SAM Soliman has upped the ante in his bid to get a rematch with Anthony Mundine by moving to the super middleweight division and being ranked just two places behind "The Man".
Soliman, who described Mundine as an "Australian icon", lost a contentious split points decision to the Sydney boxer five years ago.
Victorian Soliman has grown tired of waiting for a world title crack at middleweight.
Frustrated by the WBC and WBO middleweight champion Jermaine Taylor's refusal to fight him, Soliman has successfully applied to the WBA for a super middleweight world ranking.
Based on an excellent recent record in which he has won 19 of 20 fights since losing to Mundine, the WBA ranked him No.3, just two places below Mundine.
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With the WBA moving Mikkel Kessler to the status of super champion after his recent victory over Markus Beyer, the WBA's regular super middleweight belt is now vacant.
While American Jeff Lacy separates the two Australians at No.2 in the rankings, Soliman's manager Stuart Duncan hopes the WBA will sanction a fight for the vacant championship between Mundine and his charge.
Ideally, Duncan would like to see the rematch staged in Australia early next year.
Soliman, who turns 33 in two weeks, wanted to accelerate his prospects of winning a world title and, as someone who has fought in a division as heavy as cruiserweight, he was comfortable with the prospect of fighting at super middleweight.
"At the end of the day Jermaine Taylor avoided me at all costs, going up to super middleweight is no big deal," Soliman said.
"At the age of 32, I'm that close to retirement, I've only got three years left in me, so I've got to get a world title sooner than later. |
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"If Mundine wants to fight me I'd take the fight like that, without question, it wouldn't even be an issue, it would be any time, any place."
Soliman, who had a handful of bouts before as a super middleweight, will tackle tough Mexican Enrique Ornelas in California on November 17.
Ornelas, whom Soliman was scheduled to fight earlier in the year before the Australian was injured, boasts a very respectable record of 25 wins (15 KOs) and two losses.
It will be the first fight in eight months for Soliman, who spent part of that time working in a Bollywood movie in India.
While he lost to Mundine in a fight for the vacant IBF Pan Pacific super middleweight in Wollongong in September 2001, Soliman has developed respect for the slick Sydney fighter.
"He has become a real Australian icon in boxing and really has put his name on the map as one of Australia's best boxers," Soliman said of Mundine.
AAP |
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