If Tillis showed up in shape and stayed focused the whole fight he could beat Tua, but Tillis was too unpredictable for me to make him a favorite against Tua.
To Tua's credit, he had several come from behind KOs. But, there were several fighters worse than Tillis (Izon, Maskaev, etc.) that were easily outboxing a prime David Tua. So it is certainly possible that an in-shape motivated Tillis could win. (But, I would be awfully nervous for all 12 rounds if I bet on it)
Tillis might last the distance if he's really intent on going the distance. But at the end of the day, I believe the consensus would be that Tillis didn't do enough to win.
I can see Tua dropping further behind against Tillis after an explosive start. Yes, it's true that Tua could come from behind for a KO, there's always that danger, but if Tillis is still there after 8 or 9 rounds then James could steal this. Maybe. Tillis certainly gave Tyson moments, would Tua, a slower fighter, find Tillis to hard to fathom?
Unlike Tyson, Tua was mainly a left hooker with little danger from his jab, right hand or his defense and counter ability. He was also slower and didn't have the endurance of prime Tyson. If Tua don't get Tillis the first 3 rds. He wouldn't get him at all , unanimous dec for Tillis.
You have to remember Tyson was still developing when Tillis troubled him. Tua at his best, like around the time of the Ike Ibeabuci war, could outwork the Tillis of the Tyson fight.
It's important to remember that Tyson was 19 years old when he fought Tillis and still developing. Fast Forward a year and the Tyson who fought Thomas may not have allowed Tillis to see the 5th or 6th round. With that said, Tua, despite his tremendous left hook was a fairly limited fighter, all things considered, but he was still a level above Tillis. I would expect Tua to get outboxed and catch him late with a flurry. If I was forced to make a bet I couldn't afford to lose, I'd be less nervous betting on Tua than I would betting on Tillis.
