Barry warns Tua: this is a 'real' test for you

KEVIN BARRY has warned his former protege David Tua that he faces his first "real" opponent since 2003 when he meets Friday Ahunanya in Auckland on March 31.

Barry, who once turned down the chance to train Ahunanya, knows Tua's opponent well and says he's coming to New Zealand well-prepared for a "career-defining" fight.

And he says he isn't impressed by Tua's preparations, saying he looks overweight and has used third-rate sparring partners.

Referring to a recent open sparring session between Tua and Israel Garcia which was shown on New Zealand TV while the Kiwi trainer was holidaying here, Barry said: "It was put on to show David in menacing fashion [but it looked] absolutely terrible. I looked at it and said `you're kidding me'.

"He looked like he had ballooned up again: he looked every bit of 120 to 122kg [Tua was 103kg when he fought Shane Cameron].

"He is sparring with a third-rate guy like Israel Garcia, and Friday is sparring with Hasim Rahman and Samuel Peter.

"Friday will give him a lot of angles, he has got fast hands and a good jab and he is the first real fighter David has fought since Rahman in 2003. The other eight names on his list in the last seven years – none of them are real fighters.

"Friday has been to the big dance before, he knows what he is getting himself into, he is very, very experienced guy and he has sparred hundreds of rounds with very decent guys."

Ahunanya sparred Tua in two training camps under Barry's guidance, and Barry claims Friday was durable, tough to hit and, in over 40 rounds, was only once rocked by a big shot from Tua and was never dropped.

Barry says he also fears age will begin to tell against Tua, now 37, and believes that the remaining two fights on Tua's Maori TV contract could mean he uses up his remaining energy on meaningless contests before he has the chance to take on a big-name opponent.

"This latest ridiculous business decision – I think it may have really damaged his chances of getting a big shot over here [the US]," Barry said.

"There is nothing in the heavyweight division at the moment, the champions are desperate for people to fight and the one thing David Tua has is a name."

- © Fairfax NZ News