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Mundine, Mosley fight back on

Anthony Mundine has confirmed American boxing great Shane Mosley will return to Australia to meet him in a re-scheduled fight in Sydney on November 27.

Mundine and his manager Khoder Nasser announced the bout, to be staged at Allphones Arena, on Thursday after the pair guaranteed Mosley a $1 million purse upfront.

It comes just over two weeks after the former three-time world champion Mosley walked out the day before the initial fight on October 23, citing a breach of contract by then-promoter Vlad Warton in not paying the remainder of his guaranteed purse in advance.

“This time it’s going to be done,” Mundine told reporters.

“I’m excited. I’m focused on one goal and that’s proving to the world, to myself, to my fans, and the boxing world that I belong with the legends.

“I’m going to do everything I can in order to show the people that I’m for real.

“This is serious business. I’m going to take it as kill or be killed. This is it.”

Mundine said on Thursday the setback could prove to be a blessing in disguise given how badly he felt on the eve of the bout having only just made the 69.9kg weight limit.

“I made 150-151 (pounds), but I drained myself a little bit, I left it a bit too late and the morning of the weigh-in … I didn’t feel that great,” he said.

“I would have felt better the next day with some food in me, but I was too confident I would make the weight and I thought I’d be sweet.

“But I was then taking hot baths, saunas, starving myself to make the weight the day before and I don’t want to do that this time.”

Mundine has fought at super-middleweight, middleweight and light-middleweight in his 49-fight career and has become used to stripping his bodyweight before a bout.

However, he said he won’t be leaving it too late to get into shape this time around and has embarked on the toughest training regime of his life to get in shape for the fight he said will define his career.

“It’s tough making weight, if I was light-heavyweight it wouldn’t be a problem,” Mundine said.

“But light-middleweight is very hard. When I played rugby league I was 86 kilos, and a big, strong guy.

“That is 16-17 kilos less than what I will have to be at the weigh-in. It takes discipline, dedication and hard work to do it.

“People don’t see that side of the preparations.”

Seven-time world champion Mosley will be the best credentialled opponent Mundine has stepped into the ring with since he lost to the outstanding Danish super-middleweight Mikkel Kessler in 2005.

He claims to be an infinitely better boxer than when he fought Kessler, but has no intentions of returning to the bigger weight division.

“My body has evolved form when I fought at super-middleweight, my physical structure and my frame became smaller,” he said.

“That’s why I have been able to do what no-one else has done and descend.”

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