By Mark Vester

Sakio Bika (25-3-2, 15KOs), Contender Season 3 champion, is targeting fights with Ricardo Mayorga and WBA "regular" super middleweight champ Anthony Mundine. During the span of his career, Bika has only lost decisions to Joe Calzaghe, Lucian Bute and Sam Soliman. The loss to Soliman was avenged during the recent Contender series, with Bika winning the rematch on points. The finale saw Bika trade knockdowns with Jaidon Codrington in a fight-of-the-year slugfest, stopping Codrington in the eight to win the series.

Angelo Hyder, Bika's manager, is trying to land his fighter a date with Ricardo Mayorga. The chances of that happening are slim. Mayorga recently won a decision over Fernando Vargas at a catch-weight of 166-pounds, and naturally competes at 154-pounds. Following the Vargas win, Mayorga vowed to never fight that high in weight again. The big money fights for Mayorga are at 147 and 154, he won't risk some possible rematches with Cory Spinks or Vernon Forrest to fight Bika at a much higher weight. Even at a catch-weight, I'm not so sure Bika can drop any lower than 160.

The other man on their list is in the realm of actual reality. The Contender series made Bika a known name, inside and outside of Australia. Mundine is the most popular fighter in Australia. Mundine vs. Bika in Australia = big money. Mundine appears to be gunning for a major rematch with another popular Aussie fighter, Danny Green. Green challenges WBA light heavyweight champ Stipe Drews on Saturday. If Green wins, he would likely accept Mundine's challenge for a rematch of a 2006 bout, won by Mundine, and generated millions of dollars. Hyder is willing to match Bika with the winner of the rematch, if it ever comes to that point.

Hyder believes Bika could knock Mundine out, also knows the reality of the fight. He knows Mundine would outbox Bika, so a knockout is a must in order to win.

Bika would come out and hold nothing back," Hyder said to the St. George Leader . "But it would be a difficult fight because Mundine has speed and always keeps moving. Bika would have to knock him out because if Mundine is left standing he would probably win. The winner of the Mundine and Green fight will become our target. It is something we have discussed. I give Mundine credit for being smart. He was just coming back from a bad eye [infection] and no one knew how it would respond in a fight. He fought someone who wasn't too dangerous but Mundine is a warrior...he isn't scared to fight anyone. And Sakio is more than ready to fight Mundine."

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingscene@hotmail.com