Nicholson poised to derail Tua’s championship plans

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 15, 2001 | 9:35 a.m.

Boxing fans horrified by the notion of David Tua moving back into a mandatory challenger's position in the International Boxing Federation's heavyweight rankings have only one recourse: Root for Danell Nicholson.

With the stench of Tua's putrid performance against champion Lennox Lewis still in the air, the IBF has seen fit to call for an eliminator to determine who it elevates to its No. 1 challenger. While it failed to attract all of its leading contenders -- Larry Donald and Wladimir Klitschko withdrew from consideration -- it has matched Tua with Nicholson for a March 23 fight at Texas Station.

The winner will move closer to a fight with Lewis. The loser will be cast back into the rubble.

"This is an easy fight for Danell to win if he listens to instructions," said his trainer, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. "Tua's very one-dimensional. If we start by keeping him in the middle of the ring, Danell can win in a cakewalk."

Nicholson, 39-3 with 30 knockouts, shifted his training site from his native Chicago to Las Vegas this week.

Tua, 37-2 with 32 KOs, has been training here for some time.

Bettors foresee a Tua victory as he's a solid minus 900 favorite. Nicholson is a plus 600 in the Texas Station sports book.

But Muhammad, a Las Vegan who has had Nicholson for 15 fights after replacing Emanuel Steward, says the fans could be in for a surprise.

"Tua has to be the betting favorite because he's the bigger name and he's been on TV a lot," Muhammad said. "But my whole outlook is that I've seen Tua lose a couple of fights and it's easy to see how to beat him.

"He gets all his knockouts off the ropes, so you have to keep him in the center and don't get into a thing where you're slugging, slugging, slugging with him.

"Boxing is a game of chess and when you're fighting a guy with Tua's power, you have to make the right moves."

Lewis made all the right moves while demoralizing Tua and winning a lopsided fight last November at Mandalay Bay. It was a textbook performance by the champion.

"Lewis is a thinking man's fighter and he'll make you show your hand," Muhammad said. "Not to discredit Tua, but Lewis showed how easy it is to beat him.

"The way he handled Tua showed why Lewis is the heavyweight champion. My only complaint was with the way Tua's promoter (Dan Goossen) came out afterward and said Tua had been injured beforehand. I wanted to say, 'Hey, face it, you got beat by the superior fighter.' "

Muhammad thinks the 6-foot-3, 33-year-old Nicholson will be the superior fighter in the upcoming fight.

"Danell's mobile, he's elusive and I've got him sitting down on his punches more than he used to," he said. "Unless Tua grows another arm, we've got the blueprint in place to get the win."

Nicholson's downfall, from the public's perception, is that he has lost his three biggest fights. While each occurred prior to 1997, he was beaten by Jeremy Williams, Andrew Golota and Kirk Johnson.

Tua is his greatest challenge in some time.

"Since those losses, Danell has been the most active heavyweight in the division," Muhammad said of the former U.S. Olympian. "He's shown his fortitude and no one can say he's bought his way into the rankings."

The IBF has him at No. 3 (although neither the WBA nor the WBC has him in its top 10). Tua, who had risen to No. 1 with the IBF at the time he fought Lewis, is now No. 5.

"Tua disappointed a lot of people, although, like I say, Lewis forced him into that," Muhammad said. "But he's still a marquee name and his people did a good job of politicking (the IBF). It's not a big deal, but I just don't think Tua -- coming off a devastating loss -- should be thrust back into this position.

"But if he thinks or has been told Danell is an easy mark, he's mistaken."