Floyd Mayweather has been stripped of the WBO welterweight title he won against Manny Pacquiao – and has been bizarrely called out by Anthony Mundine.
Mayweather missed Friday's deadline to pay a $200,000 sanction fee to the WBO and a committee voted to strip the 38-year-old of the title. It means that Timothy Bradley Jnr is expected to be crowned champion after he controversially beat Jessie Vargas for the interim title last month.
Mayweather still has 14 days to appeal but the decision is unlikely to be reversed. 'The WBO world championship committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr Floyd Mayweather Jnr as the WBO welterweight champion of the world and vacate his title for failing to comply with our WBO regulations of world championship contests,' the WBO said on Monday.
'The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jnr and all that he has accomplished during his storied career. Mr Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.'
Mayweather is still welterweight and super-welterweight champion for the WBC and WBA, even though boxers are not allowed to hold world titles in multiple weight classes.
Mayweather is expected to fight for the 49th and possibly last time in September and Mundine – the mandatory challenger for the American's WBC super-welterweight title – has taken the extraordinary step of writing an open letter begging boxing's pound-for-pound king to pick him as his next opponent. Former Australian rugby league star Mundine, the current WBC silver super-welterweight champion, was due to fight Austin Trout in a rescheduled bout but negotiations collapsed.
And now Mundine has challenged Mayweather to step into the ring and take on 'the uncrowned best athlete of all time'.
Addressing Mayweather as 'My man Floyd', Mundine boasts 'I'm the wonder from down under & the only one that can solve the mayvinchi code' before going on to say the fight would be 50/50.'
Mayweather has so far dismissed the chances of many high-profile names such as Amir Khan, Gennady Golovkin, Kell Brook and Shawn Porter.
Instead, Mayweather has continued to insist that he will fight either Karim Mayfield or Andre Berto. But Mundine insists that as mandatory challenger he should be considered.
He said: 'I've got other attributes that none of these cats got! Makes for a good boxing spectacle both in and outta the ring. Its what the boxing fans need to see!
'You want show time – I am show time! Somebody the world needs to see! I'll give you a way better go than you been getting !
'It's a 50-50 fight ! Best athlete v best fighter??? Both got fast feet fast hands & fast mouth haha …or relinquish the Title as you're preventing fighters like me in this position to take on the other champions or the bigger names in sport!' Mundine was the highest-paid player in the NRL when he switched to boxing in 2000 and – despite having no amateur experience – has amassed a professional record of 47 wins and just six losses.
The 40-year-old has notable wins over Shane Mosley, Daniel Geale and Pablo Daniel Zamora on his record but has lost to Joshua Clottey and Mikkel Kessler during his career.
Mundine's last bout in November 2014 saw him win a split decision over then undefeated European champion Sergey Rabchenko to claim the WBC silver super-welterweight title and become Mayweather's mandatory challenger.
READ THE FULL LETTER MUNDINE SENT TO FLOYD
My man Floyd!
My name is Anthony 'The Man' Mundine! I am the uncrowned best athlete of all time! (check my resume). I was a rugby superstar before I quit at the top of my game due to racism & politics to take up boxing!
No amateur background. I wanted to be world champ… I fought fighters far more experience than me from the start. I got 6 losses (same as you ) from 53 fights. I had to learn on the job as I had no amateur experience.
I believe when I'm mentally on, I can beat anybody! I'm charismatic, flamboyant, artistic, explosive athlete & fighter!
I've held WBA 168lb title twice the IBO middleweight, WBA interim 154lb title & reigning 154 WBC silver champion (your mandatory). I think you the best of our era & everybody wanna fight you – but I'm the wonder from down under & the only one that can solve the mayvinchi code!
So what Im trying to get at is I'm hoping to land the fight with you in Sept!
You don't ask… you don't get! Consider a colourful character who's your mandatory for September. It won't be boring before, during or after the fight!
I heard you mentioned names like Mayfield & Berto as your next opponents. Im the mandatory and that should looked at. I've got other attributes that none of these cats got! Makes for a good boxing spectacle both in and outta the ring. Its what the boxing fans need to see!
I revived boxing in my country. It was dead and I gave it mouth-to-mouth – and i've held it down for 15 years! And the Australian media doing their best to belittle me and keep me from my destiny. We have the tall poppy syndrome here. They wanna cut down the successful. And after all my achievements in two sports they still wont give me the credit. But thats cool. I already know im the best 2 sport champion ever. I dont need their validation. Thats why ima reachin out to you Floyd. Put on a Boxing spectacular.
You want show time – I am show time! Somebody the world needs to see! I'll give you a way better go than you been getting !
It's a 50-50 fight ! Best athlete v best fighter??? Both got fast feet fast hands & fast mouth haha …or relinquish the Title as you're preventing fighters like me in this position to take on the other champions or the bigger names in sport!
Ask Sugar Shane if I can handle the stage! Ima fan of yours but I truly believe you were put on this earth for me to beat inshallah! No disrespect just my belief…I come from the land of the Kanagaroo where us natives shake a leg. Let's go!
holla back
Yours sincerely,The Man (Choc)
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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