In a card that was overshadowed by the other fight card in town, Anthony Mundine made his debut stateside. In an impressive performance, Mundine showed no respect for the power of Bronco McKart, walking through his punches until ultimately knocking down the courageous McKart three times in the seventh forcing a halt to the bout.
The first knockdown appeared to be a result of a blow to the back of the head, but was not ruled as such. McKart regained his feet, but Mundine quickly sealed the deal with to follow up knockdowns before the fight was waived off.
Following the bout, Floyd Mayweather Sr. joined Mundine in the center of the ring. Mundine stated he would love to get a crack at Floyd Jr. Mayweather Sr., in a light hearted exchange, suggested he go after Miguel Cotto instead. Whether or not he gets either remains to be seen, but Mundine certainly announced himself as a fighter to be dealt with.
In preliminary fights, Ahror Muralimov (13-0 11 KO’s) defeated journeyman Andrae Carthron by scores of 78-74, 78-74, and 77-75. Neither fighter was particularly impessive, and Muralimov certainly raised doubts as to whether his record is legit with his inability to finish off a fighter who was just 6-7 going into the fight.
After the bout, Carthron displayed some bizarre behavior as he circled the ring shouting “Black America!” among other things.
Following that bout, Cornelius White (20-1 16 KO’s) beat Russian Dmitry Sukhotsky (18-2 13 KO’s) by scores of 119-109, 118-110, and 120-108. Sukhotsky was game, but as the fight progressed, his face became a swollen mess and it became obvious that he had little shot to claim victory
