Австралиялық боксшы Мундиннің өмірі мен жетістіктері

Australian boxer

Mundine played centre three quarter for a Grafton Rugby league team. He showed promise and was offered a place with the Redfern All Blacks in the South Sydney Junior Rugby League in 1968 at age 17. Rather than return to Baryulgil to work at the asbestos mine between seasons he kept fit at Ern McQuillan's gym in Newtown, Sydney, where he showed natural ability and speed. McQuillan engaged him in a fighter trainer contract.

Mundine was the only Australian boxer to compete professionally in four weight divisions. He held the Australian middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight titles, as well as the Commonwealth middleweight and light heavyweight titles. Mundine won his first match on 5 March 1969 against Frank Graham. In his fifth professional bout, Ray Wheatley dropped Mundine in their scheduled ten round contest in round one to become the only Australian to have Mundine on the canvas at the Manly Leagues club in May 1969. Mundine stopped Wheatley in round two. In less than a year he won his first title, the Australian Middleweight crown. Mundine challenged Carlos Monzón on 5 October 1974 for the WBA World Middleweight title but lost by a knockout in the 7th round. He was undefeated by any Australian boxer during his 16 year career. He fought many top boxers including Emile Griffith, Monty Betham, Steve Aczel, Bennie Briscoe and Alex Sua.

He is the father of former world champion boxer Anthony Mundine, and cousin of Warren Mundine. Mundine's older brother Mickey Mundine played in the first Australian Aboriginal rugby league team in 1973. Mundine currently lives in Redfern, Sydney, where he manages a training gym called Redfern Gym adjacent to the Block.

On 26 January 1986 Mundine was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to sport particularly to boxing and to aboriginal youth". He was the winner of The Ella Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sport at the Deadly Awards in 2004. Mundine was the 2005 inductee in the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Moderns category.