Mundine : It's only the beginning (retirement, cotto, trout)

[url]http://www.smh.com.au/sport/boxing/its-only-the-beginning--mundine-takes-a-jab-at-talk-of-retirement-20130116-2ctsh.html[/url]



ANTHONY MUNDINE clearly was not watching as the harsh realities of age caught up with Lleyton Hewitt in a hurry at Melbourne Park on Monday night. Even if he was, he is adamant the same rules do not apply to him.
For a man who played rugby league when Tina Turner was its songbird and cigarette advertising adorned in-goal areas, it seems absurd that Mundine is still around at all. But, at 37, and with many tipping his career will screech to a halt should he lose the heavily anticipated fight against Daniel Geale in Sydney on January 30, retirement is a dirty word inside the soon-to-be-demolished gym at Redfern's Block where he prepares.
''That's the thing about Australian stereotypes - you get to a certain age and that's it,'' Mundine told Fairfax Media. ''C'mon man, you have George Foreman coming back, you have Bernard Hopkins winning a world title at 46. It's about your desire and your commitment. I'm a young boy in the sport. This is only my 13th year. All these other guys … Geale has been fighting since he was 10 or 11. I'm fresh, baby. Trust me, this is only the beginning of it.''
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Click for more photos [/url] Anthony Mundine preps for Geale clash

Anthony Mundine prepares for his training session at his father gym in Redfern. Photo: Anthony Johnson


Beneath the promotional bluster, the truth is Mundine would probably have nowhere to go should he, as the odds suggest, lose to Geale, the IBF middleweight champion whom he beat, controversially, by split decision in Brisbane in 2009.
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His American Dream spluttered and stalled before it even took off courtesy of bad decisions, chiefly taking a fight against the 41-year-old Bronco McKart last year rather than the undefeated American Austin Trout. Some part of Mundine must have hurt when Trout - who the Australian had tagged ''a nobody'' - went on to upset Miguel Cotto in New York last month. That fight could have been Mundine's.
He has a different version of events nine months after the fact. ''It's not that I didn't take the fight,'' Mundine said. ''We were 24 hours away from signing for it, then Cotto came in and got him. I'm willing to fight Trout but we've got a lot of options. I'm not looking at this saying if I lose it's my last fight. I know I'm going to win.''
As for Trout's stopping of the Puerto Rican future Hall of Famer at Madison Square Garden, Mundine added: ''I knew that was going to happen. I just didn't get the chance to fight Cotto or Trout.''
Whatever the case, a boilover win against 31-year-old Geale is the career lifeline he is depending on. Mundine has spent a month training in humidity in Brisbane and latterly sparring with former IBF lightweight title challenger Lenny Zappavigna.
The lead-up to the Mundine-Geale rematch at Sydney Entertainment Centre has had characteristic Mundine trimmings. He cast doubt publicly on Geale's indigenous heritage, and then questioned whether he would receive a fair contest, pointing provocatively to links between the IBF and Geale's international promoter, Gary Shaw.
The opposition saw it as simply an excuse in advance but Mundine has repeated the line of attack a fortnight away from the bout.
''Gary Shaw is a pretty influential promoter,'' he said. ''I mean this guy [Geale] has won in Germany twice, and they were pretty even fights. Normally, they would go the other way. I know that he is the champion and has a lot of influence with the judges. I just want it to be a fair fight. They [officials] will be scrutinised throughout the history of time if there happens to be a robbery.''
Mundine's camp invited dozens of members of the public into his father Tony's gym to watch him train for half an hour on Wednesday. It is almost certainly the last time Mundine will prepare for a fight there.
After years of sweat and blood spilt around the ring, it is to be knocked down as part of the redevelopment of the Block. Along with it will go classic posters of Ali, Foreman, Tyson and LaMotta, portraits of other past users the Ella brothers and timeless images of Mundine snr and jnr.
Mundine's supporters will hope this is not the end for him, too.

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Weak as usual.

"I know I'm going to win."

 

You're getting desperate. Mundine is preventing a robbery by using the media to pressure the judges into producing a fair verdict. It will be a Mundine KO win anyway.

Can you stop with the dross and unintelligent posts? :rofl

 

*Conceded (Dunce)

All I hear from Choc is victory talk.

Well predicted - I am responding in the threads I started and you are posting in. atschatschatschatsch

Brah you are owning yourself in multiple threads. :hi:

 

Is self humiliation "a laugh for you"?
I would lose the "it defines you" bit, sounds really cringey for you.

You have been owned on 3 threads for the last 30 mins, you're posting in my threads about Mundine. Spare time must be fun for you .

You have no clue what rhetorical means, you can't understand tenses your basic english is poor....great life you have brah.

:hi:

 

Thanks for posting in all of my Mundine related threads which obviously interest you greatly. atsch

You're so dense. I'm sorry you're running away after this owning although to be fair you did most of the work and I just pointed out the glaring idiocy of you and your poorly constructed posts.

Keep convincing yourself your life is great .

See you in all of my next threads...

 

Obsession....you're clutching at straws. You are too dumb to come up with anything that holds any validity.

Why did you say you were going about 45 minutes ago? You're still here on my threads getting owned...

Your life is so great :rofl:rofl:rofl

 

Absolute ****ing idiot....find out what latterly means then read the article again you utter moron.

I am seeing a strong correlation between hating on Mundine and a complete lack of understanding basic English words.

What is wrong with your school system?