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Lewis should be thinking Tua, not Tyson
With that in mind, the biggest mistake Lennox Lewis can make at this point in his career is to overlook David Tua.
Tua (36-1, 30 KO's) appears to be next in line for Lewis and although we can never really know what goes on in a fighters head, it appears that Lewis has thrown Tua into a sub-category of unworthy competitors. When asked about Tua, Lewis responds with blunt disregard for the Samoan as a fighter. "Tua can't handle me. I'll give up one of my belts to Tua, to fight Tyson" he told the Associated Press. And to more blatantly express his lack of interest, "The Tua fight doesn't really matter to me."
Lewis has indeed thrown Tua into the same category he rightfully placed Frans Botha and Michael Grant. But Tua poses a much more serious threat to Lewis than either Botha or Grant did. When Lewis fought Michael Grant, Grant resembled the Incredible Hulk. Not only in size, but in color. Green. His inexperience transformed him from a physicallly imposing intimidator out of the ring, to an incompetent mouse in it. Frans Botha simply lacked the speed and punching power to threaten Lewis' reign.
David Tua is as fierce a puncher as the heavyweight division has to offer and his habit of early destruction makes him even more dangerous for a slow starter like Lewis. Lewis often comes out a bit cold. Your best bet is to catch him early, the way Oliver McCall did when he knocked Lewis out in the second round of the fight that tarnished a perfect record. The hapless Shannon Briggs also had Lewis reeling with an early avalanche of leather.
After destroying Obed Sullivan in 51 seconds, Tua was quoted as saying, "I'm out there to get them out as fast as I can." But Tua also carries his power into the later stages of a fight as was evident by his late stoppages of worthy competitors like Hasim Rahman, Oleg Maskaev, and David Izon. Not to mention his infamous eyeblink devastation of John Ruiz. Add to his resume a granite chin and a mean streak, and Lewis is suddenly facing one of the toughest fights of his career. And he doesn't even seem to notice.
If Lewis is looking past Tua and thinking about Mike Tyson he is making a grave error. Yes, the big bucks linger around Mike Tyson like the smell of a rotting fish, but first Lewis would have to get past a similar, but much more dangerous version of Tyson. Tua and Tyson are almost physical clones. They are both short and stocky. They both possess tremendous punching power, especially in their left hooks. But unlike Tyson, Tua's head seems to be in the right place. At 27 years of age he is somewhere near the peak of his career whereas Tyson has long ago trotted down that mountain. Tua is much more composed in the ring. He is much more focused. Basically he has Tyson's brain numbing punch, minus the baggage that follows anti-depressants and court cases. He has Tyson's left hook, minus the rust. He has Tyson's explosiveness, minus the penchant for chewing human flesh and throwing limbs into brazilian jujitsu arm bars. As a boxer, Tua is much more likely to beat Lewis than Tyson is.
In this case, Lewis may be a victim of his own ego. He knows that the only name which remains unscratched on his resume for greatness is Mike Tyson. Lewis knows that as long as Tyson is out there talking and knocking out bums, we won't really be satisfied until he takes him out. If Lewis retires without beating Tyson, he'll forever be reminded. Questioned. There will always be that annoying punk at a computer who'll write a column about Lewis and make sure to mention that he never fought the man who was considered the fiercest heavyweight of the modern era. So, the image of Mike Tyson hangs in front of Lewis like a slab of bloody meat before a hungry dog. If he can just beat Tyson, there will be no more questions. His place will be secure. It is this temptation, this anxious thirst for recognition void of doubt, that prevents Lennox Lewis from taking Tua seriously. Only Tyson can quench the thirst. Tua is a sip of warm sandy water. Tyson's a keg of ice cold Heineken.
When Lewis beat Botha he immediately started talking Tyson. Good promotion, I know, but until the ink hits the paper Lewis should be hitting the heavybag with Tua on his mind. And since it's already been confirmed that Lewis has no children to eat, Lennox should forget about Iron Mike and his taunts and concern himself with what stands in front of him, rather than what stirs in the imagination.
In what may turn out to be an eerie case of foreshadowing Mike Tyson said this of Tua, "He is angry, mean and hungry. He's got that look in his eye, like he's ready to kill someone. I hope it's not Lewis, because I want to end Lewis."
Get in line Mike.
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