ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
On Saturday (3rd October) the biggest fight in New Zealand boxing history is set to take place at Mystery Creek, Hamilton when local boy Shane Cameron takes on seasoned Samoan David Tua in an elimination bout for the right to challenge one of the Klitschko brothers for the Holy Grail of boxing, the world heavyweight championship.
In the lead-up to the fight both boxers have taunted each other and predicted wins. Cameron has 22 victories from 23 fights. Tua on the other hand has beaten 3 future champions in Hasim Rahman, Oleg Maskaev and John Ruiz. His most disappointing performance was a sleeper against undisputed world king Lennox Lewis in 2001.
Reports from the Tua camp in Onehanga are that the Tuaminator has never been more focused and is on a mission to terminate. One sparring partner had to seek medical attention after he began to feel mental gaps from the bumps on his head – he was subsequently put on medical leave.
In another incident, reminiscent of George Foreman’s preparation before the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire in 1974, a hushed silence descended on the gym when a heavy bag got ripped as Tua bobbed and let loose one of his vaunted left hooks. The bob, the hook and the overhand right are part of the Tua arsenal. What he needs is to put pressure and cut off the ring like Jo Frazier and later Mike Tyson used to do.
Cameron on the other hand, punches in combinations. He needs to keep moving against his shorter opponent and keep away from the left hook. If he can frustrate the Tuaman and keep him at a tantalizing distance, he just might break the focus that Tua has always had problems maintaining.
About a prediction, I’ve looked closely at Tua’s responses on TV and there is no doubt that he means business. He has the same look in his eyes that Buster Douglas had in Tokyo in 1989 before beating Iron Mike Tyson. If Cameron loses his legs and gets drawn into a slugfest we’ll witness a famous KO at Mystery Creek.
Widely regarded as the “encyclopedia” of boxing in Fiji, Subhash Appana has acted as match-maker, time-keeper, ring announcer and judge on a number of occasions. subhasha@ais.ac.nz
On Saturday (3rd October) the biggest fight in New Zealand boxing history is set to take place at Mystery Creek, Hamilton when local boy Shane Cameron takes on seasoned Samoan David Tua in an elimination bout for the right to challenge one of the Klitschko brothers for the Holy Grail of boxing,...
On Saturday (3rd October) the biggest fight in New Zealand boxing history is set to take place at Mystery Creek, Hamilton when local boy Shane Cameron takes on seasoned Samoan David Tua in an elimination bout for the right to challenge one of the Klitschko brothers for the Holy Grail of boxing, the world heavyweight championship.
In the lead-up to the fight both boxers have taunted each other and predicted wins. Cameron has 22 victories from 23 fights. Tua on the other hand has beaten 3 future champions in Hasim Rahman, Oleg Maskaev and John Ruiz. His most disappointing performance was a sleeper against undisputed world king Lennox Lewis in 2001.
Reports from the Tua camp in Onehanga are that the Tuaminator has never been more focused and is on a mission to terminate. One sparring partner had to seek medical attention after he began to feel mental gaps from the bumps on his head – he was subsequently put on medical leave.
In another incident, reminiscent of George Foreman’s preparation before the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire in 1974, a hushed silence descended on the gym when a heavy bag got ripped as Tua bobbed and let loose one of his vaunted left hooks. The bob, the hook and the overhand right are part of the Tua arsenal. What he needs is to put pressure and cut off the ring like Jo Frazier and later Mike Tyson used to do.
Cameron on the other hand, punches in combinations. He needs to keep moving against his shorter opponent and keep away from the left hook. If he can frustrate the Tuaman and keep him at a tantalizing distance, he just might break the focus that Tua has always had problems maintaining.
About a prediction, I’ve looked closely at Tua’s responses on TV and there is no doubt that he means business. He has the same look in his eyes that Buster Douglas had in Tokyo in 1989 before beating Iron Mike Tyson. If Cameron loses his legs and gets drawn into a slugfest we’ll witness a famous KO at Mystery Creek.
Widely regarded as the “encyclopedia” of boxing in Fiji, Subhash Appana has acted as match-maker, time-keeper, ring announcer and judge on a number of occasions. subhasha@ais.ac.nz
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