In my corner: Jeff Fenech inducted into Hall of Fame, Anthony Mundine's rival is 'finished'

IN My Corner: Jeff Fenech elevated to "Legend" status, while a boxing expert labels Choc Mundine's next opponent as "finished".

Fenech, Choc

JEFF Fenech, the dominant figure in Australian prizefighting for the last 30 years will be honoured on Friday August 2 when the Australian Boxing Hall of Fame elevates him to the status of 'Legend' alongside Les Darcy, Johnny Famechon and Lionel Rose.

He will be the special guest at a ceremony at Melbourne's Crown Casino lauding his achievements when, as an irresistible fighting machine between 1985 and 1991, he became the first man to win three world boxing titles while undefeated.

As the chief second for all of his world title wins I've been asked to say a few words at the induction ceremony about a fighter who at his peak was a one-man demolition unit, mowing down great champions and contenders such as the Mexicans Daniel Zaragoza, Marcos Villasana, Mario Martinez and Carlos Zarate, the Americans Jerome Coffee, Greg Richardson, Georgie Navarro and Olympic gold medallist Steve McCrory, the Thai Samart Payakarun and the Puerto Rican powerhouse Victor Callejas.

Until his career stalled after a controversial draw with Azumah Nelson of Ghana in Las Vegas that seemed to permanently sap the steam from his engine, Fenech was a remarkable boxer who achieved extraordinary results despite chronic asthma and a pair of fragile fists that almost always shattered upon impact.

This week, though, the boxer I once labelled "The Marrickville Mauler'' was more interested in talking about the achievements of his former charges - two of Australia's greats that he nurtured as a trainer, Daniel Geale and Vic Darchinyan.

They were among a group of amateurs he signed after the 2000 Olympics that also included Sakio Bika and Danny Green, who he also put on the path toward world championships.

Fenech says that although he is no longer in Geale's corner he has always supported the fighter he trained in the early stages of his career and says Geale's American debut against former British, Commonwealth and European champion Darren Barker on August 17 should be another victory for Australia's IBF world middleweight champion.

"Daniel has gone to Germany twice and won decisions there in world title fights so he knows how to handle the pressure of an overseas fight.''

Fenech is helping Darchinyan prepare for a rematch with Filipino Nonito Donaire, who handed the heavy hitting veteran southpaw his first defeat in 2007.

MUNDINE TARGET WELL PAST IT

ANTHONY Mundine might be talking up a planned fight with faded legend Shane Mosley but here’s what highly respected US boxing commentator Kevin Iole said recently of the American’s skills as he nears 42 years of age.

"One of the saddest sights in professional sports is trying to watch a one-time great who is well past his or her prime still trying to compete,’’ he wrote.

"It would be a smart move to hang up his gloves, as there is no more dangerous sport for a man whose reflexes are diminishing. Boxing has no sympathy for the old, the slow and the less-talented.

"Mosley would be smart to walk away. He still has his faculties, though some have expressed concern about the slurring in his speech. But he's passed the medical requirements to be able to fight. And if he does, then it's his right to fight.

"It doesn't mean it's right. It doesn't mean it's smart. And it doesn't mean we have to watch."

HORNS OF A DILEMMA

BRISBANE Olympic boxer Jeff Horn may have gone too hard too early according to the manager of his next opponent Rivan Cesaire.

With less than four completed rounds of professional boxing to his credit, Horn, a 25-year-old school teacher, fights Cesaire at the Southport RSL on August 8 on a Fox Sports card.

Cesaire, a Commonwealth Games rep for Cameroon in 2006, has fought 75 rounds.

Horn has had three pro fights and Cesaire 14.

Horn won two fights at the London Olympics but has never gone beyond two rounds as a pro. Cesaire went 10 rounds outpointing hotshot Tim Hunt in 2011.

"If I was Jeff Horn’s manager I wouldn’t have taken this fight," said Cesaire’s manager Matt Clark.

"Jeff is a good fighter but this is going to be a huge step up for him.

"Rivan has already beaten some of Australia’s best in Tim Hunt, Todd Kidd ( a 2008 Olympian), Jason Kanofski, Ben Costello and Steven Maxwell.

"He’s very confident about beating Jeff Horn as well."

GEALE PRAISE FOR McCULLOCH

DANIEL GEALE has a huge wrap on sparring partner Ben McCulloch, the undefeated vegan with a huge right hand.

He says McCulloch has a similar style to Darren Barker, the Englishman Geale fights in Atlantic City on August 17 as he defends his IBF middleweight title.

And Geale rates McCulloch among the hardest punchers he’s fought or sparred with – alongside world champs Sakio Bika, Danny Green and Gennady Golovkin.

MAYWEATHER-ALVAREZ PURE GOLD

THE Floyd Mayweather v Canelo Alvarez world junior-middleweight title fight in Las Vegas on September 14 promises to be one of the great nights of boxing for many years.

Especially with the inclusion of the junior welterweight battle between Lucas Matthysse and titleholder Danny Garcia on the undercard.

Matthysse may be the hardest punching fighter in the world and "Swift" Garcia one of the finest boxers.

Promoter Richard Schaefer expects ticket sales inside the MGM Grand to top $19.5 million and there are 32,000 closed-circuit seats proposed nearby.

The fight is expected to sell 2 million pay per views at an average of $40 a hit.

No wonder Mayweather is the world’s highest paid athlete.

JUNIOR’S NEXT TEST

SYDNEY’S tough and talented Junior Talipeau – a star on Fox's The Contender series, returns to the ring at the Olympic Park Sports Centre in Homebush on August 30.

He faces Argentine veteran Walter Javier Crucce.

Talipeau has wins over Nader Hamdan and Shannan Taylor.

MURPHY EYES HAYE-FURY

BRISBANE-BASED Irishman Paddy Murphy is confident of getting a start on the undercard of the heavyweight Battle of Britain between David Haye and Tyson Fury on September 28.

The bout is set for the MEN Arena in Manchester where local hero Ricky Hatton toppled Kostya Tszyu in 2005.

DEATH OF AMPUTEE CHAMP

SAD to report that the huge heart of amputee boxer Craig Bodzianowski finally gave out this week. Bodzianowski was 52.

The Chicago fighter lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident but still fought for the world cruiserweight title.

Out of 103 amateur and professional fights, he was never stopped despite his obvious handicap.

"The Gator" was described by Muhammad Ali’s son-in law, Mike Joyce as, "a fearsome puncher with a great chin’’
He lost just four times in 36 fights, the last time after going 12 rounds in a WBA cruiserweight (91kg) fight against Robert Daniels in Seattle in 1990.
Film-maker Steve Wilburn recalls that "one of his eyes was closed, his ribs were broken; he couldn’t throw his right very well anymore because of the broken ribs.

"So he had one eye, one arm and one leg, and he’s chasing the champ around the ring."

Bodzianowski died of a heart attack in his sleep.

TUNSTALL FIRES UP

A HUGE accolade from amateur boxing's world governing body hasn’t brightened the mood of Arthur Tunstall, who ran amateur boxing in Australia for half a century.

At 91, Arthur is still crooked on his rivals who forced him out of the top place in Australian amateur boxing.

"I’ll square up with them eventually," he told me. "If it’s the last thing I do."

Tunstall this week received the AIBA Order of Merit award from president Dr Ching-Kuo Wu at this month's executive committee meeting in Jeju, South Korea.

The award recognises his career as a sports administrator going back to 1950.

"I'm only the second person in the history of the international body that's been presented with (an Order of Merit), (and) the other one was the president,'' Tunstall told AAP.

"I was really surprised to get it.''

Earlier this year, Arthur, farewelled Peggy, his wife of 67 years.

SUPER HOOPER v BERRIDGE

THEY were the best of pals as sparring partners in Auckland recently but don’t be surprised if Brisbane’s London Olympian Damien "Super" Hooper soon clashes with Kiwi hard head Rob Berridge in a Trans-Tasman title fight.

Hooper has quickly run out of opponents in Australia with one largely unknown contender wanting $10,000 to fight him over six rounds.

Berridge has made a big impression on Fox shows in Australia, stopping Serge Yannick and Trent Broadhurst.

Hooper faces Samoan Togasilimai Letoa on the August 8 Southport card on Fox.

Letoa only has a 50/50 record but he knocked out world-rated Melbourne fighter Manny Vlamis last year.

CAPARELLO WORLD CLASS

BLAKE Caparello was brilliant on Fox last week repelling the challenge of classy Kiwi light-heavyweight Daniel MacKinnon, who once decked world champ Daniel Geale early in his career.

Caparello, now unbeaten in 18 pro fights, is awkward, cagey and clever.

The lanky southpaw would not look out of place fighting the likes of Adonis Stevenson or Nathan Cleverly in a world title bout. Might even spring an upset.

Caparello-MacKinnon was on the Lucas Browne-Travis Walker card in Melbourne on July 25.

Barry Michael and his team put on a great night of boxing in Melbourne with new Australian super-middleweight champ Jake Carr announcing he is a real force for the future in defeating Serge Yannick.

Brothers Qamil and Ibrahim Balla remained unbeaten and are genuinely hot prospects.

ROBERTSON TACKLES QUADE

IF Quade Cooper is looking for a tough foe for his second pro fight in the rugby off-season, cruiserweight Josh Robertson is his man.

Trained by Steve Deller at Brisbane’s Fortitude Gym, the 193cm Robertson is unbeaten in five fights and licking his lips at the prospect of swapping punches with the Wallabies flyer.

"We would love to fight Quade," Deller told me. "Quade looks very good for a novice but Josh would have too much of everything for him."

Cooper scored a first-round KO over Barry Dunnett in his boxing debut in February, the night Sonny Bill Williams controversially outpointed South Africa’s Frans Botha.

Quade’s trainer, Shannon "Shaggy" King defends his Australian junior-middleweight title on August 29 against Caloundra’s Craig Hill Jr at Eaton’s Hill in Brisbane’s north.

Robertson has his sixth pro fight on Saturday night at the Fortitude Gym against Ivan Kolar.

Australian Olympian Todd Kidd and former Irish international Dennis Hogan will appear on the same card.

VALENTINE’S DAY FOR TOOMEY

FORMER amateur star Paul Nasari is putting together a top card at Sydney’s Croatian Club in Punchbowl on August 9.

In the main event Dubbo’s Robert Toomey faces Valentine Borg for the Australian lightweight title.

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