Mosley-Mundine likely off
A source close to the situation has indicated that the junior middleweight bout between Shane Mosley and Anthony Mundine, set to happen Wednesday in Australia, is likely off.
The source told RingTV.com on Monday afternoon that the promoter, in this case, Vlad Wharton, breached the contract and that Mosley would not be fighting.
The Daily Telegraph reported early Tuesday that the bout was in peril, claiming that Mosley wanted a sizable percentage of his purse to be paid up front, as there was concern the money wouldn’t arrive otherwise.
This is due to the fact that ticket sales for the card were struggling with around 2,000 tickets sold with only a few days to go.
In a September interview at his home in big Bear, Calif., Mosley told RingTV.com he was unsure the fight would happen due to complications regarding the money. Mosley said that the promoter hadn’t put enough money into an escrow account for him to be fully committed to the bout.
“If they can’t put a measly $300,000 into the account, then how are we going to fight for the money they are talking about?” Mosley said. He was rumored to be making somewhere in the ballpark of a million dollars for the fight.
Mosley was to be moving back up to 154 pounds for the bout with Mundine. Most recently, Mosley defeated Pablo Cesar Cano in his first fight back after a string of losses. The bout was at welterweight and was also Mosley’s first outside the United States in his professional career. The Mundine fight was set to be his second, taking place in Mundine’s homeland.
Mosley sees himself as a welterweight but considered Mundine a good opportunity to make some good money against an opponent he felt wasn’t going to pose much of a challenge.
“That’s it, it’s the right opponent,” Mosley said. “I believe I can beat Anthony Mundine, I believe I can knock him out. His chin is not that good. I’m gonna go to 154, pick up the money, come on back and fight at 147, anyone at 147.”
Instead it looks as though Mosley will sit this one out and look for an opportunity elsewhere in 2014.