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Anthony Mundine still wants Mayweather, but hopes to face Cotto or Canelo first

Anthony Mundine got the win today over Shane Mosley, but will that lead him to a fight against a top star? No.

Mark Metcalfe

Let me preface this all by saying: I know. We all know. Anthony Mundine's delusions (or whatever) of ever fighting Floyd Mayweather are completely absurd. But though I'm a known "hater" of Mundine, let me say this for him. It's not like it's wrong that he wants to fight the best guys. I mean, you know, the best guys worth money. He didn't want to fight, like, Austin Trout. Best = money for Mundine, and for a 38-year-old prizefighter, hey, man. Money over everything. Good for him.

Anyway, Mundine, who defeated Shane Mosley this morning when the referee stopped the fight after six rounds because Mosley's back was like that of a 42-year-old man who's been physically battering himself for over two decades now, says he knows that Mayweather won't be next, and that he instead hopes to face Miguel Cotto or Canelo Alvarez.

"I just want the best, I don't care. Obviously I want Floyd, the best of the best. But that's not going to happen (next). You've got to do your time and beat the right fighters There's Cotto out there, there's Alvarez. They are the type of calibre of fighters I want to fight."

A win over a rickety Mosley certainly doesn't mean that Mundine is now a prime contender at 154, but would he really be any worse than a lot of things that happen? Is Cotto vs Mundine any bigger a mismatch or whatever than Cotto vs Delvin Rodriguez? At least Mundine would have the size advantage he used today against Mosley.

The real issue, of course, is that Cotto, Canelo, and Mayweather have zero interest in Mundine, a 38-year-old fading fighter who has no name value in the United States, and thus is worth no money here. The best Mundine might be able to do is go to 160 and fight, say, Peter Quillin or Darren Barker/Felix Sturm for a world title. He seemed drained and tired to me getting himself down to 154 at this point, but he was big enough to overcome a tired, old Mosley. I mean, it was as simple as that. It's not a knock on Mundine. He just did his job.

Will Mundine (45-5, 27 KO) get his big fight? Probably not. But there are fights out there for him, perhaps a rubber match with Daniel Geale. Perhaps a world title fight. We'll see.

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