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SYDNEY - Australian Boxer Anthony Mundine settled the score against compatriot Sam Soliman in brutal fashion and earned a second WBA super middleweight world title with a stunning knock-out victory at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Wednesday.
In a devastating display of speed, power and precision punching, Mundine
dominated the fight until knocking Soliman out for the first time in his long career in the ninth round.
In farcical scenes at the end of the fight, hangers-on poured into the ring, which collapsed in Soliman's corner due to the weight.
But it mattered little to Mundine, who himself collapsed to the ground in tears and celebrated a second world crown after knocking Soliman to the floor three times in the ninth round of the scheduled 12-round bout.
Controversy has followed the pair ever since Mundine won a split points decision in their first bout in Wollongong in 2001, but The Man left little doubt who was the better boxer tonight in front of a near-capacity crowd.
"I told you I'm the best man," he said.
"I just want to say to all my fans, I love you. To all my critics, you can call me 'two-time'.
"I knocked his ass out man."
Mundine, whose record has improved to 28 wins and three losses, said he wasn't sure what the future held, signalling a possible change of division or even a return to rugby league.
"I'm looking at going up to middleweight and see what the future holds for me," he said.
"I might even come back to St George and put on the number six again."
It began to unravel for Soliman as early as the second round, when Mundine sent him to the canvas with a stinging right hand.
From that point on Soliman was merely trying to avoid the inevitable.
He acknowledged Mundine caught him with a sweet shot in the second round before pledging to add to his fight career.
"(Being knocked out) is part of the sport," he said.
"I know that I can come back again strong, I promise. I'm an Aussie battler."
By the fifth round sections of the crowd began chanting "Sammy" in an effort to lift their charge, but there only ever looked like being one winner.
After a stinging right to Soliman's left temple followed by another crisp left to his opponent's head in the sixth round, Mundine began goading the Victorian and raised his right arm when the round ended.
There was little doubting Soliman's courage as he produced his best moments in the seventh round, but the majority of his punches were doing little damage to a supremely confident Mundine.
It all came to a shattering end in the ninth round, beginning with a lightning quick left-right, left-right combination and ending with Soliman down and out.
- AAP