League: Mundine waiting game drags on

Anthony Mundine

The New Zealand Warriors expect boxer Anthony Mundine to choose one club to talk to, rather than negotiate with a number of parties, if he decides to return to rugby league.

But chief executive Mick Watson said yesterday that he had no idea which club that would be.

Watson said he didn't speak to Mundine about league while Mundine was in Auckland as the guest of Cullen Sports, the Warriors' majority owner.

On Friday night, Mundine watched New Zealand boxer Shane Cameron, who is managed by Cullen Sports, win his Australasian heavyweight title fight over Australian Colin Wilson.

Yesterday he watched as the Warriors went down at Ericsson Stadiumto to rivals Penrith and then headed for home.

"I didn't speak to him at all about football while he was here," Watson said. "He came here for the boxing."

The Warriors are among an number of clubs linked to a return by Mundine to a sport he left in 2000 to pursue a career in the ring.

Watson declined to comment yesterday on whether the Warriors were interested in securing Mundine's services.

But he did not expect Mundine and his manager, Khoder Nasser, to engage in a bidding war if the former St George Illawarra five-eighth decided on a league comeback.

"If he wants to go back to the NRL, he will pick a team and then he will go and say what he wants. If they are prepared to do it, that's how it will work."

Watson said he had no idea what Mundine would eventually decide.

"Who knows? He really hasn't spoken to anyone. I think he is still focusing on his world title fight. He's training for that."

Mundine announced his intention to return to league early last month.

The comeback was initially expected to happen after his World Boxing Association super middleweight fight with Dane Mikkel Kessler.

However, the May 11 bout has since been postponed for up to two months because of an injury to Kessler.

- NZPA