David Tua and boxing

Yeah he is apparently kind of an uneducated moron and he is of a different race, but I kind of identify with him. He is a little guy that bulked himself up to be a heavyweight.  His style is so cool - a bit like mine was although even better - where every punch is a potential KO. None of this jab bullshit. I admire his style for some reason. His career is a study in frustration, although he did manage to make a little money and KO four heavyweight champions of the world. But if he was just a little bigger and taller…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7t4xeD9N2E

Hey I didn't know you did boxing, Allen. The man didn't seem to be that small though. Surprisingly loose and explosive for a guy of his bulk. He's making good use of what he's got, which takes a lot of mastery. Some guys are just big for nothing.

In my experience training newbies is that a lot of them don't have the tuitiveness in how to move their bodies. Then they get frustrated and give up. I'm perpetually training newbies. Maybe I am teaching wrong


My favorite fighter has to be Fedor Emilienko though

The thing about Tua is that he may have gone down as the best boxer of all time if he had been suited to his weight division. He was really too small to be a heavyweight, but he did what he did. If he were just a little bit bigger, I think he could have dominated the sport.

It is interesting to ponder where the classic left jab, right cross style came from. Actually Pausanias might have told us. He says the Spartans used boxing to get used to head contact. The jab was a shield parry. The cross was a thrust from a sword or a spear. I inherited this style, both genetically and culturally, but was always drawn to Tua’s round punching style. However, the classic jab/cross style does work when you are taller but less talented that your opponent - a horrible example of that being the Tua-Lennox fight.