Jeff Horn v Anthony Mundine fight five years in the making
THE November 30 Jeff Horn-Anthony Mundine fight kicked off five years ago with a great action shot in The Courier-Mail sports pages.
Boxing/MMA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE November 30 Jeff Horn-Anthony Mundine fight, which the Queensland Government will support with a $1.5 million cash injection, kicked off five years ago with a great action shot in The Courier-Mail sports pages.
Mundine was left red faced and seething when we ran Annette Dew’s photo of Horn stabbing him in the face with a monstrous left jab and the headline that read `Welcome to Brisbane, Man WHACK’.
Book your tickets to the River City Rumble
Mundine was training at Kangaroo Point at the time in a gym almost underneath the Story Bridge, preparing to face the great American Shane Mosley in Sydney.
When Mundine asked for Queensland sparring partners, Horn put his hand up – both of them – as the 2012 Olympian went after the far more experienced fighter with both fists blazing.
Mundine’s win over Danny Green in 2006 was the first real boxing match Horn had ever seen and he had always looked up to Mundine as a great boxer. He relished the chance to test himself against Australian boxing’s biggest name.
“We did six solid rounds,” Horn recalled.
“Mundine told me after our spar, ‘man you’re an awkward guy, you’re making me work hard’. He was the fastest professional fighter I faced at that stage but I had fought a lot of top amateurs who were even quicker than him and I felt that if we were having a real fight rather than just the spar I would have him covered even if he was a few kilos heavier than me.
“I plan to prove that on November 30. I’m very confident of beating him. I’ll put more pressure on Mundine than he has ever faced in his life and eventually he will crack. In the later rounds he will be hurting.”
Mundine has wanted to get his revenge over Horn ever since The Courier-Mail ran that photo and he will now have his chance in a multi-million-dollar showdown which the Queensland Government hopes will draw at least 30,000 people to Suncorp Stadium.
The big fight was shored up after a series of phone calls and text messages between this reporter and Mundine’s adviser Emaid Dib immediately following Horn’s loss in his world title fight with Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on June 10.
Dib asked me to give Horn a good luck message on Mundine’s behalf before the Crawford fight and immediately after it asked me to put him in touch with Horn’s manager/trainer Glenn Rushton to discuss a potential battle.
Although Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan was talking down the fight with Mundine, Dib sent me a message declaring: “I have spoken to Anthony and he has instructed me to run with (the proposal). I have advised him that we make a very strong offer straight off the bat and show (Horn and Rushton) that we are being genuine and not playing games. Anthony and I are happy to sit down with Jeff’s Dad and Glenn Rushton within days and give them our proposal.”
The following day Dib sent me another message to say he had phoned Rushton in Vegas.
“Had a good chat with Glenn, he is a terrific guy who just wants the best for Jeff,” Dib told me. “From our conversation I am confident we will have a fight in November.”
Now “The River City Rumble” shapes as an extravaganza that could be the biggest night of boxing in Australia with a huge undercard likely to feature heavyweight Lucas Browne against Alex Leapai and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Joe Goodall against former NRL enforcer and former Australian boxing champ Solomon Haumono.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said a Friday night fight would encourage visitors from interstate to stay in Queensland for the weekend.
There will be 6000 tickets under $30 helping to ensure a bumper crowd.
Horn says with the fight set for 71kg he will be heavier and stronger than at any time in his career and that he is under instructions from Rushton to score a spectacular knockout.
The two fighters will split a purse that could top $8 million.
Get ready for cricket like never before. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment until the first 4K cricket ball as part of 2 months free on a 12 month plan. SIGN UP TODAY. T&Cs apply.
Canelo drops mega-money Jake Paul fight
Boxing champion Canelo Alvarez has shaken up the boxing world by leveraging a rumoured bout with Jake Paul for an even better deal.
‘I’ll rise again’: Kambosos plots Sydney fightback
He shocked the boxing world with his upset of Teofimo Lopez in 2021. Now George Kambosos is returning to fight in Sydney and ‘Ferocious’ insists he can win another world title.