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$1m bid to stage Green title bout:
24th December 2003 (Credit
AAP)
Entrepreneur Glenn Wheatley is prepared to take on
overseas promoters to stage a $1 million showdown
between Danny Green and Anthony Mundine, Australia's
two world super-middleweight boxing champions.
Wheatley
yesterday received approval from Green's trainer Jeff
Fenech to stage what would arguably be the biggest
fight in Australian boxing history.
Fenech
returned from Canada yesterday after his charge's
sixth-round stoppage of Canadian Eric Lucas in last
weekend's World Boxing Council interim super-middleweight
title bout in Montreal.
Wheatley,
who promoted Kosta Tszyu's world title fight in Melbourne
last January, last night indicated he was prepared
to match a $1 million offer from Canadian promoters
InterBox, who staged the Green-Lucas showdown.
"I've
got a mandate from Jeff (Fenech) to try and put this
fight together," Wheatley said. "My initial
preference is for Sydney because it is a Sydney-centric
fight.
"I
discussed the possibility of this with Khoder Nasser
(Mundine's manager) several months ago but the time
is right now, especially if (WBC champion) Markus
Beyer is thinking twice about getting back into the
ring with Danny.
"This
fight has got to be here in Australia."
Wheatley
would formally put his offer to Mundine, the World
Boxing Association super middleweight champion.
Fenech
revealed international promoters and television networks
were clamouring for Green's services in the aftermath
of the win over Lucas.
Fenech
said American promoters and television networks had
already been on the phone expressing interest in Green
with connections of American network HBO among the
potential suitors.
Green
returned to Sydney yesterday with the WBC super-middleweight
interim title belt.
He
then criticised the Mundine camp after Tony Mundine
made disparaging remarks about his fight.
Tony
Mundine, who trains and promotes his son, the current
World Boxing Association super-middleweight champion,
claimed Lucas had "dogged" the fight, which
he claimed was a "set-up" and a "hollow
victory".
"Eric
Lucas has gone 12 rounds with Roy Jones, the pound-for-pound
best fighter in the world and he doesn't dog it against
anyone and if anyone is going to be an expert on dogging
it and quitting, Tony Mundine is probably one to go
by," Green said at Sydney airport.
"His
son is the same and has once again agreed to fight
me, but everyone knows that he will never fight me".
He
said Mundine should return to rugby league as he would
"knock him out cold" if they ever did fight.
"The
whole of Australia wants to see it, but he's the only
one that won't give it to us and it's just a shame
that Australia is going to miss out on such a great
spectacle and it's all because he is a chicken."
Links
Articles
The
Great Aussie Promoters, by Greg Tingle
The
Great Yankee Promoters, by Greg Tingle
What
Makes a Boxing Champion, by Greg Tingle
The
Shitville Pub, by Ross Renwick
Interviews
Rusty
Rosenburger
Mike
Altamura
Steve
Rackman
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