Tuaman returns to active duty in the Big Apple
Former fatty turned human x-ray Cedric Kushner may have lost his inner tube, but he hasn’t lost his taste for the finer things in life. Case in point: Monday’s boxing press conference at the Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York’s Grand Central Station.
First opened to great fanfare in 1913, the Grand Central Oyster Bar is, according to its website, “one of America’s most historic and celebrated seafood restaurants … drawing a clientele of high-society New Yorkers, local business people, dignitaries, celebrities and tourists alike.â€?
Oddly enough, no mention is made of boxers, boxing and promoters.
Because on Wednesday, July 26, at the Grand Ballroom in the Manhattan Center on West 34th Street in the Big Apple, Cedric Kushner’s Gotham Boxing presents a ten-bout card spotlighting heavyweight slugger David Tua (44-3-1, 38 KOs), making his first New York appearance in almost ten years, against Oak Lawn, Illinois native Edward Gutierrez (15-2, 6 KOs).
In the co-main event, Cuban star Eliseo Castillo (20-1-1, 15 KOs) meets Emanuel Steward’s unbeaten prospect Johnathon Banks (11-0, 8 KOs) of Detroit for the NABO cruiserweight championship.
And amateur standout “Mean� Joe Greene (10-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, fighting out of the Starrett City, will fight Damone Wright (17-25-2, 6 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska for the vacant WBC Youth middleweight championship in an eight-round affair.
The jam-packed card will also feature three local favorites: unbeaten Brooklyn rising star Cindy Serrano (12-0-1, 7 KOs) battles Tawnya Freeman (7-2, 3 KOs) of Ft. Smith, Arkansas in a six-round junior lightweight contest; heavy-handed Bronx favorite Jorge Teron (10-0-1, 8 KOs) faces Armando Cordoba (21-25-2, 16 KOs); and hard-hitting up-and-coming middleweight Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (5-0, 4 KOs) tangles with William Prieto (2-0) from the Buckeye State of Ohio.
Tickets for Cedric Kushner’s Gotham Boxing at the Grand Ballroom are available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Gotham Boxing at 212.755.1944.
ESPN2’s Wednesday Night Fights will televise the show live.
Get your tickets while they last…
It’s up to you New York to rate Tua’s worth in the heavyweights.
I’ll bet he’s not rated highly after the fight.
How can a guy with a record of 17-25-2 6KO’s be fighting for any sort of paper title? Why don’t they just decorate a piece of tin foil and hand it to him instead?
I love Tuaman, but it’s an indictment on the current state of the heavyweight division that he is still considered a contender.
With that being said, I’d consider him to be the favorite or even money against all of the alphabet champions.
If you haven’t seen it, the Tua vs Ibeabuchi fight was one of the best heavyweight fights I’ve seen.
Ibeabuchi was a beast and IMO destroyed Lennox.
SORRY WOULD have destroyed Lennox.
Tua’s got to get it together. At one time, he was a force to reckoned with, but then he got fat and lazy. He was disgraceful against Lennox and Chris Byrd. He punches like a #$%@ mule kick (to quote Iron Mike), but he just comes forward, eating punches, hoping to land the big shot.
I’d love to see him get back into the low 230’s (the lower the better) and give himself a chance. The heavyweight division is wide open right now and everyone loves a pure puncher like the Tuaman. As Christian said, he has a chance against any of the alphabet titliests, if he’s in shape.
C’mon David, get back to fighthing meaningful guys. Go get Sam Peter or Ibragmov.