The latest boxing scandal involving Anthony Mundine has tested former IBF middleweight world title holder Daniel Geale to point where the former champ has called for Mundine to retire from boxing.
A Mundine-Shane Mosley fight scheduled for Wednesday last week was cancelled 24 hours before the fight after Mosley flew back to the US claiming he hadn’t been paid on time.
Geale said Mundine’s round in the spotlight had been up for some time.
“A lot of people do argue he’s done a lot for the sport, he’s kept it in the media but at what cost?’’ Geale told The Mercury.
According to Geale, Mundine is damaging the careers of Australia’s up and coming next generation boxers.
“There are a lot of really good fighters out there working their butt off doing the right thing,’’ he said.
“There are a new crop of Olympians who have turned pro coming through now and they are going to find it extremely difficult because no one will want to go near boxing for that reason,” Geale said of fellow Tasmanian and London Olympic boxing captain Luke Jackson and others.
Mosley’s no show saw broadcaster Main Event attempt to offer a $500,000 sweetener to keep the fight alive, an offer refused by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions who were seeking a sum of $1 million cash. Mundine then threatened to fly to the US to keep the fight alive.
The move has angered former three-weight Aussie world champion Jeff Fenech, who lost $500,000 in an attempt to set the fight up and the major sponsor.
“This fight, he just couldn’t sell it. Nobody cares anymore. I’m sure he thinks he will come out of this okay, but you saw his press conference, it was typical Mundine bullshit,” said a filthy Fenech a day after the fight was cancelled.
“He knew exactly what I’d done for this fight because we spoke about it. Often. I’m not worried about the money but when so many people helped him get to a bloke he never could’ve on his own . . . classless.”
Mosley left Australia last week with some scathing comments, saying Australian boxing is “behind the times” and “almost like the mafia days”.
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