David Tua has Friday Ahunanya on his mind

LAWRENCE SMITH

FUMING FRIDAY: American boxer Friday 'The 13th' Ahununya, at his gym in Las Vegas, steels himself for the showdown with David Tua in Auckland at the end of this month.

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Friday Ahunanya, who fights David Tua on March 31 in Auckland, claims the fight is three months late because Tua dithered over signing his fight contract.

And to try to make up for a purse which is less than he'd like, Ahununya's trainer Luis Taipa is urging Tua to take a side wager on the bout.

Ahununya and his manager, Luis Tapia, say Tua was nervous about taking the bout and it was only their repeated public challenges that pushed him to accept.

In an interview with the Sunday Star-Times in Las Vegas last night, Tapia said Ahununya had been guaranteed a June world title fight against one of the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, if he beats Tua.

"We challenged him many times. We were ready to pull out actually," said Tapia. "We kept calling him names, chicken. We waited five or six weeks. He agreed but he didn't sign. It kept going back and forth so we did a lot of radio, TV, until he signed.

"But you know what, it's a tough fight for both of them."

Tapia said the fight was originally laid down for December, but was postponed, and Ahununya had actually signed two fight contracts, adding: "But David didn't want to sign the contract."

Ironically, Ahununya said he had turned down a fight with Tua in New York five years ago because it was offered at just three weeks' notice. Tapia said he had turned down a $75,000 bout with former world title contender Chris Arreola because they had committed to the Tua fight, for which they are being paid just $35,000.

Tapia predicted Ahununya would knock out Tua inside four rounds, saying Tua would tire quickly, and again repeated his offer to bet $US100,000 that Tua could not knock out his man – a pledge he first made in the Star-Times three months ago. "He never answered me though," said Tapia, offering to double that sum.

Ahununya, however, hinted he would try to take the fight to points, saying: "It's going to be a long night, so I have to be fit. It's hard to predict, but at the end of the night, I intend to be the victor.

"I don't know if he is underestimating me, I am not in his mind, but it would be a shame if he is, because I am not taking him lightly. I have the utmost regard for him."

Tapia said if Ahununya beat Tua, he would not countenance a rematch.

Meanwhile, another of Tapia's charges, five-weight world women's champion Layla McCarter says she's desperate to find an opponent to fight on the Tua-Ahununya undercard after leading Kiwi Daniella Smith turned down the fight.

McCarter, who has a 32-13-5 record, is recognised as the world's best lightweight and the fifth-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world by the authoritative website BoxRec, is coming to Auckland to act as Ahununya's cutman.

She beat Smith on the undercard of Ahununya-Shane Cameron fight two years ago. McCarter said Smith had pestered her for a rematch.

"She's a nice girl and I wanted to help her ... then she sent an email the other day saying `I can't believe they called me three weeks from the fight to have a six rounder and I'm not going to be ready to fight someone of your calibre in that time'," said McCarter. "Six rounds is nothing. If you in any kind of shape, you can take six rounder in your sleep."

McCarter said Smith had asked for sparring instead; "What nerve! you screwed up my payday ... she's on my bad-list right now. I'm really upset with her."

- © Fairfax NZ News