Mundine had just knocked out his opponent in the third round and had to be hurried out of Challenge Stadium back to his dressing room. Green won his match too, on points after ten rounds--both of these guys are great fighters, IMO. He was sitting in the crowd watching the fight, but looked distressed as Mundine left under a hail of garbage thrown by a few "yabbos" in the stands.
Mundine is probably as acutley aware of racism in Australia as any boxer. Like Ali, he tries and succeeds at stirring up the silent, non-Aboriginal majority to dislike him by being audacious : reciting small rhymes about how he's going to crush Green like a cockroach and claiming, "I can't be beat!" Their BIG match is scheduled for sometime next year.
Why does Mundine like to antagonize "yabbos" and some of the more "respectable" sports writers?
Like Ali, Athony knows that lightly fanning the flames of racism increases market share. Mundine is a pretty savvy show-businessman.
Like Ali, he Mundine also became a Muslim, thereby adding to the spectacle of tension.
Regards from down under, Mike B)
The following is from the "Sydney Morning Herald":
December 14, 2005 - 9:32AM
Australia's leaders are cowards who will not confront the disease of racism, boxer Anthony Mundine says.
Mundine, who is a Muslim and Aboriginal, said today that Prime Minister John Howard was wrong if he did not accept there was underlying racism in Australia.
Following two days of violence around Sydney, Mr Howard said yesterday he believed the riots and vandalism were more of a law and order issue.
Mundine said: "I believe we have problems within society and racism is one of them problems, it's a bad disease.
"I believe we've got leaders that are cowards.
"They are in denial and will not confront the issues and confront the problems that we have with society and to make comments like the leader (Mr Howard) has said, it's really got me dumbfounded."
Mundine told the Nine Network it was up to "great leaders" in the community to stay positive and do positive things.
The cultural and religious divides between different communities in Australia were not too vast to overcome.
"I think people shouldn't be condemned because of their colour or creed, they should be judged on their deeds and their positive ways to their fellow man, their actions," Mundine said.
"We can live together, we can work together but it's a matter of letting your actions speak louder than your words."
Mundine blamed racism for the hostile reaction of a crowd after he left the boxing ring in Perth on Sunday.
Mundine was booed and had bottles thrown at him after fellow boxer Danny Green worked up a home crowd.
But Mundine said the reaction was caused by a few "bad apples" in the crowd and common Australian people were "great people".
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/mundine-weighs-into-race-debate/2005/12/14/1134500883484.html
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