{{short description|Australian boxer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox boxer |name = Lawrence Tauasa |image = |imagesize = |realname = Lawrence Tauasa |nickname = |weight = Cruiserweight |height = 5f 9 inches |reach = |nationality = Australian/Samoan |birth_date = 8 July 1979 |birth_place = Apia, Samoa |death_date = |death_place = |style = |total = 46 |wins = 35 |losses = 10 |draws = 1 |no contests = |KO = 23 }} '''Lawrence Tauasa''' is a Samoan Australian former professional boxer who competes in the cruiserweight division. He comes from Sydney, is a former Australian cruiserweight champion and was a contestant on the fourth season of the Contender.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=19150&cat=boxer |title=Lawrence Tauasa |website=BoxRec.com |date=1979-07-08 |accessdate=2016-02-05}}</ref>

==Early life== Tauasa was born in Samoa but moved to New Zealand when he was 6.<ref>{{cite news |title=How girl power gave Tauasa helping hand |work=Sydney Sun-Herald |page=105 |date=4 May 2003 |author=Adrian Warren |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> He moved to Australia when he was 13.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tauasa rips in to hook his chance |work=Daily Telegraph |page=92 |date=3 May 2003 |author=Grantlee Kieza |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref>

He made his professional debut in February 1998 with a draw in New South Wales against Glen Fitzpatrick. Over the next few years he made mixed progress scoring a further 8 wins against 2 defeats before challenging Daniel Rowsell for the Australian cruiserweight title in July 2001. It was his first title challenge and it ended with a defeat for Tauasa.<ref>{{cite news |title=Taylor knocks off early |work=Perth Sunday Times |date=15 July 2001 |author= |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref>

==Australian champion== A second attempt for the title was made in February 2003 after three straight wins.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tough Tauasa cruising to title fight |work=Daily Telegraph |page=40 |date=17 February 2003 |author=Grantlee Kieza |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> The opponent on this occasion was Tosca Petridis and Tauasa picked up the title, this time with a Majority decision.<ref>{{cite news |title=Box: Tauasa wins vacant Australian cruiserweight title |work=Australian Sports News Wire |date=21 February 2003 |author= |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> He defended the title only once against former champion Jamie Wallace<ref>{{cite news |title=Tauasa scales new heights |work=Daily Telegraph |page=106 |date=18 July 2003 |author=Grantlee Kieza |via=EBSCOHost}}</ref> winning a unanimous decision on that occasion in July 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.boxrec.com/title_search.php?title=AU&division=Cruiserweight&SUBMIT=Go |title=BoxRec title search |access-date=11 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008174846/http://boxrec.com/title_search.php?title=AU&division=Cruiserweight&SUBMIT=Go |archive-date=8 October 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Title challenges== Tauasa next fought for a title in November 2006 having fought a further eleven times since his victory over Wallace, winning on ten occasions and losing once. In November 2006 he travelled to South Africa to fight Polish heavyweight Albert Sosnowski for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight title, losing for the fifth time.

Following the defeat to Sosnowski, Tauasa scored two knockout wins before meeting Jamie Wallace for the second time for the IBF Australasian cruiserweight title in October 2007, winning in the 4th round. In his next fight he travelled to Samoa to win the vacant WBO Oriental cruiserweight title beating Frenchman Charles Baou again in the 4th round. Over the course of his next two fights in 2008 he would make one defence each of both titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=18034&more=1 |title=Cruiserweights compete on The Contender 4 | publisher=East Side Boxing | first=Ron | last=Scarfone | accessdate=26 March 2018 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204112137/http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=18034&more=1 |archivedate=4 December 2008 }}</ref>

==Contender== Tauasa was a contestant on the 4th series of the boxing reality show, The Contender and fought for the blue team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.versus.com/contender# | title=The Contender |accessdate=26 March 2018 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106015308/http://www.versus.com/contender |archivedate=6 January 2009 }}</ref> On 14 January 2009 he suffered his sixth defeat as a professional when he was knocked out of the competition in the first round after suffering a 2nd-round TKO at the hands of Canadian Troy Ross.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.versus.com/thecontender_recap | title=The Contender: Episode 2 |accessdate=26 March 2018 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217023400/http://www.versus.com/thecontender_recap |archivedate=17 December 2008 }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name | id=nm3287011 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tauasa, Lawrence}} Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Boxers from Sydney Category:Cruiserweight boxers Category:Samoan male boxers Category:The Contender (TV series) participants Category:Australian male boxers Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales