Snorting fire in an imitation of his vintage self, David Tua made such short work of Michael Moorer that fans and critics alike must be scratching their heads. The Tuaman, when mindful to press the issue and punish the midsection, makes things happen. The end result was Moorer's comeback attempt snuffed out in thirty seconds in a definitive statement that left the former heavyweight champion supine on the bottom rope, knocked cold before he ever got warmed up.

So much for that slow starter rap on Tua. So much for worrying about whether he would allow Moorer to steal the early rounds and create the late-fight buzz wondering if another late Tuaman knockout would materialize. In the end, Moorer was never really equipped with the tools to keep him out of harm's way, and the finishing punches didn't even land in the classic knockout spots -- chin or temple -- yet the brute force of Tua's blows dismissed another championship aspirant, and moved him one step closer to what he has always referred to "my destiny". 

Tua's fans have always known that when their man punches to the body, and is willing to take two to land one, he is pretty tough to beat. Equipped with the best chin in the division, Tua will be a contender until he retires. And with two big wins in a row, the projected matchup suggested by HBO of Tua vs. Wladimir Klitschko is one hell of a heavyweight eliminator. It makes intrinsic sense and presents both men with the ideal challenge to solidify their statement as the logical challenger for Lewis (assuming Lewis doesn't retire, which is sort of like assuming Al Gore doesn't run for President again....both are issues too nebulous to attempt prediction). We'll get to that matchup in a sec, but first, let's look at what Tua should do to make his second run at the title one that gives him the best chance of winning it.

Stay Active: This is the most important thing, particularly for a fighter like Tua who is prone to gaining weight between fights, and having to spend too much time reducing. I don't care if he's fighting an 18-8 club fighter on ESPN. The mantra on guys in the top five, and especially for those with mandatory rankings, is to keep them on ice; the theory is that the risk-reward ratio for risking a loss or a delay in a title shot isn't worth the chump change for tune-up bouts. That kind of mentality is what kept Tua inactive for two years, waiting for the Lewis bout, fighting a paltry three times during the vigil. It's also what kept Kirk Johnson idle for a year before his failed challenge of Ruiz. There's fighting for the title, and fighting to win the title, and they're two different things.

Consider the equation: if Tua were to fight every two months, he'd get the kind of constant training to keep his weight down, and stay sharp, which are the dual critical ingredients in making him effective. His confidence and exposure would benefit wonderfully from lots of keep-busy bouts, and he's not the type of fighter to cut. The current school of thought against keeping a guy active when he's a big win from the title is completely antithetical to what a fighter needs to have the mindset to win the title.

Every fighter I've ever talked to has said that fighting a month or two apart always keeps them sharp. Usually they recall the second match with a feral gleam in their eye, proud of how good they felt and what came so naturally to them.

Yeah, there's limited HBO dates to deal with, but that doesn't mean Tua couldn't stay busy banging out people in off-TV venues, on pay-per-view co-billers, or even under cards of bigger fights. Seriously, folks, if you keep this guy active and training (something he doesn't mind doing, as long as he has a fight on the horizon to think about), he could return to his vintage form. Now, who knows what would've happen had Moorer survived that round. It could've been a Tua relapse of the Oquendo, Byrd, and Lewis fights, where his early-rounds fire dissipated into that chase and pose routine that makes you wonder if he's going to break double digits in punches that round. Just keep feeding the beast, and he'll get back to his old form. 

The great thing about this type of approach is that it's easily done. Tua probably won't be feted as an opponent for fellow top-20 types, whose managers would gladly steer them clear of the hard-punching New Zealander. But any journeyman heavyweight would be glad to get a career-high payday and a shot at Tua. That's why he should stay active and keep training. If he's going to make another run, he deserves a series of guys that will be there to be hit. Prospective opponents at this level would include guys that are tall, slow, and not too mobile so as to mitigate the chance of Tua losing a decision, and maximize his chances for being able to add to his body count in impressive fashion.

Guys with big midsections that Tua can chop down while the public sees what the guy is capable of. There is a transcendent, visceral appeal to a Tua-style knockout, and it doesn't hurt at the bargaining table if he does get that title shot, either. The average sports fan probably doesn't remember all those Chris Byrd decisions, but the visual of a Moorer, Ruiz, or David Izon being blitzed out is pretty easily recalled. Life is unfair, but the public likes a puncher.

Give him three or four more fights in the next six months, and then send him in vs. Klitschko, or whomever. At his best, Tua beats all of them, and yes, that includes Lewis, who is only getting older and would be susceptible to taking Tua lightly. Of course, he'd have to beat Byrd or Klitschko to warrant a shot from Lewis, who only seems interested in ticking off prospective challengers from his list for various reasons having nothing to do with their willingness to fight him.

Become a Body Punching Junkie: Kevin Barry, Tua's trainer, should fine Tua $100 for every whiffing head shot he unleashes in sparring that isn't set up with a body punch. Yeah, body punching is risky because it exposes you to a counter to the head. But when you're a 5-10 heavyweight with Tua's chin, being that low to the ground makes a body shot a shorter, quicker punch. And if you've seen how effective he is when he digs to the midsection, the look of abject misery in the other guy's eyes when Tua whacks them in the ribs, that's clearly his best strategy.

If I were training Tua, I'd make him spend entire rounds hitting nothing but the midsection of his sparring partners. When Tua does that, it creates a sense of deterrence from wanting to hit him back. If you remember Lewis' reaction to those body shots in rounds 2-4, you know how intimidating Tua's body attack can be. As the great Sam Langford put it, "I punch to the body, because the head got eyes." Tua doesn't even need to connect clean to be effective. Even a deflected body shot hurts from the guy.

Spend some bucks, and hire a Mackie Shilstone: Tua's weight may be overanalyzed, and his frame looked as solid as it's ever been at 243 Saturday night. I'm not a nutrition expert by any means, but seeing as how Tua was 233 for Byrd a year ago, you figure he can peel off a few more pounds. The mid 220s of his career during the mid-90s may not be attainable at this phase of his physical maturity, but there's no reason to not get him down to his best weight (read somewhere that Tua debuted as a pro at 204 pounds... can this be possible?). It's less to carry around and makes him quicker, which is key in unleashing his early-rounds, tone-setting blitz he'll need to put a Klitschko or Byrd on the defensive, and keep them there in the middle rounds.

It's not impossible, and here's hoping Tua learns from the experience of his first title run and makes for a hell of repeat attempt. He grew a little lazy in his training for Lewis, and showed up at 253 for his last tune-up bout vs. Obed Sullivan, and the end result was simply too much weight to shave off before his title challenge. Keep him in training with some top-notch help, and  he's not likely to make that mistake again.

***

It was chilling to think of what could happen should HBO mortgage the futures of two top heavyweights in order to create The Contender. In suggesting the proposed Klitschko-Tua match, HBO gets bonus points for a gutsy move. Both of these guys could be steered well clear of one another and eventually get some shot for some belt, so it's nice to consider this matchup. On a personal level, I've always felt that Tua-Klitschko would be the best thing to produce a challenger that Lewis would have to fight or retire, because both men offer definitive problems for the other that would produce an explosive bout.

Klitschko, despite his incredible offensive gifts, and dominant physical tools, still hasn't been in a dogfight. He hasn't been in against a guy he hits with his best shot that keeps coming. The closest so far has been Ray Mercer, whose marvelous chin outlasted his once-potent ability to force a brawl no matter what incoming fire he was facing. Klitschko can keep on knocking outmatched people out, and we may never find out what kind of durability factor he's got going for him until he faces a Lewis.

If Lennox retires, and Klitschko bypasses Tua for a shot at one of the belts left vacant in Lewis' absence, the Ukrainian will probably dominate the division without a stern challenge unless someone materializes.

That someone is not any of these big, two-sport types that take up boxing at a late age. If you look at the difference between how well-schooled Klitschko is compared to other big heavyweights that are the rage these days, it's a glaring reminder of how important an early start is in boxing to hard-wire the fundamentals into a fighting style. Big heavyweights don't move as well as he does, they don't fire combinations off the jab with his seamless transition. And very few people have the chin to deal with his thunder. Smaller guys like Byrd and Holyfield have the requisite amateur background and technical skills, but they're simply outgunned in the cruel realities of the heavyweight division, where size really does matter. Tua, however, could give him the chance to prove what he's made of. He can take a helluva shot, give one, and keep coming. And he was born a fighter and has been doing it his whole life.

Think about it. Lewis likes to knock Klitschko because he's "Not tough enough". But if Klitschko were able to beat Tua more impressively than Lewis, wouldn't that call the champion's bluff? Consider the amazing public groundswell if Klitschko were able to floor, or, god forbid, even stop Tua. It should seem like an inviting assignment for the Ukrainian, a short heavyweight who always comes forward, and is there to be hit. But then again, it's David Tua, and that's exactly why it's a fascinating matchup.

Would Klitschko be content to win on points in a boring jab-and-grab fest? Quite possible. Or would he hurt Tua and go for the stoppage that nobody has been able to secure, not even lethal punchers like Ike Ibeabuchi and Lewis? Klitschko still needs to be taken deep into a tough fight, before he challenges Lewis. That's the payoff in fighting Tua. Even if he's hurt early or finds he can't trade with Tua, Klitschko should still be able to out jab and tie Tua up to win a decision. If he can't do that, with several inches of height and reach at his disposal and much more firepower and range than the smaller Oquendo and Byrd, he isn't going to beat Lewis. Once again, we'll know if Universum wants to fight for the title, or WIN the title, by whether or not they're willing to face Tua.

For Tua, the stain of the Lewis fight still dogs him, perhaps unfairly so. Yeah, he pretty much gave away a fight just when he seemed to be on the verge of winning it. But pain is pain, and the injured rib theory is one that this writer subscribes to. Yeah, it's part of boxing, and the great ones overcome it, but the great ones come back after losing, too. Like it or not, Tua gave Lewis a few scary moments before settling into his Slow Tua mode. The benefit of experience is knowing to not let it happen again.

Another point which makes the Klitschko-Tua bout fascinating, and perhaps different than Byrd and Oquendo's slap-around jobs on Tua, is that Wladimir's power probably is so good he would motivate Tua to fire back. Given his temperament, Tua doesn't really respond when he's hit by someone that can't hurt him. He simply waits and stalks. But the reason his fight with Ike Ibeabuchi was so fantastic, such a compelling struggle, was that Tua was fighting for his life. Ibeabuchi woke him up, nailed him hard, and ignited his natural warrior's instinct. Lewis may have stunned him a few times, but mostly he was astute enough to jab, clinch, and enact a silent contract with Tua that basically said, "If you won't press the issue, I won't, either."

Klitschko, equipped with a right hand as good as Lewis', and a powerful hook Lewis never had, would be able to smack Tua hard enough to awaken that fire. It'd be a telling moment to see Tua take Wlad's Sunday punch, land a bomb in return, and see his response.

All said and done, it was a little too short and sweet to assume Tua is back in prime form. He did what he had to do, and showed what we've always known, that he's very tough to beat when he fights like he should. With Klitschko all but anointed as the next great heavyweight, it'd be a damn respectable move for HBO to pit them together in a move to establish the next great champion. Surely the winner of that bout would have the credentials to be that great champion, particularly if Lewis is not around to settle the argument.

Short jabs

With John Ruiz filing suit against King for his balking at making a Tyson-Ruiz bout, King's machinations to wrest the heavyweight crown he once owned for nearly two decades seem to have caught up with him. It all started with his inserting Ruiz-Holyfield as a recurring bout to merely mark time while Lewis grew old; it was a sort of shameless holding action while Lewis knocked off Grant, and Tua heavyweights king didn't control. Then, King made his play for Rahman, which backfired, and then it turned out Lewis was only making nice with King to throw him a curveball and mitigate the possibility of King's influence in a decision.

Lewis cut any possible future ties with King after dumping Rahman in the rematch, but King, as is his trademark, was not done. He dodged a bullet when Kirk Johnson DQ'ed himself against Ruiz, and was still in control of one-thirds of the heavyweight title (eventually, hey, that WBA belt holder is gonna get a shot at the linear crown... King thinks longer term than most chess players). Then King was crafty enough to sign Chris Byrd, the IBF mandatory. King never stops jockeying to improve his position, and that's why he's been on top of the game for a quarter century, lawsuits and all.

But the Ruiz lawsuit suggests perhaps a harsh roadblock from the master plan of securing the heavyweight title for King. Ruiz, who would make a seven-figure purse for tangling with Iron Mike, sees no reason why the fight shouldn't be made. King's pending litigation vs. Tyson is a roadblock for him, as a promoter, but it has nothing to do with Ruiz. You wonder how many lives King has and how he'll wiggle out of this one, because as things stand, the only plausible outcome of a Ruiz-Tyson bout is Tyson owning the WBA title. Please don't write me in to tell me Ruiz is "rough and rugged" and would confuse Tyson. When's the last time a guy who charged at Tyson to grab him got anything out of it but a beating?

Somehow, someway, expect King to work something out and keep that critical foothold in the division. King is obviously already considering Life After Lewis, and a Ruiz defeat at the hands of Tyson, sans King's options on his former charge, would leave him in a very weak position and set him back a year or two. But somehow, someway, the guess here is that King does something to avoid what seems a very unenviable position. Hell, if the government can't beat him in multiple attempts, what makes you think Ruiz's lawyers can?