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IT is one of the toughest PR challenges in history, but after 20 years happily playing the most polarising sportsman in the country Anthony Mundine now wants to feel the love of the Australian public.
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And Mundine says he will make it happen by completing an audacious plan to beat the best boxers on the planet over the next two years, because "everyone loves a winner".
Is Australia ready to forgive and support Anthony Mundine?
Mundine, 38, has comfortably played the bad guy throughout his rugby league and boxing careers – particularly to promote his fights - but as he enters the final chapter of his sporting career he has made a surprising plea.
"I want the Australian fans to get behind me, embrace my confidence, embrace my ability to believe in myself, and back me," Mundine said.
"For far too long there has been a love-hate relationship.
"I have a lot of fans who love me, and a lot of those that dislike me for whatever reason.
"But they don't know the real Anthony Mundine, they just know the portrayal of me.
"I just want them to get to know the real me, and know that I am not only fighting for myself, I am fighting for all of them as well.
"I'm representing Australia. It's like I'm in the Davis Cup, or the rugby World Cup, or soccer World Cup."
But Mundine is smart enough to realise that some will simply never forgive his utterances about America bringing the 9/11 attacks on themselves, or his shot at the Aboriginal heritage of previous opponent Daniel Geale.
While he later apologised for those comments, Mundine believes the only way to get his critics on-side is by delivering on his proclamation of fighting the greatest boxer alive, Floyd Mayweather.
"This is straight up, I think everyone loves a winner, all I've got to do is win," said Mundine, who fights US superstar Shane Mosley at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night.
"Not many people liked South Sydney a couple of years ago, all of a sudden this year everyone was hopping on the bandwagon – including me.
"I'm at the stage of my life and my career where this is the final chapter.
"I'm looking at four fights, maybe three if I get the right fights - Mosley being the first – to achieving my goal of fighting Floyd Mayweather in May of 2015.
"I'm not saying I'll beat Mosley and they'll give me Floyd, that's pretty stupid, I want to go through the tests that need to be passed.
"That is probably two more fights, I would like to fight Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez before I fight Floyd.
"And I want Australia to support me. I don't regret anything I've said because I am a straight shooter, I talk the truth.
"But I want them not to have tunnel vision, look outside the square, because there is a lot more to me that is likeable than not."
Mundine added: "There has never been a crossover sportsman like me, and we should be proud of that, Australians should embrace that, I don't want to talk myself up, that is something you guys should support.
"When I'm fighting overseas I want them to say 'This is our man, no one has done what he's done'.
"People talk about Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, but they switched from team to team sports, I went from a team sport to the hardest singular sport of all, boxing, and became a three-time world champion. That has never been done.
"When people hear my story overseas they freak out, but it's taken for granted here.
"I don't want them to embrace it when I'm gone.
"Let's embrace it now, when I'm taking on the best in the world."
MUNDINE'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS
"It's not about terrorism, it's about fighting for God's laws and America's brought it upon themselves for what they've done." - 2001
"A black player would have to do three or four times more than any other bloke to be a chance in NSW. Politics and racism are part of the scene in rugby league. That's why I got out." – 2007
"I thought they wiped all the Aborigines from Tasmania out. I don't see [Geale] representing black people, or coloured people. I don't see him in the communities, I don't see him doing the things I do to people, and fighting for the people.
"He's got a white woman, he's got white kids." – 2013
"Australia is a very racist country ... I want to change the flag. I want to change the anthem." - 2013
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