power slugger.

A plodder who was slow, with no defense or any upper body or head movement whatsoever and couldn't cut off the ring

Gatekeepers don't knock out four heavyweight champions. Tua was good enough to be champ, but the only shot he got was against the best heavyweight of his era.

But KO wins over Rahman, Ruiz, and Maskaev on the way up and Moorer on the way down cannot be overlooked.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Gatekeepers don't knock out four heavyweight champions. Tua was good enough to be champ, but the only shot he got was against the best heavyweight of his era.

But KO wins over Rahman, Ruiz, and Maskaev on the way up and Moorer on the way down cannot be overlooked.

David Tua is the best heavyweight never to win a world title 'Insane power, great punch resistance and endurance' intimidating opponent etc

[HitmanTommy]

Hmm good stuff. It's a shame he never fought Tyson in the late 90s.

Should have been a barn burner.

[Earl-Hickey]

He was good but not Luis Ortiz good

[champion4ever]

Gatekeepers don't knock out four heavyweight champions. Tua was good enough to be champ, but the only shot he got was against the best heavyweight of his era.

But KO wins over Rahman, Ruiz, and Maskaev on the way up and Moorer on the way down cannot be overlooked.

I already said that he was a good fighter with many big wins on his resume. However, I admit that misspoke.

Gatekeeper may not be the right word to describe his career; So my deepest apologies are extended. He was just a contender.

However, he never became the heavyweight champion of the world or was a major title holder in the era he fought. He was just a good title contender at best.

[Mighty_Windir]

I believe David Tua's punching is what cause Ike Ibeauchi to go nuts.

I have zero proof of this, but the punches Tua hit Ike with would have stopped a bull.

Here's some very interesting notes from their fight:

- Ibeabuchi was 16-0 with 12 knockouts, and Tua was 27-0 with 23 knockouts.

- Tua was the betting favorite.

- Ibeabuchi landed 332 of 975 punches, and Tua landed 282 of 755 punches. They combined to throw 1,730 punches, which set the CompuBox record for punches thrown in a heavyweight fight. Ibeabuchi also set the individual record for punches thrown by a heavyweight.

- HBO's unofficial judge Harold Lederman scored the fight 115-113 for Tua, and Michael Katz of the New York Daily News scored it a draw.

- After the fight, Ibeabuchi complained of a terrible headache and was taken to a hospital. He underwent several tests, including an MRI, but nothing abnormal was found. After being released from the hospital, Ibeabuchi began to say that he was being plagued by demons and evil spirits.

-A week after the fight, Tua had surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

Source: https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/I..._vs._David_Tua

Full fight: