Why Didn't David Tua Have More Success?

Because, in contrast to what some people will try to tell you, chin+power won't make you elite fighter alone. Tua was very powerful and he was very durable, but he wasn't very good.

 

The guy did beat 4 dudes who held or would hold a strap. Let's not play him as being, say, Tommy Morrison level. And his big shot at the title was against a TOP 3 ATG who was everything wrong for him.

Aside from bad management and a suspect work ethic, he was rudimentary. What he did he did well, good head movement, shifty but there wasn't a lot of variety in his aresenal. He didn't have a lot of ways to set up his hook (tho his right was very potent). Part of this was his physical limitations but part seemed to be a lack of imagination or investment in the sport. I never got the sense he loved boxing.

 

Max Baer disagrees.

 

He was elite-just not the very best.
He also carried his power late & had excellent endurance.
These things were more than enough to compensate for his lack of height & reach.
I agree that he just was not the very best, but...

IF he had better motivation, stayed in the mid 220's (plenty even for a heavily muscled 5' 10"), did not get discouraged, & was taught how to cut off the ring & get past certain things like the jab...
He would not have to have had top speed or skills, nor get a favorable easy match up, to get a belt.

If you transplanted another fighter's braaiaiaiain into his head, he becomes champ.
Think Frazier would not have done somewhat better than Tua using his body?

 

Baer never dominated the division though. He was better than Tua, but if you can't find a better example then you basically proved my point.. and Maxie wasn't only about power and chin.

 

If you are a small guy with a limited reach, you better have the foot speed to close the gap on big guys like Tyson.

Ray Mercer was a small flat footed boxer but his reach was a major factor behind him being able to out jab Lewis.

 

He didn't get a fake title because he wasn't signed to Don King. Failing in eliminators with Byrd and Rahman didn't help either. He was not going to beat Lewis.

 

Due to strong competition, Tua could not prove himself...

 

He never signed with Don King.

 

I think you mean wingspan, which is 77" for Mercer. I do not know what his reach is, but his wingspan is 7" less than Lewis at 7' (84").
Mercer's skill at jabbing was the reason for him beating Lewis to the punch.

 

He still had a bigger reach than Tyson and Tua

 

Sure. Although prime Tyson would have been able to land some jabs on Lewis.

 

His chin has been overrated some.. When he was in with guys that might be able to hurt him his punch output seemed to drop. He would plod around without letting his hands go.

 

As the biggest Tua fan at ESB, couldn't have said it better myself! A fair and balanced breakdown of Tua. Elite, just not the very best.

 

There’s been a lot of questions about Tua’s success. He just wasn’t elite, end of story