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Jeff Fenech pushed his way through the media pack and playfully lifted up Azumah Nelson’s shirt. “Show `em how fat you are,” Fenech taunted as he pointed at Nelson’s near 50-year-old midriff.
The banter was not appreciated by the Ghanaian, who ordered Fenech out of the South Melbourne gym they used today to prepare for Tuesday’s return bout between the two triple world champions, 16 years after Nelson inflicted the first knockout of the Australian’s decorated career.
“Tell him to go out, get him out,” Nelson barked as he avoided Fenech’s attempts to pose for a photo together.
At least Nelson’s demeanour, if not his abs, suggested Tuesday’s bout will not be a lighthearted payday between 49-year-old and 44-year-old has-beens.
With cliched boxer’s bravado, Fenech, who has dropped 22kg to weigh in at around 66kg, claims he is in the same condition as he was 20 years ago – but punches harder now – and “can’t wait to belt him”.
Nelson, down to 70kg after losing around 15kg, said he would prove again he was the best.
If evidence from today’s separate training sessions is anything to go by, Fenech is in far greater shape.
He showed off a cut physique in a clinging top and looked sharp and toned, while Nelson hid a slight paunch under a loose top and appeared sluggish in punching drills.
Fenech’s long-time trainer Johnny Lewis may not agree the Marrickville Mauler is as fit as he was two decades ago, but he doesn’t need to be.
“As a 20-year-old, you couldn’t get any better, as a 44-year-old you couldn’t get any better,” Lewis said.
“The good thing about this 44-year-old is that he is not fighting a 20-year-old, he’s fighting a 49-year-old.”
Fenech still believes he was robbed of a fourth world title when judges declared his 1991 fight with Nelson in Las Vegas a draw. But there was little argument when Nelson knocked him out in front of 40,000 at Melbourne’s Princes Park a year later.
Lewis says Fenech was never the same after the Las Vegas decision. “He was gutted by that decision.”
And Fenech agrees “a million per cent.”
“But you can’t change life, you can’t change history,” he said.
A win on Tuesday will not make up for the 1991 draw or 1992 loss, he said.
“Nah, it’s just something that I’ve always known I can do,” he said.
“It’ll never make up, the record books are never going to change. I should have had four world titles.
“I would have been the first fighter to have four world titles, undefeated. Ever. Just remember that. But the record books don’t show it because of a few corrupt people.”
Nelson said he would not have agreed to the fight if he didn’t think he would win.
“Until a couple of months ago, he was talking about rematch and I said OK, let’s have a rematch and I will prove I’m the best,” Nelson said.
“If I cannot prove I’m the best, I would not come back.”
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