Geale angry with stripping of WBA title

2 Nov 2012, 3:07 pm   -   Source: AAP
Australian boxer Daniel Geale has been stripped of his WBA middleweight Super boxing title. (AAP)

Australian boxer Daniel Geale has been stripped of his WBA middleweight Super boxing title. (AAP)

Daniel Geale has branded the decision of the WBA to strip him of his middleweight world title as unfair and says he still hasn't received a title belt.

Daniel Geale is angry, annoyed and frustrated by the "unfair" decision to strip him of his WBA middleweight Super boxing title before he has even received the belt he famously earned in Germany two months ago.

The WBA decided at their annual convention in Jakarta to strip Geale for opting to fight Anthony Mundine instead of their regular middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan.

Geale's American-based promoter Gary Shaw is waiting to hear back from WBA boss Gilberto Mendoza and is prepared to go to his headquarters in Panama after the convention in Indonesia is finished.

Geale, who is also the IBF middleweight world champion, added the WBA Super title to his portfolio by dethroning Felix Sturm in Germany in early September.

"We found it frustrating that because of Felix Sturm not fighting his mandatory for so long that the WBA put their ruling on us and they gave us half the amount of time that you usually get to have the mandatory," Geale told AAP on Friday.

"They enforced what Felix Sturm hasn't done on to me, which is definitely unfair.

"I have had the title now for two months, I still haven't received my belt in the mail and they've stripped me of the title.

"So, as you can expect, we're angry and frustrated and annoyed by that."

Geale was adamant his IBF sanctioned title defence against Mundine scheduled for next year would go ahead.

The IBF granted him an exception to regulations to fight Mundine next ahead of another Australian, Sam Soliman, who is the mandatory contender for that organisation's title.

"We basically knew whichever direction we went unfortunately we weren't going to be able to retain both titles," Geale said.

"It's very difficult for a unified champion to have more than one title.

"We believe we've made the right decision to stay with the IBF."

Geale made it clear he didn't have a problem with fighting heavy-handed Golovkin, who has an imposing record of 24-0, 21 KOs.

"At some stages, we were of the opinion that it was going to be okay (with the WBA) that I was going to fight Golovkin, not when they made me, but we definitely are going to fight him," Geale said.

"We have no problem fighting anybody in the world at the moment."

Shaw stressed Golovkin already had a fight booking next January with American cable TV network HBO and he had tried to contact the WBA about their decision.

"They are in Jakarta and I am in a middle of a bad storm on the east coast of the United States, but I have reached out for them. I am waiting to hear from them," Shaw told AAP.

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