Tua takes half of $7.5m after long legal row

Boxer David Tua is believed to taken half the $7.5 million at the centre of a legal row between Tua and his former managers, Kevin Barry and Martin Pugh.

The three were in the High Court at Auckland during the week arguing over who should get the millions of dollars Tua earned as a heavyweight fighter while he was trained and managed by Barry and Pugh.

The three were believed to have settled to end the high legal fees of the six-year-old dispute.

The matter was due to go to trial in Auckland next year and had already cost millions in legal fees, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The $7.5m left was to be divided between Tua, as a 50 percent shareholder in the fight company Tuaman Inc, and Barry and Pugh, who each owned 25 per cent. Tua is believed to be heavily in debt, most of it in legal bills.

The two days of hearing in the High Court at Auckland this week were closed to the media and to the public.

Tuaman Inc's biggest asset was a beachfront property at Pakiri Beach north of Auckland. It was sold almost four years ago for $10.25m. The newspaper said earlier documents showed Tua made about $20m.

- NZPA