Loporto wants mundine.

whopperdong · Nov 6, 2011

Let's be Frank
Matt Murnane
November 6, 2011

From Brunswick to a title shot, Matt Murnane meets a realist who knows it's a lucky break.

HOW unknown Brunswick boxer Frank LoPorto lucked in to a world title shot is being called a Rocky Balboa story come to life.

Although you won't find him training in a freezer punching animal carcasses, this potential tale of the underdog shares a similar plot to the 1976 movie Rocky that made Sylvester Stallone a star.

Both stories feature an undefeated world champion hand-picking a no-name, ageing opponent from obscurity, believing the result to be a forgone conclusion.

The ''Apollo Creed'' in LoPorto's story is also a younger, slicker, fast-jabbing African-American - the reigning world light-middleweight champion Austin ''No Doubt'' Trout.

Which makes LoPorto - a 33-year-old brawler who lives at home with his Italian parents - the ''Italian Stallion''.

''I've got no doubt they chose me because they think I'm a soft target,'' LoPorto said. ''The bloke probably just wants to have an easy defence, he's got to defend his title before the end of the year so he's looking for an easy option.

''He has to choose someone in the top 15 on the world rankings and he's chosen me, No. 14.''

Until six weeks ago, this wasn't even LoPorto's fight. Trout had lined up Yuki Nonaka to be his pushover before the Japanese southpaw broke his hand in training.

So the 26-year-old American scanned the ranks for the next ''set up'' man. He settled on LoPorto, giving the man who works between fights as a wharfie on the Port Melbourne docks just six weeks to prepare for the biggest night of his life - a world title showdown in the middle of the desert, Trout's backyard in El Paso, Texas.

Nearly 2 million US viewers will watch the confrontation, which will also be beamed live into Australia on Fox Sports on Saturday afternoon.

So how come we've never heard of this guy? The Aussie battler who sits just 13 world rankings behind Anthony ''The Man'' Mundine - the No. 1 ranked contender in the same division who has accused champion Trout of ''ducking'' him.

The reason for LoPorto's low profile, if you talk to his manager Adam Wilcock, is that Mundine has allegedly been doing a little ducking of his own.

''The fact is the best people in Australia won't fight Frank,'' Wilcock said. ''We've spoken to the management of Mundine and Ryan Waters and Rob Medley, who are renowned as the three biggest names in Australian boxing, and these guys don't want to fight Frank because he's dangerous.

''They know he's tough and they know he'll beat them. If the big names won't fight him then it's very hard for Frank to make his name.''

LoPorto is not into ''trash'' talking. He said he respects the likes of Mundine, Waters and Medley.

Yet the fact remains: the LoPorto camp wants Mundine and has a plan to get him in the ring - baiting the hook with a world title.

''If Frank beats Trout, we bring the title back and it opens up a world of opportunities, world wide,'' Wilcock said. ''But ultimately what we want to see is an All-Australian title fight for the WBA light-middleweight title, Frank versus Mundine.''

But before we see ''Rocky II'', LoPorto needs a fairytale ending to the original, which is being documented on film. ''We've got some great footage,'' the documentary maker said. ''This is a real-life Rocky story.''

Wilcock, who flies to Texas with LoPorto today, has been there every step of the way. ''He's been through a lot to get here, he's definitely one of those Rocky stories,'' he said.

To add to the drama, Trout is embracing the arrogance needed to play the Apollo Creed-style villain.

A promotional video for the fight on his official website shows footage of Trout training, interspersed with taunts for LoPorto such as ''Skills? I got 'em'' or ''Conditioning? You won't keep up''.

But LoPorto believes he will keep up - and he's dead serious.

Where Rocky just wanted to ''go the distance'' with the champion, LoPorto said he can win the title.

''I believe there is a gap for me to go through and I'm going to take that gap,'' he said. ''I'm already getting prepared to go through extreme pain and I believe at the end of it all, I will be too strong for him to hurt me or to break me down. When I fight my opponents, I do the breaking down.''

His confidence can be felt throughout the gym where LoPorto trains in Port Melbourne.

''We think they've bitten off more than they can chew,'' Wilcock said. ''They don't know what's coming, they really don't. Frank will bring home the title.''

Trained by former professional boxer Mick Hargraves, LoPorto is the current Pan Asian Boxing Association light-middleweight champion and a former light-middleweight champion of Australia.

Since hooking up with Wilcock, he is three from three and has dropped just one of his last 11 bouts, a fight he took on five days notice. His record stands at 15 wins (seven by knockout), four losses, two draws.

Trout, on the other hand, is 22-0 with 13 knockouts.

Like the movie, this will be a brawler versus a technician. A righty versus a lefty, although in that respect the roles are reversed; champion Trout is the southpaw this time.

But the ring psychology sticks to the script. The technically-sound Trout, who is almost exactly the same height and weight as LoPorto, will use quick feet and even quicker hands to pick off the Australian.

His fight slogan is ''Faster. Stronger. Better''.

At 69 kilograms of mostly lean, ripped muscle, LoPorto looks more like Stallone in Rocky IV and he fights much the same way, using rib-crunching body shots to launch his assault. He's what they call an ''inside fighter''.

''I'm going to be going a lot to the body,'' LoPorto said. ''But I can tell you one thing, I'm going to give him hell from the first bell to the last bell."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/boxing/lets-be-frank-20111105-1n1bb.html#ixzz1d04C5s39

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Better win that title first then buddy.

T.C.W · Nov 6, 2011

he will be taken apart by trout

kel · Nov 6, 2011

I barely heard of him b4 6wks ago......... lets hope he can get a DQ win or something

stiflers mum · Nov 6, 2011

Go Frankie smash the jesus freak.:bbb

Francis75 · Nov 6, 2011

Lets talk sense here. Loporto is just a soft touch picked by Trouts team for a defence. He has about 0.1 % chance of winning and would be lucky to even win 1 or 2 rds. Sometimes the truth hurts.

whopperdong · Nov 6, 2011

Francis75 said: ↑

Lets talk sense here. Loporto is just a soft touch picked by Trouts team for a defence. He has about 0.1 % chance of winning and would be lucky to even win 1 or 2 rds. Sometimes the truth hurts.
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everyones allowed to dream.

stiflers mum · Nov 6, 2011

Francis75 said: ↑

Lets talk sense here. Loporto is just a soft touch picked by Trouts team for a defence. He has about 0.1 % chance of winning and would be lucky to even win 1 or 2 rds. Sometimes the truth hurts.
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Way to kill the feelgood vibe Francis.:-(
GO FRANK:happy:happy:happy

Francis75 · Nov 6, 2011

stiflers mum said: ↑

Way to kill the feelgood vibe Francis.:-(
GO FRANK:happy:happy:happy
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I was trying to be optimistic with the 0.1 % chance of winning.

perfect jet · Nov 7, 2011

Trout talks about loporto and mundine:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZyD8jXGajk&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

The Spider · Nov 7, 2011

It would be great to see 2 Aussies contest a world title here. But Frank Loporto has to find a way to steal Austin Trout's belt first. He has got to be at extremely long odds. But every now and then boxing provides us with an outrageous result.

Kegsy · Nov 7, 2011

Francis75 said: ↑

I was trying to be optimistic with the 0.1 % chance of winning.
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fistsof steel · Nov 7, 2011

No Fairy Tales here Trout is doing what Mindine has always done picking the easiest option.!!!

whipsy · Nov 7, 2011

apparently this fight is live on foxsprts 3pm saturday arvo

Kegsy · Nov 7, 2011

whipsy said: ↑

apparently this fight is live on foxsprts 3pm saturday arvo
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Sure is.
Fox Sports 3 at 3pm EST/12pm WST.

perfect jet · Nov 7, 2011

Its not this satdee, the one after kegs??

Do you reckon this is an infomercial by fox, for mundine v trout?

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