Mundine ready to take on the world
Anthony Mundine's unanimous decision victory over "Deadly" Robert Medley proves that "The Man" must now move off the domestic scale and take on the big names in the Super Middleweight or Middleweight division.
I believe he has the natural athletic ability, the boxing skills and just as importantly, the charisma to make some noise in either weight class. It would be easy for some observers to say that the three fights on the wrong side of his record count against him, but the context of those losses must be considered.
In 2001, less than a year after Mundine turned pro he suffered his first defeat. A late knockout at the hands of Sven Ottke in his native Germany for the IBF title in Mundine's 11th professional fight (Ottke went on to retire with a 34-0 record). Then in 2004 he lost a questionable split decision to Puerto Rico's Manny Siaca for the WBA Super Middleweight Championship. His most recent loss occurred almost 5 years ago against the Danish Mikkel Kessler who reigned supreme in the division until he was dethroned by Andre Ward in November last year in the first round of Showtime's 'Super Six' tournament. One shouldn't be punished for taking on the best.
Since his last loss, Mundine has rebuilt himself by taking on anyone with decent credentials in the Australian Super Middleweight scene, or within reasonable distance of the 76.2 kg limit (or 168 lbs). That includes Danny Green, Sam Soliman (twice), Daniel Geale and now Robert Medley. The only Australian opponent worth consideration who is missing from that list is Sakio Bika who in all honesty is from Cameroon which is unfortunate because we all love to consider Bika our own.
Since Mundine has almost exclusively become a Middleweight recently, and is ranked No.7 by The Ring Magazine in that division, maybe that is where he should focus his attention. He looked comfortable there against Medley and with many of the big names of the Super Middleweight division wrapped up in the 'Super Six' tournament it may be difficult to land a big fight there.
However Mundine's calls to the Middleweight divisions titleholders Kelly Pavlik and Felix Sturm will continue to fall on deaf ears until he gets some serious international credentials to his name. An opponent like Germany's Sebastian Sylvester may be a more realistic opponent for Mundine as he would be easier to lure into a deal and the IBF title which Sylvester holds is something that could be used as a draw.
I am sure it's another belt that Pavlik and Sturm would be keen to add to their collections. Sylvester is taking on the once beaten Pablo Navascues on the 30th of January.
If names like Sylvester, Sturm, Bika or Pavlik fall into the schedule of Anthony 'The Man' Mundine, it would give him the opportunity to prove he is as good as he continues to tell us he is. However we know this sport doesn't always work out that way, and Mundine is pencilled in to fight the Contender Australia winner, Garth Wood. Although Wood showcased enough throughout the series to suggest he would beat Mundine in a street fight, I believe there is little chance he could compete with 'The Man' in a boxing match.
This fight is a step backwards in class from the Medley contest in which Mundine only lost 3 rounds on all 3 judges scorecards against a proven opponent. Although the Australian public want to see Garth Wood get the chance he has earned against Mundine I think the mainstream boxing fans want to see the best Mundine has to offer before he retires.
Not everyone has the longevity of Bernard Hopkins, (as Roy Jones Jr. just came to our shores to prove in the first round of his fight with Danny Green) and at the age 34, father time is definitely closing in on Anthony "The Man" Mundine. Love him or hate him, he proved with a clinical victory over one of Australia's best boxers in Medley that he has a lot to offer to the world of boxing.