Dojo
12-11-2007, 07:33 AM
JEFF Fenech has urged Anthony Mundine to stop fighting easybeats and also forget about chasing millions with a Danny Green re-match if he wants to reach his considerable potential.
Mundine slaughtered Argentine Jose Alberto Clavero with a fourth round knockout to retain his WBA super-middleweight title at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night.
While Mundine has previously said he wants to prove he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world and challenge undefeated champion Joe Calzaghe, he spoke only of a re-match with fellow Australian Green after his one-sided victory.
Former triple world boxing champion Fenech expects Green to claim the WBA light-heavyweight title from Croatian Stipe Drews in Perth on Sunday, but said today talk of a re-match with Mundine was just "all about money".
Fenech said Mundine needed to take tougher fights than Clavero to prepare to meet the biggest names in the business otherwise he risked going down in history as one of the great unfulfilled talents.
"I think Anthony Mundine has enormous potential but how is he going to get better? How is he going to prepare for fights against Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler fighting these fights?" Fenech told Sydney radio 2KY.
"All this talk about him wanting to be the best and fight the best really isn't happening.
"He has got the ability to beat all these guys. It's just a pity this kid is going to go down as one of the great potential fighters who just didn't go to the top.
"He's fought nobody, and every time he's stepped up to the mark he's lost because of fights like this prior to the fight.
"It's never going to happen for the kid unless he steps up to the plate and says 'Listen, for the next 12 months I'm going to fight some good fighters, I'm going to go to work and I'm going to prove to everybody I can fight'.
"If he does that I'm sure that he'll reach the top level of his career."
For Mundine, the appeal of a re-match with Green, who he beat on a unanimous points decision in a lucrative May, 2006 fight, could be more than another multi-million dollar purse if Calzaghe also steps up a weight division.
Mundine would then be able to issue a challenge to the Welsh champion by offering a title belt, as his current WBA status is over-ridden by the higher-ranked Calzaghe, who is WBA "Super" champion and also holds the WBC and WBO titles.
Either way, Fenech believes Mundine needs to overhaul the way he prepares to fight if he is to beat the Calzaghes and Kesslers.
"I have never seen a kid with more natural ability and talent than Anthony Mundine ... it's a pity he doesn't have the dedication," said Fenech.
"Everybody might say they train hard and do this and do that but it's how you train and who you train with.
"Unless Anthony is going to get the right guys to help him spar and unless Anthony does the right work prior to these big fights, with all the skill and ability you've got you just can't take that next step.
"I wish he would and prove all his critics wrong."
Mundine slaughtered Argentine Jose Alberto Clavero with a fourth round knockout to retain his WBA super-middleweight title at the Sydney Entertainment Centre last night.
While Mundine has previously said he wants to prove he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world and challenge undefeated champion Joe Calzaghe, he spoke only of a re-match with fellow Australian Green after his one-sided victory.
Former triple world boxing champion Fenech expects Green to claim the WBA light-heavyweight title from Croatian Stipe Drews in Perth on Sunday, but said today talk of a re-match with Mundine was just "all about money".
Fenech said Mundine needed to take tougher fights than Clavero to prepare to meet the biggest names in the business otherwise he risked going down in history as one of the great unfulfilled talents.
"I think Anthony Mundine has enormous potential but how is he going to get better? How is he going to prepare for fights against Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler fighting these fights?" Fenech told Sydney radio 2KY.
"All this talk about him wanting to be the best and fight the best really isn't happening.
"He has got the ability to beat all these guys. It's just a pity this kid is going to go down as one of the great potential fighters who just didn't go to the top.
"He's fought nobody, and every time he's stepped up to the mark he's lost because of fights like this prior to the fight.
"It's never going to happen for the kid unless he steps up to the plate and says 'Listen, for the next 12 months I'm going to fight some good fighters, I'm going to go to work and I'm going to prove to everybody I can fight'.
"If he does that I'm sure that he'll reach the top level of his career."
For Mundine, the appeal of a re-match with Green, who he beat on a unanimous points decision in a lucrative May, 2006 fight, could be more than another multi-million dollar purse if Calzaghe also steps up a weight division.
Mundine would then be able to issue a challenge to the Welsh champion by offering a title belt, as his current WBA status is over-ridden by the higher-ranked Calzaghe, who is WBA "Super" champion and also holds the WBC and WBO titles.
Either way, Fenech believes Mundine needs to overhaul the way he prepares to fight if he is to beat the Calzaghes and Kesslers.
"I have never seen a kid with more natural ability and talent than Anthony Mundine ... it's a pity he doesn't have the dedication," said Fenech.
"Everybody might say they train hard and do this and do that but it's how you train and who you train with.
"Unless Anthony is going to get the right guys to help him spar and unless Anthony does the right work prior to these big fights, with all the skill and ability you've got you just can't take that next step.
"I wish he would and prove all his critics wrong."