Today's Daily Telegraph... (Story by Paul Kent)

Anthony 'The Man' Mundine is wasting time in junior division and should step into the ring against Daniel Geale

This content is protected

Anthony Mundine is poised to call off his next fight. Source: AdelaideNow

THERE'S one man waiting for Anthony Mundine in the middleweight division - Daniel Geale - but Paul Kent asks will their showdown ever happen?

A FRESH batch of cauliflowered ears suffered unnecessary injury this past week when the whisper went around that Anthony Mundine had been cut in training and his upcoming, ahem, interim world title fight against Rigoberto Alvarez was off.

The longer anybody listened, though, the more it emerged that Mundine's problem was not so much one of an eye cut as a struggle to make the 154lb (69.8kg) weight limit.

Neither are altogether uncommon in boxing; the injury or the throw-off. Now we wait for official confirmation, which will come soon, blaming the cut.

The word is that Mundine is now looking to head back to the middleweight division where, if The Man has any mettle at all, there is really only one fight for him.

Grange Old School proprietor Bill Treacy has offered Mundine the chance to fight Daniel Geale for the IBF middleweight belt, the most prized belt in the sport outside of the heavyweight division - and fast closing on that, given the absence of quality heavyweights these days.

Treacy is tired of Mundine keeping Geale on the radar in the Australian conscience - forever saying he will fight Geale in 12 to 18 months - to give air to his lesser fights, and so has issued Mundine an ultimatum.

"Step up or step aside," Treacy said.

For years Mundine has teased, or tortured, the Australian public by threatening to have fights that never come off. Treacy does not want Geale to become another stooge in a long line of them, and so the offer is there for Mundine right now.

"If you want the title, it's on," Treacy said.

"If you want to fight the best, it's here. Come and fight for the IBF middleweight belt and, if you're fair dinkum, let's do it before Christmas."

Geale, 30, has one more fight before his mandatory next February and, given Mundine is ranked four in the IBF - with nobody at one or two - he is in prime position to put his hand up.

Others around the fight game are doing all they can to get to Geale. Mundine has a gilded invitation.

But whether Mundine genuinely wants it is debatable.

He has a habit of calling out opponents - "I'm going to America to take on the best" - without carrying through his threats. He has yet to fight even once in America, for instance. Treacy has spoken to Mundine's manager, Khoder Nasser, who assured him Mundine was interested - but it sounds like Mundine is really interested in a retirement plan.

"He said they'll fight us in 12 or 18 months," Treacy said, when Mundine will be 37 or 38.

"Let's not wait until they're both too old to fight.

"Let's do it now."

Why pay-TV operators Main Event don't insist on the fight is anyone's guess, given they control the purse strings.

It is the highest drawing fight available in Australia right now, two Aussies, with a genuine world title at stake.

 

I'm the same Box, I just laughed and thought it was worth posting when it was noted about the 'weight issues'!

The old bathroom scales 154lbs Pioneer ain't happening again!!

 

Shame though CHB you don't have your old sparring partner here in Ash defending this **** with some spoon fed drivel from his mates at BOXA!

 

Still telling 'Whoppas'???