madjack
04-02-2003, 02:28 AM
Green scorns clumsy Mundine
By Grantlee Kieza
February 3, 2003
ANTHONY MUDDINE hit the canvas four times against Sean Sullivan in Auckland on Saturday night and The Man's arch rival Danny Green was also on his back just watching.
He said he was rolling around the floor laughing.
Mundine looked anything but world-class winning a 12-round decision against Sullivan, a naturally smaller man whose best fighting weight was 67kg and not the 76kg he weighed against Mundine.
In fights against other Australians, the New Zealander had been well beaten by Nader Hamdan, Shannan Taylor and Sam Soliman.
But he gave Mundine a spirited fight, pushed him through the ropes four times and dropped him to his knees with a low blow.
"I thought the whole thing was hilarious, Green said.
"There's Mundine bragging all the time about being the world's supreme athlete and you have a welterweight in there outworking him in close and pushing him through the ropes.
"Sullivan didn't have the punching power to hurt Mundine, but if I had him on the ropes I'd smash him. Just hit him with all sorts of body shots until his resistance goes.
"Mundine knows it too. That's why he's boxing's No. 1 bully. He'll pick on a little bloke like Sean Sullivan because he knows he won't get hurt, but he won't dare get into the ring with someone like me."
Before the fight Sullivan's former trainer, Noel Thornberry, said Sullivan, 34, had the tenacity, chin and heart to go the distance against Mundine, but most experts believed 27-year-old Mundine would win inside the distance, given his advantages in youth and size.
Instead Mundine finished the fight looking exhausted and glad to hear the bell.
It was his 17th win in 18 fights but easily his worst performance since he was knocked out by light-hitting German world champion Sven Ottke in December 2001.
Sullivan's record is now 50 wins, 14 losses and one no contest. He twice lost fights for the Commonwealth welterweight title.
Against Mundine he boxed to a plan devised by trainer Alex Sua, the man who beat Mundine's father Tony in Mundine Sr's last fight, in 1984 in Auckland.
Sua told Sullivan to stick to Mundine, limit his room to throw punches and not present any defensive gaps when he attacked in close.
The plan worked brilliantly as Mundine was constantly frustrated and flummoxed trying to counter Sullivan's often ungainly aggression.
Mundine said he hoped his next fight would be against American slugger Antwun Echols, a fighter who hits much harder than Sullivan.
"But Mundine's got to be kidding if he thinks he'll beat Echols on that effort," Green said.
"If Echols gets him on the ropes like Sullivan did, Mundine will get knocked out and badly hurt.
"It was a dreadful performance considering the way Mundine big-notes. I reckon Sullivan won four of the 12 rounds but when Sullivan fought Nader Hamdan at 70kg, Nader won every round.
"Mundine clearly has no idea what to do when a fighter stays on top of him and roughs him up."
Mundine was awarded the fight 116-112, 119-108 and 120-109. There was a degree of controversy over the third score, submitted by Queensland official Derek Milham. Milham did not give the Auckland boxer a single round.
Green has criticised Milham for dumping him from the Pan Asian Boxing Association super-middleweight rankings so Mundine could avoid fighting him.
Green's next fight is expected to be against South American champion Jorge Andres Sclarandi, of Argentina, in Perth on March 15.
Sclarandi has fought world champions Robin Reid, Hassine Cherifi and Javier Castillejo.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,233950,00.jpg
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:28:59
By Grantlee Kieza
February 3, 2003
ANTHONY MUDDINE hit the canvas four times against Sean Sullivan in Auckland on Saturday night and The Man's arch rival Danny Green was also on his back just watching.
He said he was rolling around the floor laughing.
Mundine looked anything but world-class winning a 12-round decision against Sullivan, a naturally smaller man whose best fighting weight was 67kg and not the 76kg he weighed against Mundine.
In fights against other Australians, the New Zealander had been well beaten by Nader Hamdan, Shannan Taylor and Sam Soliman.
But he gave Mundine a spirited fight, pushed him through the ropes four times and dropped him to his knees with a low blow.
"I thought the whole thing was hilarious, Green said.
"There's Mundine bragging all the time about being the world's supreme athlete and you have a welterweight in there outworking him in close and pushing him through the ropes.
"Sullivan didn't have the punching power to hurt Mundine, but if I had him on the ropes I'd smash him. Just hit him with all sorts of body shots until his resistance goes.
"Mundine knows it too. That's why he's boxing's No. 1 bully. He'll pick on a little bloke like Sean Sullivan because he knows he won't get hurt, but he won't dare get into the ring with someone like me."
Before the fight Sullivan's former trainer, Noel Thornberry, said Sullivan, 34, had the tenacity, chin and heart to go the distance against Mundine, but most experts believed 27-year-old Mundine would win inside the distance, given his advantages in youth and size.
Instead Mundine finished the fight looking exhausted and glad to hear the bell.
It was his 17th win in 18 fights but easily his worst performance since he was knocked out by light-hitting German world champion Sven Ottke in December 2001.
Sullivan's record is now 50 wins, 14 losses and one no contest. He twice lost fights for the Commonwealth welterweight title.
Against Mundine he boxed to a plan devised by trainer Alex Sua, the man who beat Mundine's father Tony in Mundine Sr's last fight, in 1984 in Auckland.
Sua told Sullivan to stick to Mundine, limit his room to throw punches and not present any defensive gaps when he attacked in close.
The plan worked brilliantly as Mundine was constantly frustrated and flummoxed trying to counter Sullivan's often ungainly aggression.
Mundine said he hoped his next fight would be against American slugger Antwun Echols, a fighter who hits much harder than Sullivan.
"But Mundine's got to be kidding if he thinks he'll beat Echols on that effort," Green said.
"If Echols gets him on the ropes like Sullivan did, Mundine will get knocked out and badly hurt.
"It was a dreadful performance considering the way Mundine big-notes. I reckon Sullivan won four of the 12 rounds but when Sullivan fought Nader Hamdan at 70kg, Nader won every round.
"Mundine clearly has no idea what to do when a fighter stays on top of him and roughs him up."
Mundine was awarded the fight 116-112, 119-108 and 120-109. There was a degree of controversy over the third score, submitted by Queensland official Derek Milham. Milham did not give the Auckland boxer a single round.
Green has criticised Milham for dumping him from the Pan Asian Boxing Association super-middleweight rankings so Mundine could avoid fighting him.
Green's next fight is expected to be against South American champion Jorge Andres Sclarandi, of Argentina, in Perth on March 15.
Sclarandi has fought world champions Robin Reid, Hassine Cherifi and Javier Castillejo.
http://foxsports.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,233950,00.jpg
Edited by - madjack on 04 Feb 2003 01:28:59