Commonwealth champions

[Rexob]

Do Australian boxers take this title seriously or do they prefer to go other routes?

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Used to be next best thing for Australisian boxer's beside's the big apple [WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF] regional belt's easier path
bigger pool to pick from when defending.don't get stood over by the poms is another bonus you know how they run the show :?? Commonwealth strap's.

[bollox]

Being Commonwealth titleholder usually meant a rating with the WBA / WBC in days gone by. But the proliferation of BS titles means the Commonwealths are being bypassed (why run the very high risk of lose to a top African / English fighter when you can go directly to a paper world title). These days they're basically meaningless in the context of a path to a world title

[Rexob]

Used to be next best thing for Australisian boxer's beside's the big apple [WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF] regional belt's easier path
bigger pool to pick from when defending.don't get stood over by the poms is another bonus you know how they run the show :?? Commonwealth strap's.

Just as I thought.

[Grant]

I have great memories of c/w title fights.
Used to be huge.
AND 15 rounds as well.

I think Bunny Sterling V Tony Mundine was for a c/w title.
Bring it back i say!

[Like a Boss]

I have great memories of c/w title fights.
Used to be huge.
AND 15 rounds as well.

I think Bunny Sterling V Tony Mundine was for a c/w title.
Bring it back i say!

Would be nice. But won't happen of course.

[bollox]

That about sums up the Commonwealth title level IMO (Tony Mundine)...a tremendous fighter by local and C'wealth standards but in reality found wanting at the very top level

This obviously doesn't apply to all C'wealth titleholders, but a considerable portion fit the description

[colin russell]

Tony Mundine fought Bunny Sterling twice for the C/W title loosing the first fight on points winning the second by ko l do belive.At the time the C/W title was a step up to a World title.

[ShadrachSimmo]

It's become a bit of a joke title over here in Britain too.

It was( and perhaps still is) a good opportunity for 2 fighters to earn decent money fighting on TV for a supposed meaningful title.

But the challengers for the titles over the last 5 years or so have been poor and embarrassing at times.

Aberdeens Lee Macallister was even a double champion at one stage holding light and light welter belts simultaneously. Says it all really.

[Like a Boss]

Tony Mundine fought Bunny Sterling twice for the C/W title loosing the first fight on points winning the second by ko l do belive.At the time the C/W title was a step up to a World title.

Mundine was a tad unlucky too being part of the Monzon era of total dominance.

[bollox]

When I was there 1988 - 1991 the Commonwealth title was still held in quite high regard, although orgs like the WBO were starting to erode the CW title status. I think the 'International' titles etc also started to rear their extremely ugly heads around this time. You could virtually see the CW title being devalued before your eyes

[bollox]

Tony Mundine was also blasted out in 1 by faded ex welter champ Luis Rodriguez. Bennie Briscoe beat him and there would have been no hope of Tony beating Rodrigo Valdez (second best middleweight of the Monzon era)

[Gnome]

I think the demise of the Commonwealth title is exaggerated.

Last 3 heavyweight Commonwealth champions: Browne, Price, Fury
Last 3 cruiserweight Commonwealth champions: McKenzie, Conquest, Cameron
Last 3 LHW Commonwealth champions: Maccarenelli, McKenzie, Bellew
Last 3 SMW Commonwealth champions: Blackledge, Fielding, Groves
Last 3 MW Commonwealth champions: Saunders, Murray, Barker

There's not too much flab there. Even 24-12 McKenzie is now rated by boxrec at #6 due to the defences of his commonwealth title.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Tony Mundine fought Bunny Sterling twice for the C/W title loosing the first fight on points winning the second by ko l do belive.At the time the C/W title was a step up to a World title.

Mundine was a tad unlucky too being part of the Monzon era of total dominance.

Glad some-one knows what their talking about

[Grant]

Tony Mundine fought Bunny Sterling twice for the C/W title loosing the first fight on points winning the second by ko l do belive.At the time the C/W title was a step up to a World title.

Mundine was a tad unlucky too being part of the Monzon era of total dominance.

Yeah i remember watching the Monzon fight on TV. Ron Casey and Peter Landy on the microphone.

I guess tony would have been legit top 5 in that era. I also remember Bunny Sterling was number 1 contender in Ring magazine for a while. I used to buy Ring, boxing Illustrated (for the top 50), and Fighter.

[Like a Boss]

Tony Mundine fought Bunny Sterling twice for the C/W title loosing the first fight on points winning the second by ko l do belive.At the time the C/W title was a step up to a World title.

Mundine was a tad unlucky too being part of the Monzon era of total dominance.

Yeah i remember watching the Monzon fight on TV. Ron Casey and Peter Landy on the microphone.

I guess tony would have been legit top 5 in that era. I also remember Bunny Sterling was number 1 contender in Ring magazine for a while. I used to buy Ring, boxing Illustrated (for the top 50), and Fighter.

Tony was world class in his prime. In an era like today he would have accumulated world titles. Particularly if he took the type of back door approach his son has - by targeting vacant titles and such.

Aussie boxing really misses a guy like Ron Casey, who not only loved boxing, also had the pull at the highest level to get it televised.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

I'v lost count the number of fighter's that were born at the wrong time that could have been champion in a different era's Tony Mundine
is one of the many unlucky one's that had to face THE GREAT MONZON and Mundine was thrown in the deep end especially early in his career
I believe Mundine would have destroyed bloke's the calibre of THE GERMAN TRIO Ottke/Beyer/Sylvestor.

[Beltane]

Tony Mundine would have held a world title in today's alphabet soup of organisations.

Monzon did say that Tony hit him harder than anyone previously, before stopping him in seven.

Trainer Ern McQuillan did throw a number of his fighters, eg Bobby Dunlop (a Commonwealth Champ) into the deep end.

[Like a Boss]

I'v lost count the number of fighter's that were born at the wrong time that could have been champion in a different era's Tony Mundine
is one of the many unlucky one's that had to face THE GREAT MONZON and Mundine was thrown in the deep end especially early in his career
I believe Mundine would have destroyed bloke's the calibre of THE GERMAN TRIO Ottke/Beyer/Sylvestor.

Agree mate

[Like a Boss]

I'v lost count the number of fighter's that were born at the wrong time that could have been champion in a different era's Tony Mundine
is one of the many unlucky one's that had to face THE GREAT MONZON and Mundine was thrown in the deep end especially early in his career
I believe Mundine would have destroyed bloke's the calibre of THE GERMAN TRIO Ottke/Beyer/Sylvestor.

Blokes like Tony Mundine and Hec Thompson must shake their heads when they look at how easy it is to win belts and cash these days.

[littlepug]

Made me pro début on undercard of an Aussies attempt at a commonwealth title, Rick Thornberry, how was he viewed in oz ?

[patron]

i grewup in an era when the commonwealth title was the empire title, the 50,s had some great fights, George Barnes, Darby Brown ,Colin Clark, Jack Hassen Dave Sands and other great fighters, the top Empire fighters came out to either win or lose their titles,the Empire title was held in high regard in those days, we had some great American imports out here, these Aussies were rated in June 1949 in the top ten, when you had to earn your rating by beating the bloke above you on the ladder,Dave Sands,Jack Hassen, Eddie Miller,Elly Bennett
Mickey Hill and Jimmy Hogg,the ratings were World Ratings by the American Ring,3 lightweights came out from America Joey Brown .Bud Smith andJames Carter, they allwent on to win World Titles,JOEY BROWN was the only one to go back undefeated, Freddie Dawson as probably the best but he could not get a shot at the title,there was some great fighters from the Commonwealth who came out here and went on to the world stage,there wouldn,t be enough titles around if these fighters were fighting now, it makes me sick when I read a fighter has 3or 4 wins and next he is fighting some noname for a nothing title, what happened to backing yourself and fight another Aussie to become the undisputed best, or are the trainers and managers
building their gym status up with all these nothing titles.
ALL THE BEST