>I am unaware that Anthony Mundine was a moslem, but it is an outrageous
>fuss >made over simply stating the obvious. Santimounious journalism knows
>no bounds.
Anything that makes clear that, for some at least, to voice one's opinions on politics, ethics and government - the formally guaranteed rights and obligations of every citizen; indeed the constitutive monad of liberal democracy - is to risk a shattered career ... well, there's potential good public debate in every instance where a yawning gap presents itself to the public eye between system-legitimating formal rights and the material reality.
Cheer, Rob.
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/2001/10/25/FFXTIK116TC.html
THE AGE Thursday 25 October 2001
Anthony Mundine has ruined his career after claiming
America had brought terrorist attacks upon itself, the
German boxing promoter organising his world title
challenge says.
The Muslim convert outraged the boxing world with his
comments and was warned by International Boxing
Federation ratings chairman Joe Dwyer to stay out of
America.
But after discussions yesterday with the IBF, promoter
Ekhart Klein decided against cancelling Mundine's
world title challenge against super-middleweight
champion Sven Ottke in Dortmund on December 1.
Klein said, however, that Mundine had killed his career
and said he hoped he lost.
"He should come over here, fight, lose this fight and go home and stay there, that's my message right now," an angry Klein said.
"We have heard a lot about him, that he's famous in Australia, that he has got a big, big mouth, that he is good for promotion and good in press, but this statement is very stupid and I think he has ruined his career."
Klein said the IBF had decided that Mundine should remain the sanctioned challenger, despite calls to find another opponent for Ottke.
"He's the challenger and he should get his chance to fight against Sven Ottke but he will never be an accepted world champion, never" he said.
Klein spent most of yesterday on the phone to the IBF and angry fight fans after the story was splashed over the sports pages of most major German newspapers.
"We are not pleased about the statement from Anthony Mundine but we have to separate his political opinion and the sport. Right now there's no intention from us to cancel the fight," Klein said.
"I'm really not satisfied about the whole situation but it's hard to get a good opponent. I can tell you, he will be booed in the arena, that's for sure."
Klein said Mundine's manager had told him the statement was taken out of context and he had no alternative but to accept the explanation.
The former rugby league star said on Monday that he opposed Australia's involvement with the war in Afghanistan because the US was to blame for terrorist attacks.
"I really feel that it's not our problem," Mundine said. "They call it an act of terrorism but if you understand the religion and our way of life it's not about terrorism, it's about fighting for God's laws and America's brought it upon themselves (for) what they've done in history and so on."
On Tuesday night he sought to clarify his comments, saying he had been set up and misquoted by the media and that there was "no way" victims of the September 11 attacks were to blame.
"I really felt that, you know, the situation at hand, I got basically set up, I wasn't ready for any straight comebacks, I got caught with my hands down," Mundine said.
"I want to apologise to the people that caught them statements but now you heard me clarify myself tonight."
- AAP