Mundine vs Clottey results: Joshua Clottey dominates Anthony Mundine over 12, scores five knockdowns

Joshua Clottey is back in the game, as the 36-year-old Ghanaian dominated Anthony Mundine today in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, scoring an unanimous decision points win with five knockdowns along the way. Scores for the fight were 115-109, 116-108, and 117-108.

Clottey (38-4, 22 KO) put Mundine down on the canvas in the third round, twice in the sixth round, and again on rounds eight and ten. Mundine (46-6, 27 KO) said he never recovered the way he would have liked from the first knockdown, but he did show heart in climbing off the canvas and continuing on, finishing the 12 rounds on his feet.

For the 38-year-old Mundine, it's a massive setback for whatever plans he had in boxing, or whatever plans he currently was saying he had in boxing. He'd been ridiculed for putting himself in league with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, while fighting mostly stiffs or shot former names like Shane Mosley, and a hungry Clottey came out and did a number on him today. At Mundine's age, it's not likely we're going to see any improbable run toward the real top of the sport, though another sanctioning body trinket could still be in his future, given the level of opposition we often see at what is passed off as a world title level.

Clottey's future suddenly exists again, however, because this is a fairly high-profile win. The 154-pound division is competitive but open, with Floyd Mayweather (WBA super and WBC titles), the jailed Carlos Molina (IBF), Erislandy Lara (WBA regular), and Demetrius Andrade (WBO) holding the titles. Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto and big stars in the division (Cotto is going up to 160 for his next fight, though). Austin Trout, Vanes Martirosyan, James Kirkland, Ishe Smith, Willie Nelson, and Cornelius Bundrage are guys featured regularly on U.S. TV who are also in the mix, and Clottey could slot back into that group pretty easily.