By Adrian Warren
December 26th 2007 @ 9:03am
2007 boxing review: Mundine and Green still the leading lights
Australian fight fans can justifiably enter 2008 with optimism after some successful late year results, with old rivals Danny Green and Anthony Mundine making sure it was a December to remember.
In the tangled mish-mash of alphabet organisations which make up world boxing, WBA light heavyweight title holder Green was probably Australia’s only universally recognised world champion.
Mundine was the regular WBA super middleweight title holder behind Super champion Joe Calzaghe, super flyweight Vic Darchinyan and middleweight Daniel Geale each ended the year with a less widely recognised IBO world title, while Michael Katsidis was the WBO interim lightweight champion.
The talk and hype over a potential Mundine-Green rematch in 2008 started to bubble after each triumphed in the final month of the year
Green demonstrated plenty of patience to take the WBA light heavyweight title off an inexplicably passive Stipe Drews.
The Croatian spent almost all of the 12 rounds on the run and had he been paid by the punch, he would have gone home a pauper.
Just six days earlier, Mundine retained his strap with a fourth round knockout of Jose Clavero, who like his Argentinian compatriot Pablo Nievas, Mundine’s previous opponent, had no right to be fighting for a title based on his lack of previous accomplishments.
It was another eventful year for Mundine, who produced one of the best performances of his career to dismantle durable Victorian Sam Soliman in their March fight for the vacant regular title.
Sandwiched between Mundine’s two feasts on less than prime Argentinian boxing beef was an eye infection, which briefly threatened his career.
Darchinyan successfully defended his IBF and IBO flyweight world titles against Victor Burgos before losing them in his next bout against Filipino Nonito Donaire, in a major upset.
He moved up to super flyweight and won the vacant IBO world title with a 12th round stoppage of Federico Catubay.
Australians could realistically claim to have featured in four of the year’s most exciting fights.
Katsidis surely added a host of admirers on two continents.
His fifth round stoppage of Graham Earl in England was breathtaking thrill-a-second stuff, while his 12 round points win over Filipino Czar Amonsot in America was one of the most brutal bouts of the year.
One of Australian boxing’s quiet achievers, Sakio Bika, gave his profile a massive boost by winning the final of the Contender reality TV show, with an eighth round stoppage of American Jaidon Codrington in a memorable slugfest.
Back in February, two other fighters of African origin, Lovemore Ndou and Naoufel Ben Rabah traded countless blows in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator which was probably the fight of the year in Australia.
Ben Rabah` was unable to come out for the final round and Ndou was retrospectively declared the world champion, after Ricky Hatton opted not to defend the title against the Sydneysider.
Ndou’s reign was short-lived as he dropped a points decision in his first defence against American Paul Malignaggi in Connecticut. The referee did him no favours, effectively neutralising his game plan by allowing very little inside fighting.
Sydney based Tasmanian Geale delivered on his potential by capturing an IBO title with a polished display in a points win over Western Australia Daniel Dawson.
Internationally, Floyd Mayweather consolidated his reputation as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter with wins over Oscar de la Hoya and the previously unbeaten Hatton.
One of Hatton’s previous victims, Australia’s former undisputed junior welterweight world champion Kostya Tszyu, has steadfastly refused to declare himself retired, despite not having fought for two and a half years.
The heavyweight division remained a fractured mess with a quartet of Eastern Europeans sharing the spoils.
Australia had a rare moment of success on the international heavyweight front, with Kali Meehan taking the WBA number four ranking off DaVarryl Williamson with a stunning stoppage win over the American at Madison Square Garden.
Solomon Haumono (13-0, 13 KOs) resumed boxing after five years in rugby league, winning five bouts against mediocre opposition in a combined total of under eight completed rounds.
He oozes potential, but his management needs to step up his level of opposition.
Further down the weight scale, super featherweight Billy Dib (17-0) and middleweight Jamie Pittman (16-0) consolidated their positions in the vanguard of the next wave of Australian world title aspirants.
The most exciting prospect to emerge this year was 20-year-old Western Australian William Kickett, who won his first eight professional fights and the national junior lightweight crown.
Australia’s amateurs failed to shine at the world championships, which did not bode well for their Olympic prospects next year.
WBC female featherweight world champion Sharon Anyos didn’t defend her title this year after becoming pregnant.
Administratively, Jeff Fenech received a notable honour, being elected to the WBC board as that organisation’s very first boxers’ representative.
AUSTRALIAN BOXING WORLD CHAMPIONS
Danny Green – WBA light heavyweight
Anthony Mundine – WBA super middleweight
Daniel Geale – IBO Middleweight
Michael Katsidis – WBO interim lightweight
Vic Darchinyan – IBO super flyweight
Sharon Anyos – WBC women’s featherweight
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