Leonardo Zappavigna contemplates retirement and other boxing news from the land down under

LEONARDO ZAPPAVIGNA LOOKING TOWARDS RETIREMENT AFTER 12 YEARS OF WARS

Saturday night in Oklahoma City may have marked the last time Sydney warrior Leonardo Zappavigna 37-4 (27) has competed in a prize ring.

The 30-year-old veteran of 41 pro bouts turned in a gutsy, blood-drenched performance against rising prospect Alex Saucedo 28-0 (18) but the Australian’s mangled face forced a premature ending to the fight and, ultimately, his career in the ring.

"I hurt him, but my cuts were really bad," said Zappavigna, who recovered from a third round knockdown to put a savage beating on the 24-year-old undefeated local in the fourth round before his corner threw in the towel in the seventh.

"I had blood in my eyes. No excuses. The kid is a warrior. I hope he becomes world champion. I did my best. Now I’ll go home. I have to think about things. We’ll see what the future holds. The cuts are an issue."

Zappavigna, a former lightweight world title challenger, has had issues with cuts throughout his career and his aggressive, pressure-fighting style isn’t the type to lend itself to longevity.

After almost seven exhilarating rounds Zappavigna’s corner threw in the towel with their fighter’s left eye swollen virtually shut and his face a mask of blood.

Against Saucedo, Zappavigna fought the only way he knows how and went out on his shield.

This writer remembers watching a teenage Zappavigna from ringside as he boxed his way to a bronze medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, eventually losing to the slick-boxing southpaw Frankie Gavin from England who kept using angles and turning Zappavigna to prevent the popular local from getting set.

Fast-forward six months and Zappavigna was about to have his fifth pro bout for the vacant Australian lightweight title against another slick-boxing southpaw in Shane Kelly from Melbourne. With the loss to Gavin still fresh in my mind, I thought Kelly was a good chance to win using similar tactics. At 8-2 (1) Kelly couldn’t punch top crack an egg, but he was quick on his feet and knew how to make good use of the whole ring to keep his opponents chasing and reaching as he picked them off from the outside.

Kelly boxed effectively in the first round, moving left and right, ducking and dodging shots, pecking and poking Zappavigna from the outside before disappearing out of range. The second round was closer with Zappavigna closing the gap but Kelly still boxing well.

It was in the third round that Zappavigna found his rhythm, distance and timing. The exits that Kelly had used so judiciously in the first two frames were no longer there as Zappavigna began to cut off the ring and catch Kelly on the way out.

Late in the third a booming right hand caught Kelly on the chin and he went down hard, crashing to the canvas in front of his own corner. Kelly rolled onto his hands and knees and looked through the ropes to his cornermen with glazed eyes. His trainer Brian Slatter could see he was in no shape to continue and skied the towel.

I was on spit bucket duty for Kelly that night and got to see up close and personal the immense improvements in Zappavigna in six short months. No longer did he struggle to cut off the ring or time his more mobile opponents. He was a vastly improved fighter.

Zappavigna was crowned Australian champion at 2:46 of the third round and I knew then that this was a kid who would go far in the pro ranks.

Twelve years a pro is a long time in this game, especially when you have the aggressive, take-no-prisoners style that Zappavigna does. His eminent manager Mike Altamura let his feelings be known after the fight.

“He was speaking to my wife and was like ‘that’s enough. I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. I want him to be able to talk to his kids when he’s 50. I want him to be healthy’,” Zappavigna told Ring magazine’s Ryan Songalia. “I understand where he’s coming from.”

Maxboxing wishes Zappavigna all the best for the future and hopes to see him stay involved in boxing as a non-combatant.

ANTHONY MUNDINE GUNNING FOR AN EARLY STOPPAGE AGAINST JEFF HORN

Former WBA super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine 48-8 (28) wants to knockout former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn 18-1-1 (12) quicker than Terence Crawford 33-0 (24) did in a fight that could be worth as much as $4 million each.

Horn, who lost his world title in nine rounds to the pound-for-pound rated Nebraskan in early June, is considering a mid-November fight against the polarising 43-year-old at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium where he defeated future Hall of Famer and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao a year ago.

“I want to stop him in the first six rounds, quicker than Terence Crawford did,” Mundine told the Daily Telegraph this week. “You’ve got no idea how good I’m feeling at the moment. I’m pumped.

“It’s good that Horn is going to get a pay day. He’s a young man with a young family. For me, it’s not about the money. I already own nearly 10 properties and I’ve made millions.”

The former professional rugby league player believes a win over Horn will open up doors in the United States where he has fought just once in his 56-fight professional career.

“This is about me winning and fighting in America,” Mundine said. “I don’t care where I fight him, as long as there’s a square ring.”

Mundine also announced he had split from his long-term manager Khoder Nasser.

“Khoder wanted me to retire,” Mundine said. “I wanted someone who still believed in me. This fight will catapult me back onto the world stage. I’ll get a fight in America if I beat Jeff. I don’t want to just beat him, I want to make a statement.”

One sticking point for the fight is the weight. Team Horn wants the fight to take place at 154-pounds, while the Mundine camp are holding fast on 156-pounds. Mundine is also insisting on a 50-50 purse split, with the Sydneysider’s team claiming there could be as much as $8 million in the pot to share.

JASON MOLONEY JOINS THE WORLD BOXING SUPER SERIES & EARNS WORLD TITLE SHOT AGAINST IBF CHAMP EMMANUEL RODRIGUEZ

Leading Australian bantamweight Jason "The Smooth One" Moloney 17-0 (14) has joined the ranks of the best 118-pound boxers in the world with the announcement this week that he will be competing in the second series of the highly-anticipated World Boxing Super Series.

Moloney, 27, will be matched with newly crowned IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez 18-0 (12) from Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals on a date and at a venue yet to be set.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of the World Boxing Super Series. For me, this is a dream come true,” said Moloney, who, along with his twin Andrew, are both ranked number nine by the Ring magazine in the bantamweight and super flyweight divisions respectively.

“It has been my dream for many years now to become world champion. It is something which myself and my team have been working very hard towards. Now I will have the opportunity to achieve this dream and much more. We now have the opportunity to become a unified world champion, win the glorious Muhammad Ali Trophy and become the undisputed number one bantamweight in the world.”

Other competitors already confirmed in the bantamweight tournament are WBO champion Zolani Tete 27-3 (21) of South Africa and WBA "super" champion Ryan Burnett 19-0 (9) of Northern Ireland. A question mark still hangs over the head of three-division champion Naoya Inoue 16-0 (14) of Japan, who would be a welcome addition with his natural hand-speed and power.

“I am going to grab this opportunity with both hands, and I truly believe that we have what it takes to go all the way and win this tournament and become Australia’s next world champion,” said Moloney, who is coming off a sixth round cut-eye stoppage of former two-time WBA super flyweight champion Kohei Kono in May.

The first season of WBSS was a huge success, matching the leading cruiserweights and many of the top super middleweights in competitive and entertaining contests. The grand final between the leading 200-pounders Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev is scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russia on July 21 and the second season of the WBSS promises to be just as explosive and entertaining as the first.

Victory over Rodriguez will be just the start for Moloney, who believes he can win the tournament outright.

“We are not in this competition to make up the numbers. We are here to shock the world,” said Moloney.