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T'N'T – TYSON N’ TUA – We Need It
By Tom Gray (May 2, 2004) 
Mike Tyson
The heavyweight division is in a state of ill health at the moment. The only compelling match up involves a great fighter who has retired and a new champion that looks anything, but invincible. Chris Byrd has momentarily lost his wings and John Ruiz is hardly the fan favorite, although he keeps on winning.

The cure would seem to be a dynamite non title bout, involving the two biggest punchers in the division, Mike Tyson and David Tua. This event would surely be spectacular and the PPV figures would go through the roof. Other than the rematch alluded to above and Tyson Vs Holyfield III, there is nothing that comes close to luring public interest.

What about the fight itself? Well, as it says on a box of fireworks, light the touch paper and run like hell! They are both short explosive punchers, who combine for eighty one knockouts, in ninety two wins. Ouch! I wonder what the odds would be on the fight going the distance. Neither guy can fight on the back foot, so you can expect a blitz from the get go. Even if it was guaranteed to last one round, you can bet I’d still shell out the cash. The pre fight buzz would be worth the money alone.

It’s almost impossible to pick a winner, due to the styles being practically identical. Tyson used to be far more skilled, but his talents and enthusiasm seem to have waned over the years. He doesn’t move his head enough and was available to be hit, by the likes of Frans Botha as far back as 1999. Since then his wins have came against moderate opposition and while he has seemed very effective, his loss to Lewis was humbling to say the least.

However, in my opinion Tyson was totally lost when he fought Lewis. He was way over his fighting weight and was used up after one round of action. Even at the age of thirty seven, he can still get himself in far better condition and would therefore be a threat to not only Tua, but any of the champions who are currently available.

David Tua is currently battling it out within the court room, due to contractual disputes with his former management. He will definitely be back though and will seek to make a mark on a wide open division. He owns a nineteen second victory over John Ruiz and getting the current WBA champ back in the ring will be a top priority.

In all honesty the Samoan has never reached his full potential. If you look back at his early career, he was around 224lbs and carried death in his gloves until the final bell. There are plenty of heavyweights who will attest to that. These days his weight fluctuates, but he is almost always over the 240 LB mark, which has made him even slower on his feet. Lennox Lewis dominated him easily in Tua’s only title fight and Chris Byrd borrowed the blue print and handed out a similar, although less hurtful beating, nine months later.

Still the match up between “Tyson n’ Tua” is mouth watering. Will it happen? Of course is won’t, but it’s good to dream. Tyson no longer has the hunger to go after an opponent, who has the potential to knock him clean out with one punch. It is safe to say that the fight would appeal to Tua, who is in need of momentum after a dreadful performance against Rahman, which ended in a draw.

In many ways it is very similar to the bouts between Sonny Liston and Cleveland Williams back in the good old days, when two fights combined for five rounds of chaotic action. Fights like that were easier to make back then, because there was only one real title to fight for. The problem is there are just too many options! Why fight Tua when John Ruiz holds a belt?

However, if by a miracle “TNT” were to go down, then all I can say is; “KA BOOM”!!!!
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