By Eric Thomas: Former heavyweight title challenger David Tua (52-4-2, 43 KO’s) has reportedly wrapped up his 20-year pro career by retiring from boxing, according to New Zealand boxing news. Tua, 39, last fought last year in August, losing to journeyman Monte Barrett by a 12 round unanimous decision. Tua was knocked down in the 12th round in that fight and fought poorly throughout, failing to pull the trigger on his shots.

Tua’s once promising career seemed to start going downhill after he lost a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision to IBF/WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in November 2000. Tua fought top level heavyweight Chris Byrd a year later and lost by a 12 round unanimous decision. From there, he beat Michael Moorer and Fres Oquendo. In March 2003, Tua fought to a 12 round draw with Hasim Rahman. That fight led to a two year ab sense away from the ring for Tua. He came back in 2005 and beat seven 2nd tier fighters from 2005 to 2007.

Tua followed this with another two year absence away from the ring until coming back in 2009 to KO Shane Cameron in an impressive performance. He fought only four more times, beating Friday Ahunanya, fighting to a 12 round draw with Monte Barrett, beating Demetrice King and then losing to Barrett.

It’s hard to imagine Tua sticking with his retirement because he can still punch and with the heavyweight division as weak is it is right now, he could easily get a title shot if he stayed active fighting four times a year against the type of opponents he’d been fighting. Barrett may have been a bad style for Tua and he ideally should have stayed away from a rematch against him. What Tua needed to do is take the backdoor route to a title shot by facing 2nd and 3rd tier opposition to rise up the heavyweight rankings until he eventually got his shot. Just based on his name alone, Tua would likely be at #1 before you know it.

Look at Rahman; he’s ranked #1 by the WBA and he’s getting a title shot next against WBA champion Alexander Povetkin after beating nothing but 2nd and 3rd tier heavyweights for the past two years after his last title shot against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. To get the crack at Wladimir, Rahman fought four 2nd tier heavyweights and beat them all and got a no contest with James Toney. And still Rahman was given a title shot. Tua should have folloed in that path to a title shot.