Pains me to say this as a longtime Tua fan but yes he is shot, I had my suspicions for the last few years that his chin wasn't what it was and they were confirmed. His timing is shot to pieces also. It was apparent as soon as the bell rang for round 1, he was actually sharper in his last fight vs Ahunanya believe it or not and thats nothing to do with the opposition as Friday is more durable than Monte and boxed a similar way but showed more speed than Barrett. Big respect for Monte he has a decent right hand but he was terribly slow and open for the Tua of old. Tua still cant or wont cut the ring off with footwork or firing an overhand right, he is totally done at contender level. Tua now has no real motivation and is just there for the money as he is not rich and its all he can do, he must retire or he will become a punchbag. Its obvious that Wlad Klit would knock him out within 6 rounds and probably others also. His physiology and body has changed from his prime years and his timing, chin and motivation are gone, he needs to retire but may fight once more to fulfil his 3 fight contract. Its a shame when one sees a boxer's well earned reputation get dirtied in their final years, he beat some top names but now he is done.
Tua was never as great as he fans wanted to believe. Of course, he wasn't going to ever beat the elite or Wlad with his comeback. Not when he couldn't before, and not with the added age.
If these guys had fought in 2005, when Barrett was at his peak, Tua would have been knocked out. The only reason Tua survived tonight is because Monte is 39 years old. I give props to Tua though; tonight he took a beating, and finished on his feet.
Nah man, this was Monte Barrett, Tuas beaten much better than that and I have big respect for Monte Barrett but he himself was an over the hill fighter, he was incredibly slow and Tua has him wobbled on many occasions but would not/count not close the show. Tuas knocked out Maskaev, Ruiz, Rahman (dodgy but he was coming on), Izon etc and of course the epic war with ibeabuchi. Anyone that knows anything must know that this Tua may look similar but he is light years away. Tuas completely shot. I saw the fight. It would be great if people could respect both fighters and recognise that Tua would not have beaten who he did in the past looking remotely like this.
He just drew with ****in bum ass Monte Barret. Anybody who DOESNT think that prime for prime Tua KO's Barret is a 1st class ****. Tua should retire.
I didn't see the fight, but the south pacific will carry on and keep putting money into the "Tua" bag... Tua will milk the cash cow.... MR.BILL:deal
In short. Tua turned up fat. Similar weight to last time but, a massive loss in condition. Bloodworth may have lost some credibility in allowing Tua to turn up like that. He obviously has lost motivation to be a heavyweight champion. This fight was a robbery. One of the judges scored the fight 115-111 in favor of Tua! atsch The last round was a 10-7 to Barrett because Tua had a point taken away for his WWE style fighting. I had Barrett 5 points ahead at the end.
Tua wasnt in great condition, hed lost weight but didnt look good, but I think hes just an old fighter dont you? His timing was terrible , at age 38 fighters with bigger reputations than he have been done, Tyson for instance.
He needs some anger pills. Or a specialist trainer to get him in decent shape. I think he's done. At least before he had his chin and was never going to be KO'd. Now he's vulnerable. He was rocked several times in earlier rounds. Though, funnily enough if he'd landed some of those bombs in the first couple of rounds would we all be saying how great Tua is?