Tua De Force on Maori Television

Publicity Release
Friday December 4 2009

Tua De Force on Maori Television!

Maori Television will be the exclusive New Zealand broadcaster of heavyweight knockout specialist David ‘Tuamanator’ Tua’s next three fights.

Ranked number three by the World Boxing Organisation (WBO), Tua is set to embark on TUA DE FORCE – a three-fight campaign that Tua is calling the continuation of his offensive to take out the world heavyweight championship title.

Stage one of TUA DE FORCE will kick off on February 7 2010 (NZT) when Tua is the main event on a US fight card in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His opponent is former World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Bruce ‘The Atlantic City Express’ Seldon.

Tua’s US-based promoter, Cedric Kushner – who is the President of Gotham Boxing – says: “Seldon knows a winning performance against Tua puts him right back in the picture, and he is going to come to fight, particularly as he will be in a fan-friendly environment.”

Cedric Kushner says it is important that his fighter gets back into the ring as soon as possible. “Fighting regularly obviously helps the process of conditioning and also raises your profile, because you are prominently in the limelight for extended periods. A series of successful fights will also validate my calls to the sanctioning bodies to elevate David in the rankings with the principal world sanctioning bodies.”

Stage two of TUA DE FORCE will be a boon for the New Zealand fans. The second fight is scheduled to take place at home in New Zealand in March 2010. The opponent has been confirmed and will be Friday Ahunanya who defeated Shane Cameron in Auckland last year. And stage three of TUA DE FORCE will see the boxer head back to the US. Scheduled for May 2010, the fight will be held in Hawaii. The opponent will be announced in due course.

Tua – who has beaten four world champions – says he has proved to everyone that he is still the best heavyweight puncher in the division after his sensational second-round knockout of Shane ‘The Mountain Warrior’ Cameron in October. That win took his career record to 50 wins (43 by knockout), three losses (all on points) and a draw.

The 38-year-old says this is his time. "It’s not when you get knocked down that counts but it’s when you get back up that matters. This is a continuation of my journey – I have a good five years left in me and the dream is still alive for me to be the heavyweight champion of the world.”

Maori Television chief executive Jim Mather says the channel is proud to support Tua’s boxing career as a broadcast partner. “We have been in partnership with David Tua since 2007 when David’s career was at a low ebb. The exclusive broadcast arrangement that we have with David is a reflection of the commitment that both Maori Television and David have demonstrated towards each other,” Mr Mather says.

“Our support has never been about short-term gain but about long-term commitment. We want to see David achieve his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion because of the many challenges he has overcome.

“Our arrangement also ensures that all New Zealanders will have the opportunity to be part of TUA DE FORCE as David takes the next steps in his journey to the heavyweight title. Our broadcasts will be free-to-air, making it possible for everyone to support and enjoy the experience of watching one of the finest athletes New Zealand has produced.”

ENDS