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Now for the real contenders: Mundine versus BikaDaniel Lane
June 21, 2009
THE American mastermind behind the international hit reality boxing show The Contender will decide whether Australian fight fans finally get to see a bout they've demanded for years - Anthony Mundine against IBO super-middleweight champion Sakio Bika.
The Bika and Mundine camps held what were described as "fruitful" talks in Sydney on Monday where, according to Bika's trainer David Birchell, Mundine expressed a "definite" desire to stage the fight.
"You have to give Mundine credit because he is willing to take the fight against Sakio," Birchell told The Sun-Herald .
"The Mundine camp is looking for 'Choc' to fight the best fighters in Australia and the world, so he is willing to take the bout.
"The only stumbling block now is the people in America who run The Contender ."
Bika gained international fame when he scored an eighth-round TKO victory against American Jaidon Codrington to win The Contender 's crown in 2007. He won $800,000 but the victory tied him to a deal where the show's producer, Jeff Wald, will promote him until 2012. Wald has tried without success to stage the Mundine-Bika super bout.
The reason Mundine's manager, Khoder Nasser, discussed the fight stemmed from a long-term mutual respect between himself and Birchell, a former amateur champion.
Bika, who has vowed to put his IBO title up against any of the world's leading super-middleweights, is desperate for the Mundine fight to happen.
"I am so happy to think it could happen," Bika said. "To beat Mundine would make me a real hero [in Australia]. If I could fight Mundine it would help me build my name here. It could help more people get behind me. It would be huge."
Cameroon-born Bika has established his name internationally. Apart from winning the contender crown he gave Germany's super-middleweight world champion Marcus Beyer a terrible scare before the referee called the bout a technical draw after Beyer was cut under the eye.
Bika then took the great Joe Calzaghe to 12 rounds with the Welshman describing it as the toughest fight of his career.
"It was a great compliment but once Joe said that it also made Sakio someone the top fighters wouldn't take on," Birchell said.
"We are hoping we get the green light from the US for him to get his shot against Mundine. It would be a great bout."
June 21, 2009
THE American mastermind behind the international hit reality boxing show The Contender will decide whether Australian fight fans finally get to see a bout they've demanded for years - Anthony Mundine against IBO super-middleweight champion Sakio Bika.
The Bika and Mundine camps held what were described as "fruitful" talks in Sydney on Monday where, according to Bika's trainer David Birchell, Mundine expressed a "definite" desire to stage the fight.
"You have to give Mundine credit because he is willing to take the fight against Sakio," Birchell told The Sun-Herald .
"The Mundine camp is looking for 'Choc' to fight the best fighters in Australia and the world, so he is willing to take the bout.
"The only stumbling block now is the people in America who run The Contender ."
Bika gained international fame when he scored an eighth-round TKO victory against American Jaidon Codrington to win The Contender 's crown in 2007. He won $800,000 but the victory tied him to a deal where the show's producer, Jeff Wald, will promote him until 2012. Wald has tried without success to stage the Mundine-Bika super bout.
The reason Mundine's manager, Khoder Nasser, discussed the fight stemmed from a long-term mutual respect between himself and Birchell, a former amateur champion.
Bika, who has vowed to put his IBO title up against any of the world's leading super-middleweights, is desperate for the Mundine fight to happen.
"I am so happy to think it could happen," Bika said. "To beat Mundine would make me a real hero [in Australia]. If I could fight Mundine it would help me build my name here. It could help more people get behind me. It would be huge."
Cameroon-born Bika has established his name internationally. Apart from winning the contender crown he gave Germany's super-middleweight world champion Marcus Beyer a terrible scare before the referee called the bout a technical draw after Beyer was cut under the eye.
Bika then took the great Joe Calzaghe to 12 rounds with the Welshman describing it as the toughest fight of his career.
"It was a great compliment but once Joe said that it also made Sakio someone the top fighters wouldn't take on," Birchell said.
"We are hoping we get the green light from the US for him to get his shot against Mundine. It would be a great bout."
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