Anthony Mundine is a natural promoter – equal parts braggadocio and controversial, throughout his career he’s tried his best to be our version of Muhammad Ali (granted, with a lot less charisma). This is probably the reason Australian fans still pay attention to him.
Is Mundine the biggest draw in boxing? With disappointing pay-per-view numbers and a whopping total of five fights outside of Australia, the answer is a resounding no. His fights make little noise off our shores.
Could he lay claim to the title of greatest Australian boxer? Not even close. Not with names like Kostya Tszyu, Jeff Fenech, Lionel Rose and many more to consider.
So how successful has he really been? Forget what his pre-fight hype machine says and let’s look at the facts.
His biggest accomplishment has been winning the WBA Super Middleweight title twice (if we ignore the other alphabet title nonsense). He fought Aussie contemporaries Danny Green and Daniel Geale, wherein he defeated Green and went 1-1 against Geale.
By far the biggest victory on his ledger (on paper) is future hall-of-famer Shane Mosley. Not quite the same Mosley that beat Oscar De La Hoya twice, but a big name nonetheless.
Credit where credit is due, these are some impressive feats by the former rugby league star, especially when you consider Mundine didn’t start boxing professionally until he was 25 and with only four amateur fights to his name.
At the age of 38, Mundine’s career is in its twilight years. This Wednesday he will face off against Joshua Clottey. And honestly, it’s a pretty good match-up for both fighters.
Clottey has faced some of the best fighters of the past decade – Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto and even Manny Pacquiao. Due to managerial problems, he has only fought twice since losing to Pacquiao in 2010. He will be a looking for a resounding win to catapult him back into big fights.
At the age of 36 and four years removed from elite competition, Clottey is likely to show signs of age and ring rust on Wednesday night. In the past, he has shown a tough defensive shell and a very durable chin.
Despite being the naturally bigger man, Mundine’s punching power isn’t on the level of Cotto or Pacquiao, so he’s not likely to knock-out the fighter from Ghana. Instead, he will look to utilise his speed and solid jab to outwork and outpoint Clottey.
Having fought at light middleweight since 2010, Mundine is now used to the lighter weight limit. Despite being two years older, Mundine has been far more active than Clottey in recent years.
Ditching his usual displays of pre-fight confidence, Mundine has revealed the pressure that he feels coming into this fight. He has gone on record saying his career is on the line on Wednesday night.
Rumour has it that a win over Clottey could potentially set up a WBO light middleweight title fight for Mundine against Demetrius Andrade. The undefeated 26-year-old would be a tough but potentially rewarding match-up for Mundine.
A WBO title to cap off his career? If this is indeed Mundine’s plan then it wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Not bad for a trash talker.
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