in 57 seconds

Tua wins ... in 57 seconds

By Brian Finn

IN less than a minute Samoa-born boxer David Tua revealed what his camp had been attempting to hide all week that replacement opponent Michael Acey was out of shape. Acey,

a Pennsylavania prison guard, was

hustled back from a pig hunting trip and flown to New Zealand as a last minute substitute for Miami boxer Russell Watson who was injured in

training.

And while Tua’s handlers main tained all week that Acey was a tougher prospect than Watson, the capacity crowd at Auckland’s ASB Stadium was left thinking the opposite. Because it only took Tua 57 seconds to despatch Acey to a record of 13 wins and nine losses. Still, Tua was in good company.

Acey had also suffered first round

knockouts at the hands of former world champions Riddick Bowe and Tommy Morrison and a second round defeat to WBC champion Lennox Lewis.

It was a focused and super fit Tua who took the ring though, against an opponent whose disrobing immediately revealed an underworked, flabby body.

And only 22 seconds into the bout, Tua had showed up his opponent’s lack of

preparation landing what should

nave been an expected heavy left hook square on target.

That opened the way for a punishing combination and after surviving a standing count, Acey was under fire again. Tua settled the brief clash with a huge left which floored Acey and referee Bevan Weir immediately de clared Tua the winner. After the fight, the Tua camp was quick to defend the value of the bout despite its shortness.

Veteran trainer George Benton a former trainer of world champions Evander Holyfield and Joe Frazier says Tua proved he can hit as hard as anyone in the heavyweight division.

“David showed out there he is a hell of a puncher. If Acey had been able to get up, David would have killed him.”

Tua, who celebrated his 21st birth day only a week before the fight, says he could have kept the fight going for a couple of rounds “but this is busi ness”. “I just thank the Lord for helping me fight the fight”.

Meanwhile, an embarrassed Acey slipped out of the arena and later out out the country without speaking to the media. Tua may have advanced his bid for world heavyweight title by more than six months, according to his manager Lou Duva. Next year, all Tua’s fights will be over 10 rounds with the first bout likely to be in either Puerto Rico or Cardiff, Wales, in the New Year. □

Jason Dorday It’s all over: Tua being interviewed by the press after the fight