David Tua training in Jersey City to prepare for Saturday's heavyweight fight

In preparation for his upcoming heavyweight bout against former world title challenger Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett, number two ranked WBO fighter David Tua has made Jersey City his training camp. The twelve round main event is set to take place this Saturday, July 17 at Tropicana Resort and Casino in Atlantic City.

Tua, who is coming into this fight with an impressive record of 51-3-1, has never lost when fighting in Atlantic City and with a win can propel himself towards a title fight against current champion Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko will be putting his title on the line in September when he goes to battle with the number one contender Alexander Povetkin, and with a win Saturday night, Tua can set himself up as the mandatory challenger against the winner.

Following a twenty-six month layoff from boxing, Tua stepped back into the ring last October against Shane Cameron and showed he is ready to embark on a title run. In the second round of the fight Tua’s right hooks devastated Cameron and the fight was ended.

Veteran boxing trainer Roger Bloodworth has been working exclusively with Tua for the last five years and is confident the “Tuamanator” has a championship run in him. In an interview with East Side Boxing, Bloodworth has stated “David is a more confident fighter today. He’s a very experienced fighter who is now moving a lot defensively and is no longer a one-handed fighter. He still has that one big hand, but he’s punching well with both hands and, surprisingly, even throwing a good jab.”

At the age of 37, it is do or die time for Tua. He’s at the point in his career where if he loses one, he’s done. He knows that a win Saturday will secure him a shot against the Klitschko/Povetkin winner, but he first needs to take care of the obstacle that will be standing in front of him. Although Barrett has lost his last three fights (2 by KO, 1 unanimous decision), he has shown throughout his career that he has the punching power to abruptly stop his opponents.

I think that Tua’s hunger and determination to earn himself a title shot will be too much for Barrett to withstand, and I expect to see Klitschko putting his title on the line against Tua in early 2011.