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The fight between the two ageing boxers Shane Mosley and Anthony Mundine has failed to ignite widespread interest and there are grave doubts that it will go ahead.
According to several reports, Mosley is pulling out of the fight because of fears that the finance has fallen through.
The Daily Telegraph has stated that only 1500 tickets for the Wednesday fight have been sold so far
Mosley had pulled out of radio and TV interviews over the weekend. He also stayed away from a press conference at The Star yesterday. Rumors abound that the Future Hall of Famer has been spotted at Sydney Airport this morning heading out of the country. A weigh-in is scheduled for 1pm today.
Mundine has been unconcerned, according to reports, assuring everyone that the fight would go ahead.
But there have been doubts over this fight for months. For all the hype and bullshit about it being a bout on the road to Floyd Mayweather Jr, Mosley had already admitted his $1 million paycheck was the only reason for him heading down under.
It’s not surprising that this bout has failed to excite fight fans. Mundine is 38 and was whipped in his last fight by Daniel Geale. He has taken easy paydays over tough fights
His career is coming to an end and his reputation, always a so-so commodity, was further shredded with his petulant comments after the Geale fight and his callous statements to Geale and his family before it.
Mundine continues to drop Mayweather’s name at every opportunity, threatens to retire with one breath and then claim it is his time to finally step up in the other.
Mundine is ignoring the simple facts, his declining speed and previous inability to secure high-profile scalps. And it appears many Aussie boxing lovers are sick of hearing it.
In this excellent piece by Andrew Webstar, Mundine’s claim for Australia to love him is laid bare.
Clearly that boat has sailed.
And while Mosley is an undoubted legend, his best is well and truly behind him. He is 42, has already retired once and is fighting father time, not just his opponents.
Australian audiences have been gypped with over-the-hill American fighters arriving on our shores in recent years. From Roy Jones Jr to James Toney, they once may have been champions but they come down under just for one last meal ticket on our backs.
Viewers no longer want to be fooled and they can get their fight fix elsewhere.
In the next few months Billy Dib will battle to get his world title back, Garth Wood will face middlweight belt holder Martin Murray, Lucas Browne will have a big fight in the UK and Alex Leapai heads to Germany to fight Denis Boystov, and if he does he gets a shot at Wladimir Klitschko. At the same time Blake Caparello has become Australia’s newest boxing world champion and Damien Hooper continues to impress.
Anthony Mundine once kept our fight scene alive and kicking but that is no longer. The boxing world needs a new fresh start and for Mundine to either put up, or shut up.
PHOTO: @TheeLatinSnake and @SugarShaneM waiting for their flight out of Sydney Airport. pic.twitter.com/rgt1FJamki
— Aus-Boxing.com (@ausboxing) October 21, 2013
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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