Shannan Taylor On The Trail To Anthony Mundine!
By Tony Nobbs
17.02 - WBA number eight 154 pounder Shannan Taylor (31-3-1, 23 KO) moves up to the Super Middleweight division on Friday night when he attempts to annex the Australian Title from Marc Bargero (32-10-2, 8 KO) at the Penrith Leauges Club in West Sydney, NSW. The former Welterweight challenger is using the Bargero fight as a lead up to a hopeful clash with Anthony Mundine, but Angelo Hyder, the trainer of Bargero issued a warning to Eastside on Saturday "not to write Marc off just yet".
The Bargero-Taylor fight, promoted by Tony Caradona, will be watched keenly by boxing observers throughout Australia with the "Bulli Blaster", now back with long time trainer Bill Corbett intending to move back down and capture the National belts at Middleweight and Lt Middleweight if the Mundine fight does not happen in the immediate future.
"He (Mundine) is why I'm up here at Super Middle. It is a multi million dollar fight, me and Mundine. A big fight, in terms of money and recognition" said the 30 year old Taylor."If he fights me, I will show Australia that the guy is all hype. He is a good all round sportsman, good at a lot of things, but great at nothing. I'm tired of him mouthing off, saying he is the best, but not fighting anyone. Look at his last opponent, Sean Sullivan, a Welterweight who I beat twice. If I'd not broke my hands early against Sullivan, I'd have knocked him out. Anthony never looked like doing that".
Mundine (16-1, 12 KO), now rated number two by the WBA is due back in action on the Gold Coast, Queensland, on March 15 against a yet to be announced opponent. And he is eyeing of a shot at the Vacant WBA Crown after the Svenn Ottke-Byron Mitchell unification in Germany the day after his next bout.
The 34 year old switch hitting Bargero, a former Australian Middleweight Champion in his second reign as Super Middlewight Champ, lost the 168 lb Title for the first time to Mundine in Febuary 2001, by a TKO in six rounds, in Mundine's fifth bout, near Marc's headquarters at Gosford, NSW. Speaking by phone, the hard working Hyder said he gives Bargero a good chance on Friday night and his man can definitely win "if he fights the right fight"
He knows most are expecting a Taylor victory and admits "Shannan still has the punch to put anyone away early, but it won't be a walk over, that's for sure. We have a few tricks up our sleeve for Shannan and if Marc does them correctly, there will be a few people looking very silly". Bargero had an up and down 2002, losing in one round to David Starie for the Commonwealth Throne in South Africa in March and then dropped a controversial split nod to WBC top fifteener Yoshinori Nishizawa in an OPBF Challenge inTokyo in October. He retained the Aussie belt he regained by outpointing Joel Burke in October '01, just the once, with an easy decision over Brad Reid in September.
He also won four non Title bouts. "This is the first time Shannan is fighting at Super Midleweight. Marc is strong and has a hard head. He has a few goals he wants to achieve in boxing before his career is over, and beating Shannan is he first" concluded Hyder, who also works as match-maker for the largeTeam Fenech Stable. After losing three out of four bouts inside the distance in 2001,Taylor won the PABA Title at 154 lb last July, via TKO in nine rounds against Indonesian Harmen Adjato, and retained it by stopping Fiji's Mamurat Ali in one round in October.
He is benefiting, he says from working with Corbett once again and is dedicating himself more than ever. "I'm in great shape. It's taken me and Billy months and months of hard work to get back to where we were before, back when I was the number one Welterweight contender in the World. I want to show Australia, the people who have supported me, what I can do when I'm in shape. Me and Kostya Tszyu, really, have been the only consistent World Class Australian fighters in the last ten years, who have repeatedly beaten good overseas opponents. American's. Mexican's, Argentine's, experienced World Champions.
I've had good sparring for this fight, Juarne Dowling up on the Gold Coast and a few guys down here. I have not had to starve down to make weight, I'm very relaxed. I'll be out to be agressive early, be impressive, get people talking about Shannan Taylor again. After this, if Mundine don't fight, I plan on winning the (Australian) Middleweight Title from Ian Mcleod and the Lt. Middleweight off Josh Clemshaw. Then try and get a crack at the WBA Lt Middleweight Champ Santiago Samiengo." In the gym a month ago, before working with Australian # 4 Dowling on the Gold Coast, Taylor told Eastside that he is not concerned with former sparring partner Bargero's reputation for being unorthodox and crude."
Everyone says he is awkward but I don't find him awkward. I find him easy to hit. It don't matter if he's southpaw or orthodox, he is in trouble". Taylor is one of three world rated boxers from the State of New South Wales in action on Friday, all at different venues.
IBF # 13 Super Lightweight Lovemore Ndou (32-5-1, 20 KO) defends his IBF Pan Pacific Title against Filipino Ceasar Yarte in Woolongong (near Taylor's hometown of Bulli) and Team Fenech's two time Olympian Hussein Hussein (21-0, 17 KO), rated #6 WBC and # 3 WBO at Flyweight meets former WBC Interim 105 lb Titlist Wande Chor Choreon (39-3, 9 KO) in Perth, Western Australia. Thailand's Choreon, is rated number four by the WBC and five by the WBO, with both organizations billing the bout as an official Title eliminator.
