In 2011, Australian Boxing witnessed somewhat of a changing of the guard.
For a sport which recently has relied so heavily on the likes of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green for media exposure and box office appeal, 2011 saw those fighters who had been confined to the peripheral make some giant strides to centre stage.
2011 saw the crowning of new World Champions in Daniel Geale, Billy Dib and Will Tomlinson, along with many others springing into World Title contention.
Anthony Mundine, Danny Green, Vic Darchinyan, Michael Katsidis and Lenny Zappavinga also flew the flag high for Australia in some high profile bouts, but it was the young brigade who shone brightest.
So it’s time to take a look at what is in store for some of the country’s biggest fighters in 2012.
2012 is a big year for:
IBF Middleweight Champion, Daniel Geale- After defeating Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight Title in May, 2011 and defending his title against Eromosele Albert in August, a broken hand prevented Geale from any further fights in 2011. He is scheduled to defend his title for the second time against a yet to be announced opponent on March 7 in Hobart, on an impressive card featuring Billy Dib and Kali Meehan. The opponent is likely to be IBF Middleweight No.1 contender, Osumanu Adama, who won the right to be Geale’s mandatory challenger following his defeat of Roman Karmazin last October.
Geale has shown his desire to tackle the other Middleweight World champions in Sergio Martinez, Felix Sturm and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, however with Geale not being the biggest name in the overseas markets; he may find the going tough in securing a big name fight.
Don’t be surprised to see him in the ring with Anthony “The Man” Mundine at some point in 2012. After their highly controversial first fight there will be a lot of money made in a rematch. With Geale and Mundine struggling to secure big name overseas fights, both may be eager to step in the ring against each other once more. The Geale camp had pitched the concept to the Mundine camp following Geale’s World Title win back in July of last year, and the fight would certainly do good business for Geale, instead of a lesser known fighter like the rumoured fight with WBO Champion, Dmitry Pirog.
IBF Featherweight Champion, Billy Dib- After winning the vacant IBF Featherweight Title against Jorge Lacierva last July, he defended his title against the very unimpressive, Alberto Servidei, who Dib destroyed inside one round. Despite his impressive recent form there still seems to be many who doubt Dib’s World Title credentials and there is no better chance for Dib to dispel those doubts once and for all then in his next fight.
Dib meets the tough; Eduardo Escobedo in Hobart on March 7, in a fight which I believe will be the toughest of his career. Escobedo is undefeated since 2007 and has put away some impressive names in the Featherweight division. Dib has big plans going forward and is looking to return to the USA and re-link with Golden Boy Promotions. A Fight with Indonesian Superstar, Chris John still remains an option, and it seems so much is starting to happen for the young featherweight. It is amazing to believe he is still only 26.
Anthony Mundine- It seems like finally the penny has dropped for “The Man”. For so long he has been derided for fighting lesser known opponents rather than cashing in on his enormous talent and potential and fighting the biggest names in the World. Whilst Mundine has spoken of his wish to do this for a while, it seems now though that he is finally putting those plans into action. He has developed a relationship with once sworn enemy, Jeff Fenech who is acting on Mundine’s behalf in the United States and looking to secure fights against the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. Whilst it seems not a lot has come from initial negotiations, Mundine still has a shot at interim WBA Junior-Middleweight Champion; Austin Trout guaranteed, which if victorious could springboard him into a shot at the big names that he seeks. If unsuccessful in his plans, he still has some big fights to fall back on back home. Fights with Daniel Geale and Danny Green are still available for a rainy day should his American plans come unstuck.
Danny Green- The big question going into 2012 is whether or not we will see Danny Green back in the boxing ring. Although Green did say he would not retire following his recent knockout loss to Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, he did not indicate any firm ideas as to his next step. Green will have to put a number of wins together following back to back knockout defeats to Tarver and Wlodarczyk it would seem before securing another World Title shot. A fight with New Zealand cruiserweight Shane Cameron was all but signed before his crushing defeat to Tarver and that fight may be the ideal tune-up to a bigger fish later down the line. Rematches against Wlodarczyk and Tarver could be possible, and there was even some talk on social media recently about a rematch with BJ Flores, despite Green's comfortable victory over the American in their 2010 fight. I wouldn’t rule out a drop to Light-Heavyweight, given Green is considered a small cruiserweight and has suffered against the bigger hitting bodies of late. A fight with Anthony Mundine can also not be discounted if Mundine’s US plans come unstuck. I have always felt that fight has been left for a rainy day and with Mundine talking in the press last week about moving to Cruiserweight in the future to tackle Wlodarczyk himself, maybe that offers a little glimpse of a Green-Mundine rematch in the future to send both into retirement with a nice substantial payday.
Vic Darchinyan- Looked as though age was catching up to him in his one sides defeat to Anselmo Moreno in December and is really stuck in no man’s land in terms of the world title picture. Darchinyan is still within the top ten in the division, but has shown an inability to get the job done against the division’s elite. He has touted a move into Mixed Martial Arts, given his wrestling background in Armenia as a youth and with the UFC debuting a new Flyweight division we may yet see the “Raging Bull” enter the Octagon in 2011.
Michael Katsidis- After a disappointing 2011, Katsidis will be looking to rebuild in 2012 and work his way towards another world title shot. Having tasted defeat in three of his last four fights he needs to get back into the winners circle soon. He has made the decision to move to the US and has recruited the legendary Jeff Fenech and former Kostya Tzsyu manager, Vlad Warton after parting ways with long time trainer, Brendan Smith. With Katsidis game plan focussing heavily on his ability to cut off the ring and being an all action fighter, Jeff Fenech is a great choice given he was the best exponent of that very game plan. A make or break year for “The Great” Katsidis.
Sam Soliman- Very much in the twilight of his career, Sam “King” Soliman takes on Garth Wood in Sydney on February 19 to determine the No.2 ranked challenger in the IBF Middleweight Rankings, with the winner looking to secure a world title shot against fellow Aussie, Daniel Geale. Solimon has been largely inactive in recent years and is running out of time to win that elusive world title.
Garth Wood- Fights against Sam Soliman on February 19 for the IBF No.2 ranking, which could lead to a shot at Daniel Geale. Wood was largely inactive for 2011, with Wood only chalking up a highly competitive loss against Anthony Mundine in April. A fight with Johannes Mwetupunga in August had to be cancelled after Wood received a cut following a head clash in sparring, as cuts seem to continually prove problematic for the Contender Australia winner. Wood has built a sizeable following after his reality show win and surprise knockout of Mundine, but a defeat against Soliman may see him fall back into the pack and lose his relevance.
IBO Super-Featherweight Champion, Will Tomlinson- “Wild” Will Tomlinson is in line for a huge 2012. After rounding out an exciting 2011 by capturing the IBO Super-Featherweight Title in Perth on the Wlodarczyk- Green undercard, bigger things await the impressive youngster. An exciting fighter, who shirks no challenge, has even called out fellow Aussie, Michael Katsidis. With the Australian public at odds with the Mundine-Green sideshow, Tomlinson no nonsense approach and all action style may yet usher in the new era of Australian boxing.
Lenny Zappavinga- Much is unknown of Zappavinga’s future plan and there are some doubts over the youngsters continued interest in the sport. After a disappointing 2011, which saw him defeated by Miguel Vasquez in their IBF Lightweight World Title fight, before being knocked out by journeyman, Ameth Diaz, who going into the fight had only won ten of his twenty nine fights. Last reports were that Zappavinga was training to enter the MMA scene. Zappavinga does not possess the background other than Boxing and would have to cut his teeth in local promotions such as CFC, before trying his luck overseas.
Keep an eye on -
Paul Fleming- With a 13-0 record and already under contract to Bob Arum’s promotional company Top Rank, big things are expected of the former Olympian. He is one of the most exciting prospects to come out of Australia in some time, and his exciting style is sure to catch fans attention. He made his US debut last July with a Round One knockout of Juan Jose Beltran in California, and with Billy Hussein and Mike Altamura working their magic behind the scenes he is in good hands. The excitement surrounding Fleming reminds me of “Cool” Willy Kickett whose early career was met with similar excitement, but never seemed to hit the heights projected. But from what he has shown us so far, I don’t think that will be an issue. A fight with fellow Super-Featherweight, Will Tomlinson would be simply mouth watering.
Barry Hall- After retiring from the AFL, Hall announced that he would enter the boxing ring and attempt to cash in on the potential that saw him win the Victorian Bantamweight Title as a youth. After almost making the move three years ago after falling out with the Sydney Swans and seeing Danny Green’s promotional company, “Green Machine Promotions” offer Hall an alleged half a million dollar contract, Hall feels 2012 is now the right time. At age 34, it is unlikely that a World Title is in Hall’s future but there are several domestic fights that can make some good business for “Big Bad” Barry Hall. We can only hope he makes a better fist of things than other footballers who have made the move such as Carl Webb, John Hopoate, Solomon Haumono, Les Mason and Monty Betham.
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