Tua seeks salvation as Tuaminator

The name game: David ``Tuaminator'' Tua reckons he's on target for the fight against Shane Cameron.

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David Tua is undergoing a re-branding exercise and has consulted lawyers to officially change his boxing tagline.

No longer does Tua want to be called the "Tuaman" the ring name he used through most of his professional career, but which became forever linked to his bitter and ongoing legal dispute with former managers Kevin Barry and Martin Pugh. Tua now plans to appear at his October 3 fight in Hamilton against Shane Cameron as the "Tuaminator" and will trademark the name.

Much of the long-running court case centred around Tuaman Inc, which managed Tua's affairs.

Tua owned half, while Pugh and Barry owned half, and a proportion of his fight fees were paid into it.

Bizarrely, Tuaman remains on the Companies Register, with Pugh transferring his shareholding to Barry in January.

Pugh also owned tuaman.com, a website that has long since disappeared into the ether. He emailed the Sunday Star-Times last week to say he and Barry wanted Tua to keep the Tuaman name.

Tua himself was coy: "I'm going back to the one name.

"Tua, Tuaman, Tuaminator ... people have their preferences, so it doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fighter."

Tua says he's training alone for the fight next month, without conditioner Lee Parore or any sparring partners.

But declared: "All is well. I'll get there before fight day."

- © Fairfax NZ News