Greatest Ever Boxing Workouts - including Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Roberto Duran. Gary Todd
pinpoint accuracy to eventually out-box ‘the Green Machine’ over 12 exciting rounds.
Since beating Green, Mundine has recaptured the WBA Super Middleweight title by absolutely destroying Sam Soliman over nine one-sided rounds. He then went the distance in his first defence against the tough but limited Argentinian fighter Pablo Daniel Zamora Nievas, in June 2007.
Fast forward to the present. Mundine has fought and beaten all who came before him, but has never ventured out of Australia. It could be said that he has never stepped up to where he should be, as he’s a world-class fighter.
At 34, Mundine has to make his move on the division’s best fighters now. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose or to prove – except perhaps to himself.
ANTHONY MUNDINE’S TYPICAL DAY
What time do you get up in the morning? 5:00am.
Do you stretch before you run? Yes, usually for about ten minutes.
How far do you run? Tuesdays and Thursdays I run four miles. Monday and Friday I do six miles. Wednesday is rest day.
After your roadwork, what do you do? I work on my strength (neck exercises using a harness and weights).
What do you have for your breakfast? Cereal, Turkish bread with scrambled eggs and beans. Fruit juice, water.
What time do you go to the gym? Around 6:00pm, but the last six weeks before I fight I go training at 9:00pm.
What time do you finish at the gym? [It’s a] two-hour session.
What do you do after training? I go to bed.
What do you have for your dinner? I have proteins: salmon, steak, salad, water.
Do you have any hobbies or interests? I love the movies, and just hanging out. also love going on vacation.
What time do you get to bed? 12:30am.
What is your favourite exercise? I love running, and it is very important to me as a fighter.
How many days a week do you train? Five days.
Before you won the world title, did you have a job? Yes, I worked in a packaging warehouse.
ANTHONY MUNDINE’S
WORKOUT
SPARRING DAYS
WARM-UP/STRETCHING: 15 to 20 minutes.
SHADOWBOXING: 20 minutes (combination/technique).
HAND WRAPS ON – HEAVY BAG: two x three minutes.
STRETCHING BEFORE SPARRING: five minutes.
SPARRING: build up to 12 rounds total.
STOMACH WORK – MEDICINE BALL: ten minutes.
WARM DOWN: five minutes.
NON-SPARRING DAYS
WARMUP: 15 to 20 minutes.
SHADOWBOXING: 30 minutes (working on punches and angles, techniques and ideas).
SKIPPING: six minutes non-stop.
FOCUS PADS: 20 minutes non-stop.
SPEED BAG: two x three minutes (30-second breaks).
STRETCHING OUT: ten minutes.
MASSAGE: once per week; steam and sauna, cold plunge in pool.
Country: USA
Date of birth: 21 November 1968
Wins: 27 (19 KOs)
Losses: six
WBC/IBF/WBA/NBA/IBA/IBO LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Since winning the Olympic bronze medal in the light heavyweight class of 1996, southpaw Antonio Tarver has blasted his way through the 175-pound division with speed, power and a never-say-die attitude that has made him ‘the king of the rematches’.
In June 2000, he was beaten on points by the unbeaten Eric Harding; two years later he fought him again, this time beating Harding by a fifth-round technical KO.
After winning the vacant WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight titles vacated by Roy Jones Jnr. in 2003, by beating the experienced Montell Griffin, Tarver challenged the super-confident Jones Jnr. in Las Vegas but was beaten in a close fight. He still fought well enough to earn a rematch with the pound-for-pound champion.
I remember going to watch this fight while suffering from the flu. I really fancied Tarver to beat Jones this time, and nothing was going to stop me attending. Tarver hit the cocky Jones with a thunderous punch that put him down and out in the second round, to snatch his titles away from him and catapult himself into a life of fame, fortune and superstar status that he could previously only have imagined.
Tarver had come a long way since fighting in the small halls around Miami, Indiana and Philadelphia. Everyone wanted to know him now. There were commentary spots on HBO and celebrity golfing tournaments. Tarver was living his dream.
Next up for the ‘Magic Man’ was the ‘Road Warrior’, Glen Johnson. Johnson had experience and he could punch, but his greatest attribute was his brave heart. In their fight Tarver and Johnson went toe to toe, with the challenger winning by a split decision. Tarver’s dream turned into a nightmare. What could he do now?
The same thing he always did when someone beat him – rematch! True to form, Tarver fought better next time around to win by unanimous decision.
Just over a year had passed since Tarver had knocked out Jones when it was announced that the two would meet again. (Why? I asked myself.)
In the fight, Jones was a shadow of his former self and Tarver had him out on his feet but didn’t finish him off. He still won convincingly enough, beating him by unanimous decision and finally fulfilling his claim to be the best light heavyweight in the world.
In June 2006, Tarver defended his titles against Bernard Hopkins and lost unanimously over the championship distance. In the fight, it looked as though the magic had gone. After a year off, Tarver returned to fight tough guy Elvir Muriqi well enough to win the vacant IBO Light Heavyweight title once again.
In 2008 Tarver was back, with decent wins against Danny Santiago and Clinton Woods. All the talk was of fighting the unbeaten ‘Bad’ Chad Dawson. Dawson was a hungry, gifted fighter who was trained by Eddie Mustafa Muhammad at Johnny Tocco’s gym in Vegas, and in his mind, Tarver was his ticket to ride.
In the fight, Dawson was tremendous while Tarver seemed to be stuck in second gear, losing by unanimous decision. Many thought that would be it but, as he’d done many times before, he came back for the rematch. Although Tarver fought better this time around, Dawson won once again.
At 41, maybe it’s time to hang up the gloves and reflect on his tremendous career, enjoying the memory