From Lovemore Ndou’s autobiography “Tough Love”
“Mate, Ray Wheatley doesn’t like you for some reason,” he grandly intoned with all the conviction he could conjure.
“I reckon he doesn’t consider you a real Australian and won’t vouch for you to get a shot at the IBF title. I’m not saying he’s a racist but the guy’s xenophobic and he’s got it in for you.”
Wheatley, at the time, was vice-president of the IBF ratings committee. He went on to be voted the organisation’s overall vice- president in 2000 and held the position for some years. He was also a former Golden Gloves champion, and Australian Heavyweight contender.
Today he’s an Australian Hall of Famer, and all-round doyen of the sport.
And yet I’d been led into loathing him, on the spurious say-so of a promoter whose own duplicitous agenda was working overtime.
I’d met Wheatley a few times prior to these accusations, and he’d actually refereed my fight against Lauro Wilton.
I had no idea why he’d have an issue with me, but foolishly I bought Mordey’s make-believe and for years I carried a grudge against Wheatley.
I studiously ignored him when we ran into each other on fight nights, and I simmered with indignation towards the man.
On the world title radar at the same time was another Australian lightweight Renato Cornett. I never believed him to be anything special as a fighter but he was leaping up the IBF rankings, which only strengthened the theory espoused by Mordey that Wheatley was out to hinder my progress at all costs.
Here was a fighter who I didn’t categorise in my class on an upward curve whilst I flatlined. He ultimately got a shot at the IBF title before I did.
After eight successful defenses of the lightweight title Shane Mosley vacated the belt, allowing Pennsylvania’s Paul Spadafora to take the vacant mantle, defeating Israel Cardona over 12 rounds.
Spadafora’s first defense was against none other than Cornett, winning by TKO in round 11. I was incredulous that Cornett had managed to get a title shot since, at the time, I was the best lightweight contender in Australia, if not the world.
What made even less sense was that Spadafora, back then, was promoted by Mordey’s US-based international match-maker and agent Mike Accri.
He was responsible for all the international opponents I had faced under the Mordey banner.
Logically, it would have been easier for Mordey to negotiate a world title fight for me with Accri in his corner.
But instead, I continued to toil around the RSL fight circuit while Cornett was up in lights with a world title tilt. It made me question whether Mordey ever had a genuine desire to get me on the global stage, or simply viewed me as a regular pay-check on the home front.
In October, 1999 I beat Argentinian Gustavo Fabian Cuello on points and was informed by Mordey that he’d reached an agreement with Mike Accri whereby I would fight Cornett. If I beat him convincingly I’d get a shot at Spadafora’s IBF title.
“Look mate, you beat Cornett, and then you and Spadafora share a common denominator of beating the same man,” he said.
“It’s attractive to the TV networks and the fight will sell. Mike Accri has already informed me it’s a done deal.
“You could also fight Stevie Johnston for the WBC title.” Johnston had just regained his crown in a rematch with Bazan.
This time, I challenged Mordey’s line of bullshit, replying: “But Bill, you told me the same thing after I beat Rowsell.”