Mundine bristles over shortcut claim
BRISBANE: Anthony Mundine has slammed Jeff Horn’s camp for claiming the former boxing champion may be tempted to take prohibited substances to make weight for their November 30 fight.
Mundine admitted it would be a challenge to drop weight for the 71kg catchweight bout on November 30 in Brisbane — supposedly the 43yearold’s final fight.
But he was angered by the comments of Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton this week that claimed the former threetime world champion may take ‘‘shortcuts’’.
Rushton revealed that under their contract, Mundine could be blood and urinetested up to five times before the fight to make sure the former NRL star was losing weight ‘‘properly’’ and not using diuretics or prohibited substances.
But a riled Mundine said yesterday: ‘‘I am the most elite athlete Australia has ever had — I don’t take shortcuts.
‘‘I have never drunk [alcohol] or taken any type of drug in my life.
‘‘I am not going to take diuretics. That is going to make me even weaker.
‘‘I don’t want to come into the fight drained.’’
Mundine, who fought Danny Green last year at almost 91kg in cruiserweight, is believed to be trying to come down from 80kg.
Horn (30) has fought most of his career at the 66.68kg welterweight limit.
Also under the contract, Mundine will have to pay a fine of $A20,000 ($NZ21,497) per 100 grams for the first kilogram he is over the 71kg limit and then $500,000 for every kilogram after that at the weighin held on the day before their fight.
Mundine (4880 record) and Horn (1811) will be weighed again two hours before the fight when both must be 75kg or less.
Mundine said he agreed to the stipulations to get the Suncorp Stadium fight done because he believed it was what the fans wanted to see.
‘‘It is going to be hard [losing weight]. They have brought in all these stipulations but I am a cool cat. I just wanted to get the fight done,’’ he said.
‘‘They want to try and limit me the best they can to make me as vulnerable as I can be.
‘‘They want to put all these stipulations in to make it even harder.
‘‘I just said ‘let’s do it, sign the contract, and then we will see what’s up with your boy’.
‘‘I am making sure I do everything in my power to be as physically strong as I can be — I will come in fresh.’’