madjack
30-01-2003, 12:48 AM
Long weight for Mundine's fall guy
By Grantlee Kieza
January 29, 2003
ANTHONY MUNDINE is too big, too fast, too strong and too powerful for spindly Kiwi Sean Sullivan.
But even though it's hardly a fair fight, he'll have no hesitation in beating him up on Saturday night.
A 76kg super-middleweight, Mundine could hardly have picked a safer opponent than the man whose best days were as a 67kg welterweight and where, even then, he lost to Aussies Shannan Taylor, Julian Holland and Stefan Scriggins and Commonwealth champs Scott Dixon and Jawaid Khaliq of Britain.
Noel Thornberry, who trained his brother Ricky for Mundine's last fight, also trained Sullivan for some of his biggest bouts in recent years.
He says the 34-year-old Kiwi has only one chance in Saturday's 12-round fight at Auckland's ASB Stadium.
"Sean's only hope is if he can take Mundine into the later rounds and hope that his fitness can allow him to outwork Anthony," Thornberry said.
"I've never worked with a fighter who has more determination and stamina than Sean and there's not a boxer in the game with more courage."
But realistically Sean is too small and too thin to worry Mundine.
"He has a great chin and he's tough enough to go the distance but you have to remember his best days were as a welterweight and junior-middleweight and he's up against a much bigger man."
It's a thought echoed by former world welterweight title challenger Shannan Taylor, who twice outpointed the New Zealander.
"Mundine will knock Sullivan out," Taylor said. "I would have stopped Sullivan except for a hand injury.
"I can't even believe Mundine is fighting the guy when I've offered him a million dollars to fight me."
Taylor will fight Marc Bargero for the Australian super-middleweight title on February 21 in the hope of getting Mundine in the ring, but with The Man eyeing a WBA title fight later in the year, his chances of making the fight look as slim as Sean Sullivan's spindly legs.
Sullivan is a gritty type but every time he has stepped up in class he's suffered defeat, also losing to other Aussie stars such as Nader Hamdan and Mundine victim Sam Soliman.
Against Soliman he hardly won a round in their IBF Pan Pacific title fight in Melbourne last year.
Sullivan will have Ricky Thornberry in his corner for Saturday's fight but perhaps his greatest asset will be his new trainer Alex Sua.
Back in 1984 at Auckland's Carlaw Park, Sua handed out a 12-round beating to Mundine's father and trainer Tony Mundine, in the Aussie great's final fight.
Sua told reporters in Auckland this week: "When I fought Anthony's father I was super, super-fit. I attacked him, didn't give him the time to think and to settle and that's how it has to be for Sean."
Mundine will earn about $500,000 for the fight, Sullivan $30,000.
For that Sullivan has been doing an hour's road work from 5am, an hour's weight session at 9am and two hours of sparring and bag work from 4pm.
And on Saturday the little man with the big heart will probably get the most severe beating of his life.
By Grantlee Kieza
January 29, 2003
ANTHONY MUNDINE is too big, too fast, too strong and too powerful for spindly Kiwi Sean Sullivan.
But even though it's hardly a fair fight, he'll have no hesitation in beating him up on Saturday night.
A 76kg super-middleweight, Mundine could hardly have picked a safer opponent than the man whose best days were as a 67kg welterweight and where, even then, he lost to Aussies Shannan Taylor, Julian Holland and Stefan Scriggins and Commonwealth champs Scott Dixon and Jawaid Khaliq of Britain.
Noel Thornberry, who trained his brother Ricky for Mundine's last fight, also trained Sullivan for some of his biggest bouts in recent years.
He says the 34-year-old Kiwi has only one chance in Saturday's 12-round fight at Auckland's ASB Stadium.
"Sean's only hope is if he can take Mundine into the later rounds and hope that his fitness can allow him to outwork Anthony," Thornberry said.
"I've never worked with a fighter who has more determination and stamina than Sean and there's not a boxer in the game with more courage."
But realistically Sean is too small and too thin to worry Mundine.
"He has a great chin and he's tough enough to go the distance but you have to remember his best days were as a welterweight and junior-middleweight and he's up against a much bigger man."
It's a thought echoed by former world welterweight title challenger Shannan Taylor, who twice outpointed the New Zealander.
"Mundine will knock Sullivan out," Taylor said. "I would have stopped Sullivan except for a hand injury.
"I can't even believe Mundine is fighting the guy when I've offered him a million dollars to fight me."
Taylor will fight Marc Bargero for the Australian super-middleweight title on February 21 in the hope of getting Mundine in the ring, but with The Man eyeing a WBA title fight later in the year, his chances of making the fight look as slim as Sean Sullivan's spindly legs.
Sullivan is a gritty type but every time he has stepped up in class he's suffered defeat, also losing to other Aussie stars such as Nader Hamdan and Mundine victim Sam Soliman.
Against Soliman he hardly won a round in their IBF Pan Pacific title fight in Melbourne last year.
Sullivan will have Ricky Thornberry in his corner for Saturday's fight but perhaps his greatest asset will be his new trainer Alex Sua.
Back in 1984 at Auckland's Carlaw Park, Sua handed out a 12-round beating to Mundine's father and trainer Tony Mundine, in the Aussie great's final fight.
Sua told reporters in Auckland this week: "When I fought Anthony's father I was super, super-fit. I attacked him, didn't give him the time to think and to settle and that's how it has to be for Sean."
Mundine will earn about $500,000 for the fight, Sullivan $30,000.
For that Sullivan has been doing an hour's road work from 5am, an hour's weight session at 9am and two hours of sparring and bag work from 4pm.
And on Saturday the little man with the big heart will probably get the most severe beating of his life.