ANTHONY MUNDINE hopes an impressive performance in front of legendary American fighter Shane Mosley in Newcastle tomorrow night will be the catalyst for bigger fights, with Germany's WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm targeted as a likely opponent.
Mosley, who promotes promising Sydney super-featherweight Billy Dib, will be ringside for Mundine's bout against Japan's Crazy Kim at Newcastle Entertainment Centre to watch his protege take on South African Zolani Marali for the vacant IBO world title in the main undercard.
After relinquishing his WBA super-middleweight belt, Mundine will fight the hard-hitting Kim at catchweight before dropping down to the hotly contested middleweight division for his next bout, and he revealed he was looking to contest another world title within a year.
"The fight we want to get is Felix Sturm ASAP, and the only thing with that fight is that … we don't want to fight him in Germany because we've seen what's happened in the past over there," Mundine said.
"You've got to knock them out, and they're known to pay judges and pay referees, so hopefully we can generate enough interest [to stage the fight elsewhere] because the middleweight championship is probably the most prestigious outside of the heavyweight belt.
"But Felix Sturm would just be the first because once I beat Sturm they would be saying, 'Well, we've got to look at Mundine matching up with Kelly Pavlik or Bernard Hopkins'. At the moment, I'm a risk.
"Those guys don't want to fight me because I'm a risk fight but they're not going to get paid what they want to get paid to fight me so they'd rather go for the bigger names or the bigger fish to make the money, which is fair enough.
"I've got to be like a Tommy Hearns back in the 1980s and just keep fighting them and dominating them. I'm looking at obviously this fight, and I'll fight again at the end of the year, and then I want to have at least four fights next year, so I think that by the end of 2009 or 2010 they will have no option but to put me in the picture."
With Mosley in Australia for the first time, Mundine vowed to "put on a show" so that he goes back to America and tells his partner in Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, of the merits of the 33-year-old former NRL star.
"If I go out there and fight the fight I want to fight then I think he would be very, very impressed and he will definitely go back and tell Oscar and the boys."
Some Good Reading on "The Man"
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
hopefully everything works out for mundine and i would really like to see him at middleweight just to see how he goes
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
hmmmmmmmmmm...we will see.
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
He wont go to MW,I reckon he wants Calzaghe!
If he was going to MW he would have done straight-away.
I heard him speak on "Always in your corner" 2 months ago,Johnny Lewis urged him to go MW..but he obviously didnt listen?
Geale's management has now put the pressure on mundine! They are pushing for a fight early next year??see what happens?
Then there is Green??
I dont know ???? Mundine has to make a decision before its too late.He has done more talking than fighting.
If he was going to MW he would have done straight-away.
I heard him speak on "Always in your corner" 2 months ago,Johnny Lewis urged him to go MW..but he obviously didnt listen?
Geale's management has now put the pressure on mundine! They are pushing for a fight early next year??see what happens?
Then there is Green??
I dont know ???? Mundine has to make a decision before its too late.He has done more talking than fighting.
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
I can absolutely see him targeting Sturm. Sturm is possibly the weakest Title holder going around today...
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
he has had his chance to take on the best but refused to fight kessler again. scared?
that is why nobody probably wants to fight him because there is no reason to take him seriously.
that is why nobody probably wants to fight him because there is no reason to take him seriously.
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
Thats right Buster!!Wish some people would realise that! 
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
that aswell as being the wba champion i do believe he could beat gealeMarlin wrote:I can absolutely see him targeting Sturm. Sturm is possibly the weakest Title holder going around today...
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
i wonder how many people will go to see this live?
Re: Some Good Reading on "The Man"
Depends how many free tickets Mundine gave out this time...toppity wrote:i wonder how many people will go to see this live?