Mundine considers Waters way to world title -- Sydney Morning Herald

By BRAD WALTER, The Sydney Morning Herald

ANTHONY MUNDINE will consider taking up a challenge from fellow light-middleweight Ryan Waters if the fight can help land a bout with the division's No.1 boxer, Miguel Cotto.

Waters crashed the ring immediately after Mundine's first fight in the 69.9-kilogram division against tough Argentinian Carlos Aden Jerez at Brisbane Entertainment Centre to call out the three-time world champion. With WBA and WBO top-10 rankings, Waters could be an avenue to another title shot for the former Dragons star.

''He's a world-ranked fighter, so maybe that could happen,'' Mundine said. ''He's rated in the top 10 by the WBA [7th] and in the top five by the WBO, so maybe that could be an eliminator for a world title.''

While Mundine acknowledged after the fight that he needed to work on his power and strength as a light-middleweight, his performance against the hardworking Jerez gave him confidence that he could become the first boxer to win world titles in three weight divisions in descending order.

To do so, the two-time WBA super-middleweight champion and former IBO middleweight titleholder is aiming to win either an interim title fight or an eliminator bout.

Already ranked the No.2 contender by the WBA, he then hopes to force Cotto into a mandatory title defence. Fights against Mexico's Antonio Margarito, the WBA's No.1 contender, and interim titleholder Nobuhiro Ishida of Japan are other options.

However, Margarito may be off the radar as he has been linked with a bout against Manny Pacquiao after negotiations for the Fillipino pound-for-pounder to fight Floyd Mayweather jnr again appear to have broken down.

Mundine eventually hopes to fight Mayweather and believes that the way to achieve that is by beating Cotto to claim the light-middleweight crown.

Before then, he has to honour an agreement to fight The Contender champion Garth Wood, possibly in December.

Mundine will look to fight again before then and Waters is now looming as a likely opponent. ''He's Australian so I am giving another Australian a pay day and a day to shine,'' Mundine said.

Source: smh.com.au