Boxing: Champion playing it quietly

By PETER JESSUP

While Anthony Mundine has been grabbing headlines with pronouncements that he will win a world title, the man he must beat to work towards that was jogging the Auckland Domain yesterday in complete anonymity.

Timo Masua will be no easy-beat, no sure thing, as four out of five of Mundine's boxing opponents so far have been.

And while Mundine is happy to talk about his destiny to be world champion, how he is The Man, Masua is quietly working the hardest he ever has towards next Wednesday's defence of his Pan Asian super-middleweight title.

Masua, 31, came to New Zealand from Niue with his parents at the age of 17. Educated in the islands, he still struggles sometimes with his English.

He concedes Mundine the "mouth" advantage, and that's all.

"He can say whatever he wants," Masua said yesterday. "I can talk inside the ring, but I'm not as good outside."

So when Masua said, "I look forward to making a good show of him," it's hard to tell whether he means they will both put on a good show or that it will end with Mundine looking at the canvas.

But he goes on: "I'm looking forward to seeing who is really The Man. I'm not scared of him at all. I think of him as a personality, I think of this as a chance to push my career on."

Mundine splits the fans in a way that, given expat Kiwi and Samoan backing, should see the expected 5500 sellout crowd at the Cararra Convention Centre on Queensland's Gold Coast split in support, despite Masua conceding home ground advantage that he was entitled to.

Masua's promoter, Mike Edwards, has secured Sky TV live cover on the digital service, which is expected to beam in around 11 pm on Wednesday (NZT). Digital and analogue services will screen the replay.

Masua started his pro career aged 24 and has won 16 of his bouts.

One of his three losses was in 1996 to older fellow Auckland Samoan Mike Makata, who held a top-10 world ranking at the weight until last year, and when he went up a weight to contest the NZ light-heavy title against Anthony Bigeni.

Masua went on to beat Bigeni and still holds the New Zealand light-heavyweight (175lb) title and is now in the WBA top-10 himself.

He last fought in February, defeating Aussie Jason Costas for the then-vacant Pan Asian title for the WBA, the association having five continental divides - Europe, Africa, North America, Latin (South and Central America) and PABA, which takes in everywhere from Russia south to New Zealand.

Edwards reckons Masua will come in at exact weight at 168lb (76.2kg) and expects the same from Mundine. The former league star will enjoy a height advantage of 5cm over the 1.76m Masua, but the Aucklander has the better boxing pedigree, despite Mundine's birthright.

Masua has power, speed and a knockout in either hand. Mundine has plenty of speed, co-ordination and courage - and he has the history of father Tony.

The elder Mundine held four Aussie weight division title simultaneously and could have been a world middleweight champion had he not run into the great Carlos Monzon - who retired unbeaten as champion and with a 102-3 record - in his only world title shot, in Monzon's homeland at Buenos Aires in 1974.

The elder Mundine, 96 fights for 14 losses and 10 of those by knockout, is not that happy that his son flagged a $A2m three-year deal at the St George Dragons to pursue boxing.

But Tony realises he can't stop Anthony. He helps his son to train, and believes Anthony has the ability to go all the way.

The junior Mundine, born seven months after his father lost to Monzon and started the road down, has declared: "Boxing is a sport - the rest, including rugby league, are just games."

Tony never drank or smoked and told Anthony not to, so he hasn't.

Anthony sees himself as the role model of all Aboriginal role models, even daring to challenge Olympic flamer Cathy Freeman to remember her roots.

Masua is happy to mix it: "If he wants to, I'll stand and fight with him."

Until recently a shelf-packer for Foodtown, Kingsland resident Masua, who is married with no children, is looking at a payday that has to be more than a year's usual wages.

Edwards never talks purses, but the Sky deal and Foxtel in Australia will add to the sellout. Masua wants to leave that to his manager, but is keen to pursue the plan to seek a world title shot.

He has fought before full houses here, including an undercard at one of David Tua's early pro bouts in Auckland, and won't be overawed.