Anthony Mundine looks ahead to next boxing challenge

By Gavin Stone

After disposing of Danny Green is stylish fashion over a month ago, Anthony “The Man’ Mundine is currently weighing up his options as he prepares to take on his next challenge in a proposed upcoming bout this August.

The Mundine-Green bout- which Mundine won by unanimous decision: 116-113, 118-111 and 118-112- was sanctioned as a WBA World Title eliminator; gaining Mundine the position of mandatory challenger to Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler for the WBA World Title at 168lb.

Currently negotiations are taking place between the Kessler and Markus Beyer(WBC) camps for a proposed October 14 unification bout at Brøndby Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark. To allow this bout to take place: there will be need for both Mundine and WBC mandatory challenger, Librado Andrade, to “step aside’. Mundines manager, Khoder Nasser, is currently overseas negotiating with authorities as to the possible options for Mundine.

Welshman-Joe Calzaghe is “The Ring’ World Title belt holder in the 168lb division, also owning the WBO and IBF straps. Calzaghe has had to pull out of a scheduled July extravaganza at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium due to a reoccurring hand injury. Frank Warren, Calzaghe’s promoter, had put an offer to Markus Beyer for a September fight; however Beyer was unable to meet this date due to recovery required to a damaged eye. It is possible that Warren will offer the September date to Mundine, however Mundine is unlikely to sign, likewise to a previous unacceptable offer.

Given that Mundine- trained by Roy Jones Sr- will not be fighting in a World Title bout in the oncoming months due to the listed circumstance, “The Man’ is keen to stay active with a proposed August bout, likely to be held in Queensland. Team Mundine have been in negotiations with both Pierre Karam and Jason DeLisle, however the likely opponent at this stage now looks to be, Lionheart- Nader Hamden. Hamden, record of 38 wins with only 4 defeats, has fought inside the square circle against such notable names in Otis Grant, Arthur Abraham and Sam Soliman.

After the proposed August bout, a WBA “Regular’ World Title (effectively interim title) bout against the next highest ranked challenger is a likely outcome for “The Man’- in wake of the Kessler-Beyer unification. If that scenario unfolds, Mundine could be set to take on the new “Super’ World Champion in early 2007.

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