23.01.04 – By Tony Nobbs: After getting off the deck to defeat a fired up Yoshinori Nishizawa on Monday night, WBA Super Middleweight champion and ANBF and ‘Fist’ magazine Australian fighter of 2003, Anthony Mundine must now turn his attention to mandatory challenger, Puerto Rico’s three time title challenger Manny Siaca. The 6 ft 1 puncher, now rated number two is expected be elevated to number one in the next WBA listings replacing ‘vacant’.
Last in action in September, scoring a four round KO of Demetrius Jenkins, Siaca (17-4, 16 KO) will provide Mundine (20-1, 14 KO) with a reason to be on his A-game, something he was not against the awkward Nishizawa who definitely came for war and ‘The Man’ did make hard work of it, fighting his opponents fight in front a star studded crowd (3500 plus) at Wollongong, NSW. Suffering only the second knockdown of his career, from a wild right hand at the end of round two the Sydney boxer was back in control in the third before scoring knockdowns in the fourth and fifth. Blistering rights did the damage.
Referee John Coyle waved it away at 43 second mark of round five with Nishizawa unsteady after taking a count. The proud 38 year old from Japan, who took plenty of clean shots in each heat wanted to continue but was going to go again and Coyle’s actions allowed him to end the fight on his feet. Mundine was ahead 38-36 on all three cards.
Siaca and Mundine, both 28,will likely meet in April. Two of Siaca’a title losses were controversial split decisions. In his first attempt he faced Bruno Girard who was later stripped for refusing to give a rematch. He was then stopped in the twelveth by Byron Mitchell after going into the final stanza ahead on points. He later suffered a split to Mitchell in a bout both men were down.
Needless to say, Mundine, who himself is mandatory for WBA ‘Super’ champion at 168 lb Sven Ottke- the only man to beat him-will not want to look too far past the dangerous but slower Siaca before big fights with the likes of Ottke, Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy and cross-town rival, Danny Green.