Is this the end for Anthony Mundine? Sports Analytics Inc says yes on the Global circuit

Last night, Anthony Mundine was floored by a nobody. The Contender TV series winner Garth Wood, a former NRL rugby player KO'd Anthony Mundine in the 5th round. In five rounds, Garth Wood went from a nobody to a somebody. For all Mundine's critics of fighting nobodies and Australian hacks, but forging a successful business nonetheless, the business strategy unravelled last night at the ACER arena in Sydney. This shock upset to Anthony Mundine proved a few things at Sports Analytics Inc that will no doubt create a huge barrier for 'The Man' to overcome if he ever intends on becoming a global boxer.

Mundine knocked out last night. Source Daily Telegraph

The fight in the first four rounds saw more of grapple wrestling match from Garth Wood, resulting in Mundine sending many complaints to the referee about the fight. However, within the Garth Wood camp this fight went exactly as planned. Wood gave Mundine no room to expose his quick feet, and Wood jammed Mundine up preventing Mundine to work his strength of the 'jab and move' to his effect. 


Due to the grappling and wrestling tactics of Wood, he received a nasty head clash that resulted in a cut above his left eye. This had no impact or bearing on the match with Wood in the 5th round, 58 seconds in, connecting Mundine with a beautiful left hook to mid-section which forced Mundine to crouch over and created an opening for Wood to connect a left hook to the head, which send Mundine down for the count. 


Since Mundine's loss to Kessler in Sydney years ago, we've not seen a boxer connect to Mundine with any significance. Last night we saw that if you connect a heavy hit to Mundine's head, he will always be in trouble.


Looking at Mundine's record of 18 straight wins against Australian opposition (primarily up-and-comers or has-beens), the jury was already out before last night's fight. Mundine, within boxing circles, had been renowned for fighting against fighters below his class, without pursuing the global stage. 


Had Mundine come out on top of last night's fight he was intending to relocate to Los Angeles and challenge a fight with WBA light-middleweight champion Rigoberto Alvarez early next year. These plans now are in tatters. Mundine's credibility whilst always shakey with his decisions on who he fights, must be even more shakey, now he has lost to what many people deemed a 'nobody' in Garth Wood. 


A further damning statistic, Sports Analytics Inc has stumbled across is that Mundine is the only fighter that has won more than 20 fights by knockout and lost fewer than 5 fights, has not ventured to the US to fight the best. This statistic shows that whilst Mundine will go down as a respected fighter, he will always have an asterisk next to his name that says:


'* Never ventured to the big stage to fight the best of the best'


At Sports Analytics INC, Mundine will now only be known as a respectable fighter, who handpicked opponents below his class. However it's fair to say at Sports Analytics Inc, 'The Man' handpicked wrong this time.