David Tua v Earnie Shavers

Tua sparks him

 

Tua couldn't win an alphabet strap in an era when Roy Jones Jnr could and he had his chances to.

I doubt he beats any of Foreman, Ali or Holmes but maybe he could beat Norton or Leon Spinks. Tua had a big left hook and great chin but once he started coming in fat his work rate was too low and he was seemingly content to be outboxed for long periods of fights in the hope of his power (which admittedly he did carry late) would bail him out. Witness his struggles with Izon,Rahman and Maskaev to see him limitations laid bare.

I do fancy his chances againt Earnie though.

 

I think that the argument is too lopsided in favour of Tua here.

The Ramhan fights showed that he dosn't necisarily beat an elite fighter with questionable durability.

I think that Tua gets vastly over rated head to head on this forum.

The argument works something like 2+2 = Tua wins, but it never quite happened like that in the real universe.

 

probably Tua, Would be hard for Shavers to avoid his big punch.

 

Tua on the inside would rip Shavers to pieces. Shavers still has a punchers chance of taking Tua out, no one did it but it could be done. There's also a chance Shavers buzzes Tua early and he goes into his shell ala Lennox fight

 

Shavers his broken glass would shatter through the seven seas.

 

Tua had a pretty solid chin despite him getting KO'd quickly by Savon at the end of his amateur career, Shavers had decent whiskers but got himself into the mix early and loved to trade and this may work to Tua's advantage....anyway if the fight manages to go past the 8th round, Tua had late power, Earnie also could whack late but did not have Tua's stamina to throw combo's...both men were pretty slow for under 6 footers...an exchange between the 2 could provide almost any result but if I had to beat I may lean towards Tua because of reasons stated.

 

Yes, and the fact that he beat four titlists that just happened to not be titlists when he beat them, it's really just a matter of poor timing that he didn't get a hold of a belt. I mean, come on.

 

Shavers is nowhere near elite.

 

If he is one of two fighters contesting the vacant title then he is elite, whatever the circumstances.