Anthony "The Man" Mundine says his fight in Auckland next Sunday will bring him within two fights of becoming the first boxer in history to descend three weight divisions and win world titles. The outspoken Australian says keeping off the weight for his junior-middleweight contest with American Xavier Toliver at Trusts Stadium, Henderson, has made him near "delirious" but he'll keep starving himself in the hope one of the division's stars, such as Manny Pacquiao, offers him a title fight. Thirty-six-year-old Mundine (42-4) was WBA super-middle champion twice, in 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 then won the lightly regarded IBO middleweight belt, beating compatriot Daniel Geale in a controversial points decision. On Sunday, Mundine has the unusual and difficult task of combining his own role at the head of the bill with guiding his protege Sonny Bill Williams' undercard fight with 43-year-old gospel singer Alipate Liavaa. "We'll work something out," Mundine told the Star-Times last night. "I'd normally be there if I wasn't fighting, but it will be hard to prepare Sonny and myself in such a short time. But I've talked to Sonny about his game plan and what to do." And those instructions are, essentially, to stick to the basics. "He has worked so hard and come such a long way, this is really a good chance to display that development," said Mundine. "We will see he has worked at his art." Mundine's opponent is an unheralded American with a 23-6 record, but he says Toliver is the gateway to bigger things. And that's motivating him to stay slim. "It's been really hard," he said, "but good things don't come without sacrifice. I'm not getting any younger, I've got a dodgy hip, but I have been dedicated and disciplined. It's not just keeping the weight off, it's keeping my strength and my wit, because when you lose this much it can make you a bit delirious and a bit unstable. But when I get that hard work done, and God willing, that title, it will make everything worth it." Mundine said he was "truly" just two fights away from another title shot and was willing to travel offshore to fight a big name. But while he said Geale, who this month won the IBF middleweight title in Germany, wasn't on his immediate agenda, "he will get what is coming to him: he knows who the king of the ring is down this way".
Has he ever fought at light middle before? The Medley fight was supposed to have been at light middle, but since Mundine couldn't make the weight, it became a middle weight fight instead. This looks like a rather silly attempt at keeping his career alive.
The fact that Mundine can refer to himself as a two-weight champion with a straight face, just shows you that there are far too many meaningless belts out there.
I understand the hate for mundine (I hate him) but it's cos he has talent to be great but Like roy jones he didn't want to leave his comfort zone and is happy earning money Somewhere. SBW on the otherhand wants to excel in any field and he is a unit so think he could get up there maybe a commonwealth champ ?
Am I the only guy who thinks Mundine has had a more than solid career? I mean, I don't see how he wouldn't be competitive/worthy test for Martirosyan, Powell/Bundrage, **** a worthy test for anyone? Mundine, even now, is an above average to good title defense.
Haha, I said this on another site that Mundine would use this useless fight to claim it takes him closer to a title fight like a Cotto, and sure enough here it is out of the chumps mouth. Typical Mundine bull****, did the same at 168 promising the likes of Hopkins, Taylor, Winky fights, ducked Kessler rematch, Froch, while instead fighting a bunch of South American cabbies. At 160 it was Sturm, Pavlik he was supposedly chasing, ducked Golovkin, Geale rematch, fought more cabbies. And now it's the same at 154, fighting Garth Woods, Rob Medley, Tolliver types with the promise of a Cotto fight on the horizon. Mundine is a joke, it's way past official.
Yeah on paper it's a solid career, wins over Danny Green, Antwon Ecoles, Daniel Geale etc are good names. However he's a ***** and at one point did have a chance to have a real crack in the states around 2006 after Knocking out Sam Soliman. The guys just fought bums in Oz collecting million dollar pay days.
Did you see the Garth Woods fight? Mundine is finished. Losing all that muscle has made him weak as ****. Any decent 154-160 lber would kill him