Australian Boxing royalty heads into the boxing ring again when bitter rivals Anthony Mundine and Danny Green clash in the Man v Machine part 2.
The much-anticipated re-match has been 10 years in the making after Mundine emerged victorious in their first bout in 2006 by unanimous decision.
That fight at a packed Allianz Stadium in Sydney took place at super middleweight (76.2kg) but Friday’s rematch in Adelaide will be at catchweight (83kg).
Mundine, 41, heads into the re-match on the back of a loss after losing the WBC silver super-welterweight belt to American Charles Hatley by TKO in November 2015.
He hasn’t fought since that defeat but motivated to fight for indigenous culture and to inflict another defeat on his long-time adversary, the ‘man’ believes he can replicate his 2006 triumph.
Mundine has also lit the fuse with his aggressive comments about the Australian national anthem being ‘racist’ and has vowed not to stand up when the anthem is played.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Mundine has accused organisers of asking popular indigenous singer Jessica Mauboy to sing the national anthem because she is ‘’black’’.
Green, 43, enters the ring on the back of a unanimous decision over Kane Watts in August last year to claim the Australian cruiserweight title.
The Western Australian brawler, who spent a portion of his childhood growing up in Adelaide, will have the decided weight advantage and that could prove decisive in the final analysis.
The undercard features a bevy of intriguing bouts including Brisbane world no.10 lightweight Trent Broadhurst fighting two-times world title challenger Nader Hamdan and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Andrew Moloney up against Filipino bantamweight Renoel Pael.
Kostya Tszyu’s son Tim is also is set to fight Mark Dalby while Queensland Reds and Wallabies player Quade Cooper takes on experienced kickboxer Jack McInnes.
The Verdict
Australian Boxing great Jeff Fenech hasn’t held back in this scathing criticism of the fight, labelling it a quick cash grab and has implored fight fans to boycott the fight.
When pressed to give his verdict on the result, the Marrickville Mauler views the bout as a mismatch in Green’s favour, pointing to Mundine being knocked down nine times in his last three fights.
Some critics have also questioned Mundine’s fitness with his hip surgery reportedly costing up to $30,000. Has the hip fully healed and will it hamper his mobility in the fight?
One thing we know is Mundine has a history of overcoming adversity and has proven throughout his career he can battle and succeed against the odds.
The former NRL star has an enviable record in the boxing ring as a two-times WBA super middleweight and IBO middleweight champion, so he certainly can’t be underestimated.
Green only has one thing in mind, to settle a score from 10 years ago.
While his best years are behind him, he’ll look to draw inspiration from his previous success as a powerhouse of the super-middleweight division.
While Mundine was a clear winner a decade ago, much has changed since then and at the new fighting weight, the scales are heavily tilted towards the Machine.
With the weight advantage, favour the Perth brawler here but wouldn’t put it past the ‘man’ making one last statement.
Unibet Odds:
Anthony Mundine at $2.75
Draw at $26.00
Danny Green at $1.44
Tip: Danny Green at $1.44
Method of victory: Green by decision
