David Tua's former mentor Kevin Barry has painted his co-manager, Martin Pugh, as a model of frugality in response to accusations that the pair cheated the Samoan boxer of $4 million.
Barry claimed on TVNZ's Holmes show last night that Pugh went to the length of sleeping on a mattress in a wardrobe next to the boxer's room.
He outlined a string of expenses incurred from the boxer's tilt at the world heavyweight boxing title, and described Tua as the extravagant one.
"You have trainers, you have manager, you have training camps there are all the little things, there are all the incidentals that add up," Barry said.
"David's a big spender, like the buying of vehicles he's spent over $800,000 on vehicles, you know, like hiring vehicles there's $50,000 worth of hireage to run around in a Dodge Viper while he's in Las Vegas."
"David's very good at spending money."
He claimed that neither manager had access to cash that had been frozen in their accounts after Tua transferred money into his own name and tried to take $1.2 million from Tuaman Inc Ltd a company in which Pugh is listed as owning all shares.
Barry admitted that the team had "nice training camps" but said the managers "did not live the great life".
"A lot of people have painted this picture of Martin Pugh and it has been very very poorly done and very unfair Martin comes up and believe it or not lives on the floor of a cupboard off David Tua's bedroom he sleeps on a mattress in a wardrobe."
He said a lot of people had to be held accountable for remarks made against Tua's former managers.
It was earlier revealed that Martin Pugh was accused of fraud, misappropriation and forgery in court documents that also claimed Tua was owed $4 million. It was reported that an investigation had found that there are no assets in Tua's name other than a share of his parents' Mangere home.
A statement filed in the High Court and signed by Queen's Counsel Tony Molloy, a Tua lawyer, said Pugh and Barry had failed to prepare accounts for Tua's examination for four years.
"They have cheated him and their conduct has left them with unclean hands."
Pugh and Barry said in their own affidavits they had done nothing wrong; accounts prepared for Tua since the break-up with them as managers were wrong; and that when independent accountants appointed by the court filed their report, they would be vindicated.