Anthony Mundine looking to turn back the clock against much younger Michael Zerafa

It is remarkable to think it was almost 20 years ago when Australian Anthony Mundine travelled to Dortmund, Germany to face long-reigning IBF super middleweight champion Sven Ottke in what would be the three-time Olympian’s 12th world title defence.

Mundine, then 10-0 (8), had turned pro less than 18 months earlier and quickly moved up the world rankings. The 34-year-old Ottke, who had 308 amateur fights for 256 wins, was the short-priced favourite going into the bout. His record as a pro was an impeccable 24-0 (5). On paper the fight looked like a laydown misère.

But the rank outsider surprised the reigning champion in the early going with his speed, footwork and defence before fading in the later rounds and getting knocked out in the 10th. It was a hell of an effort from Mundine and a hell of a scare for the master boxer Ottke.

The stunning performance by the novice Mundine was a real eyeopener for many in the boxing fraternity, putting his name on the map as a genuine world championship contender. Mundine was better known at the time from his former career at a top-class rugby league five-eighth. He represented New South Wales in State of Origin and was the highest paid player in the National Rugby League competition before abandoning the sport to follow in his father’s footsteps as a boxer. His rugby league career seems a lifetime ago now.

In an interview with The Ring, Ottke rated Mundine the best he had ever faced in seven out of 10 categories, including best jab, best defence, fastest hands, best footwork, smartest, best boxing skills and best overall.

Not bad for a 26-year-old kid with next to no amateur background.

“It was a tough fight,” the now 45-year-old Mundine recalled. “Did you see the interview Ottke did in The Ring magazine and how he judged all the fighters he had faced and I was the toughest fighter? And I was only 10 fights in. He had more title defences than I’d had fights. He had had 12 title defences and I’d had just 10 pro fights. It’s a massive compliment coming from someone like him.”

Nine fights later, Mundine would win the vacant WBA super middleweight championship against hard-hitting American Antwun Echols in Sydney in September 2003. He would later move down to middleweight and then junior middleweight in a reverse weight class move that was virtually unheard of amongst his peers.

In hindsight, Mundine says his fight against Ottke came too early in his development.

“Absolutely, 100 per cent,” he said. “I was too green. I knew I was too green. I shouldn’t have taken the fight but I was too cocky, just a young kid who wanted to fly there and get the experience, you know what I mean? I just had that mentality, I wanted to chase it. I thought I was ready but obviously I wasn’t. A year and a half later I won the championship.”

Despite the strong showing against Ottke, there was still a vocal minority who used the loss to strike a line through his ambitious plans to become world champion. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the outspoken Sydneysider, but a minor setback in the grand scheme of things.

“Definitely bro. I was obviously discouraged. I had my shot and a lot of people thought that was it for me. But I told myself I’m not going to stop until I’m champion of the world. I’ve done that three times over. Now I just want to seal my legacy,” Mundine said.

Mundine, who now holds a record of 48-10 (28), will get that chance when he takes on Michael ‘Pretty Boy’ Zerafa 27-4 (16) at Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo, Australia on March 13. The 28-year-old Zerafa mirrors his younger self in many ways.

“He’s a good young fighter,” Mundine said. “He believes in himself, I think he’s got skill, but he thinks he is better than what he is. He is good, I’m not going to say that he’s not, but he thinks he’s something that he’s not; he thinks he’s unbeatable, basically.”

Zerafa was just seven years old when Mundine made his unlikely pro debut against New Zealander Gerrard Zohs in July 2000. Eleven years later Zerafa had his own first fight in the punch-for-pay ranks and worked through the usual suspects before landing a fight in Russia against the undefeated Arif Magomedov in October 2014, losing on points over 10. After two quick victories in Australia to build his confidence back up, he headed over to America to face Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin at middleweight. It was a bad more. Zerafa was brutally knocked out in five one-sided rounds.

Zerafa would go undefeated for the next three years, winning eight bouts and picking up the vacant Commonwealth 154-pound title with a boxing masterclass against Adam Harper in his hometown of Melbourne. In December 2018 he would travel to Sheffield, England to face former world champion Kell Brook. Despite losing on points, Zerafa put up a good showing and came into his own in the back half of the fight.

Mundine says these steps up in class have exposed Zerafa’s ceiling.

“Like I said he has good talent, but every time he steps up to a world class fighter – the Kell Brooks and the Peter Quillins – he just couldn’t get it done,” he said. “Even though I’m in the twilight phase of my career, I’m still world class. I believe in my skills, I believe in my seasoning. It going to be a very, very hard fight for him.”

Two fights later Zerafa squared up against Jeff Horn at Bendigo Stadium. Not many gave him a chance against the former WBO welterweight champion, but Zerafa boxed brilliantly to outthink the Queenslander and walk him onto shots, eventually knocking him out in the ninth round. Zerafa would go on to lose a majority decision to Horn in the immediate rematch in Brisbane, but his success at the same venue where he faces Mundine must bolster his confidence.

It comes as no shock that the venue for the fight does not bother Mundine.

“Nah, I don’t care wherever we fight, brah,” Mundine said. “We can fight on Uluru mate, it don’t matter. I’ve fought many fighters in their own backyard. Bendigo isn’t his backyard, but it is his state. He’s from Melbourne but I’ve fought and won in Melbourne against Sam Soliman and Sergey Rabchenko. I beat Shannan Taylor in Wollongong. Fighting on the road doesn’t bother me.

“It’s no different bro. I’m there to do a job. He’s been doing a lot of talking. I’m not as brash talking or vocal as I was back in the day. But I’m still quietly confident. The best man is going to win. I feel that I’m better, he feels that he’s better, and we will find out on the 13th.” 

As for the critics who have plagued him throughout his career?

“I’m so thick-skinned, nothing bothers me,” he said. “Nothing rattles me, nothing bothers me. Not the media, not the system. The whole world can be against me, it wouldn’t worry me.”