Boxing In Australia: Mundine, Taylor Win This Week Down Under

Two good card in Oz this week with Anthony Mundine coming one step closer to challenging for a major world title at middleweight by capturing the IBO crown and super middle Shannon Taylor winning the vacant IBF Pan Pacific belt.

On Wednesday at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, ex-two time WBA super middle champ Mundine fought his second bout at middleweight, challenging reigning IBO titlist Daniel Geale in a hotly anticipated showdown in front of an audience of over 8,000.

Geale had the reputation as the country's best pure boxer going into the clash and gave Mundine all he could handle over twelve hard to score rounds, going toe to toe at times or making Mundine miss and nailing "The Man" with sharp counters.

But Mundine also gave a superb performance, landing bracing single right hands and left hooks that shook Geale and won rounds.

Mundine's punches were harder, as evidenced by the knockdown of Geale in the second round which ultimately proved to provide the winning margin.

After twelve rounds, Mundine won two cards by margins of 116-113 and 114-113 while Geale took the third 115-113.

Mundine wins the IBO middleweight title, improving to 36-3 (23) and after the fight called out WBC/WBO champion Kelly Pavlik.

Geale fought his heart out but suffered his first loss to fall to 21-1 (13).

Last night at Beaton Park Basketball Stadium in Wollongong, local veteran and former two-time world title challenger Shannon Taylor, 49-7-3 (35), crushed Thai southpaw Kiatchai Singwancha, 26-7 (16), in the very first frame of their scheduled 12 round contest.

Taylor wins the vacant IBF Pan Pacific super middle crown and has now gone 7-2-1 (7) since lasting the distance but losing on points to IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham three years ago.

The 37 year old "Bulli Blaster" has recently called out former WBA light heavy champ Danny Green in no uncertain terms but a clash between the two seems unlikely as Green has been campaigning for a lucrative rematch with Mundine, who defeated Taylor in February.