08.05.08 – By Srithar Visuasam: Assuming Anthony Mundine gets past his next opponent, fellow Australian Sam Soliman in their third bout on May 28, the WBA Super Middleweight Champion has a big decision to make. Who should he fight next and in which division?
After recently returning from the United States to train under the watchful eye of Roy Jones Snr, where he also sparred with his son, Light Heavyweight great Roy Jones Jnr, talk has increased about a possible drop in weight. In a recent interview with the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Mundine has stated that Roy Jones Snr believes he will be “a monster at middleweight.” If he decides to follow the words of the great trainer, Mundine will sacrifice his current title for a move into uncharted waters.
The reasoning for a move to middleweight comes to four main points:
Larger size fighters at super middleweight
Anthony is quite a lean fighter compared 168 pounds and there are quite a few considerably larger sized fighters within his division. In respect to his size, Mundine points out to the SMH “you look at the top guys I have fought in the super-middleweight division: Mikkel Kessler was much bigger than me, Danny Green was much bigger than me, Manny Siaca was much bigger than me.”
In respect to Kessler, if Mundine decides to remain at super middle, they will be scheduled to fight within 90 days of his bout with Soliman. However, with the recent announcement of Kessler now being scheduled to fight for a world title on June 21, the fight between the two for Mundine’s WBA title now appears unlikely.
Can realistically make middleweight
Nowadays, Mundine comfortably makes the 168 pound (76.2kg) super middleweight limit and has even fought at more than a kilo below the limit. At this rate, he only needs to drop a further 2.5 kilograms by weigh-in and will be considered quite a large 160 pound (72.58kgs) middleweight fighter.
An ideal comparison between the gap in size from his super middleweight physique and a regular middleweight is demonstrated in his second bout with Soliman. Soliman, moving up from 160, went to fight Mundine for the vacant WBA super middleweight ‘regular’ title in March last year and looked a considerably smaller fighter.
Mundine states to the SMH that “I believe I will be faster, I will be lighter, I will hold my strength, my power down there, and I’ll be a lot more dangerous. And the fighters I will be fighting won’t be as big.” By heading down to middleweight, Mundine will carry marquee status into the division for he is a two time super middleweight world champion.
The big fights
Middleweight is one of the premier weight divisions in the world of boxing. With fighters such as Kelly Pavlik, Winky Wright, Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham leading a highly talented pack of fighters, there are many big money opportunities on offer. Furthermore, and important to Mundine, there are some big name American fighters who he can fight to establish his name in the United States.
Desire to win belts in three divisions
Mundine has regularly expressed the desire to win world championship belts at middleweight, super-middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions. It would be ideal to win the middleweight world title before heading up to light heavyweight.
Assuming Mundine goes ahead with the move to middleweight, who should he fight?
Felix Sturm
With Anthony being the WBA super middleweight champion, it’s best to go through the WBA to obtain a world title shot at the earliest opportunity. German Felix Sturm (29-2-1, 13 KOs) is the current WBA middleweight champion and has held this position for the past twelve months.
A stylish fighter, the biggest scalp on his resume is a defeat of Javier Castillejo by unanimous decision. This was in their rematch in April 2007 after Castillejo won their first bout by 10th round TKO in July 2006. He also gave Oscar De La Hoya a very stern test in a narrow points decision loss in 2004. Sturm, a former Olympian, does not have the all round boxing skills or punching power (13 KOs from 32 fights) to cause major concern to Mundine. Defeating Sturm would be no simple task, but would be the easiest of the current three middleweight champions for Mundine to face.
Arthur Abraham
On paper, Arthur Abraham (26-0, 21 KOs) would be the second best middleweight fighter in the world today after Kelly Pavlik. Abraham is the IBF middleweight champ and has seven successful defenses to his name, including the famous comeback from suffering a broken jaw against Colombian power puncher Edison Miranda in a classic bout. A rematch is scheduled between the pair in June in the US, which will also be his first bout outside Europe.
Abraham is undefeated, though hasn’t defeated any significant opposition, the major scalps on his resume being Howard Eastman and Miranda. A fighter both Abraham and Mundine have been in the ring with is Australian, Nader Hamdan, with Abraham victorious by 12th round TKO and Mundine winner by a wide points decision. Abraham fought Hamdan for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental middleweight belt in late 2004 whereas Mundine was defending his WBA super middleweight title in their bout earlier this year. Abraham is a rugged fighter and a fight with Mundine would be of two contrasting styles.
Like Sturm, Abraham is a German fighter and to land either a fight with Sturm or Abraham, Mundine would most likely have to travel to Germany.
Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright
A fight with Winky Wright (51-4-1, 25 KOs) would certainly capture America’s attention and definitely place Mundine on the map in the States. At 36, Winky is still one of the division’s premier fighters and is one of the best pound for pound fighters over the past decade. Winky has also been in the ring with Sam Soliman. Winky fought Soliman in a WBC/IBF eliminator bout in December 2005 that he won by unanimous decision. In this encounter, Winky found it difficult to shrug off Sam’s awkwardness and swarming punches, but landed the more telling blows throughout the fight. Mundine has won his two bouts with Soliman, the first by split decision in 2001 and the most recent by 9th round KO for the WBA super middleweight title last year. Winky isn’t certain who he is going to fight next. With Mundine set to fight in a few weeks, this is a worthwhile fight for his camp to actively pursue.
Jermain Taylor
Jermain Taylor (27-2-1, 17 KOs) is coming off two successive losses against his conqueror and undisputed middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik. Despite this, he is still a very highly regarded and sought after fighter in the boxing world. The major stumbling block here is that Taylor is traveling up to super middleweight for his next fight with Contender star Brian Vera. His previous fight, the rematch with Kelly Pavlik, was held at a catch weight of 166 pounds.
It is unlikely Taylor would go down in weight to fight Mundine. The logical way for Mundine to fight Jermain would be in a defense of his WBA super middleweight belt.
Kelly Pavlik
Kelly Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) is a top five pound for pound fighter and alongside the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Joe Calzaghe, is one of the most sought after boxers in the sport. His knockout defeats of Edison Miranda and Jermain Taylor have helped lift his profile to this level. It would be quite difficult for Mundine to get a fight with Pavlik. The best way to do this would be by winning another middleweight world title belt from either Felix Sturm (WBA) or Arthur Abraham (IBF). If Mundine could defeat Pavlik, it would send him into top ten P4P calculations and provide mega dollars. Pavlik is also considering a move to SMW, but at present he is the WBC/WBO middleweight champ, so he is not expected to move anytime soon.
Where to from here?
Anthony Mundine has a big decision on his hands after his fight with Soliman. Since suffering a bicep injury and a career threatening eye infection last year, Mundine would have defended his title three times after this months’ fight. With 35 fights under his belt come May 28th, Anthony Mundine needs to take his career to the next level.
Apart from Kessler, super middleweight does not pose any major global names in the division. A fight with Jermain Taylor would not be ideal from a business perspective considering Taylor not having a belt around his waist.
Luring Danny Green out of retirement and fighting at light heavyweight doesn’t have much value since Green has relinquished his WBA light heavyweight title.
Going down the middleweight road appears the smarter way about cementing a worldwide reputation. Felix Sturm would be the match up to start, where if successful, can provide as a lead to unifying the division and landing the big money fights in the US. Defeating Sturm would also crown Mundine a two division world champion.
If he wants to be a three division champ and one of the best pound for pound fighters in the business, it is time he makes the step from Australian sensation to global superstar. Middleweight appears the correct move to make as the division is also undergoing a changing phase, with Hopkins and Taylor no longer there, the moment is right for Mundine.
Whatever decision Mundine chooses to make after his bout with Soliman, it is time to take the Anthony Mundine show to the world.