David Tua was a 19-year-old hotel kitchen-hand when he won a boxing bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. But even at such a young age, he had already forged quite a reputation.

In 1989, aged just 15 and still technically a middleweight, he won his first national heavyweight crown defeating Karl Meehan at the Auckland Nationals.

He overcame his extreme youth to beat some good opposition and win a place in the 1992 Olympic team, where he was expected to find the going pretty tough in the competitive heavyweight division, which was dominated by Cuban legend Felix Savon.

Instead, the 19-year-old Tua turned in a series of gutsy performances, knocking out two good European opponents, and made his way into the semi-finals to guarantee himself a bronze medal at least.

In his semi-final he was outclassed by Nigerian David Izonritei, whom he was to meet and knock out four years later as a pro. The Nigerian was superior in 1992, dropping Tua once after a hammer-like blow to the stomach and winning 12-7 on points.

Still, it was a game showing by Tua, who thus became the third New Zealand boxer, following Ted Morgan in 1928 and Kevin Barry in 1984, to win an Olympic medal. He also became the first Polynesian to win an Olympic medal in any sport.

Read more

Tweet Share

David's Games History