Summary The pair were due to face off in Sydney on Wednesday.
SYDNEY (AFP) - Legendary American boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley on Tuesday called off his fight with former world middleweight champion Anthony Mundine in a row over money.
The pair were due to face off in Sydney on Wednesday but Mosley pulled out just hours ahead of the weigh-in and jetted back to Los Angeles, leaving Mundine devastated.
"I'm very disappointed with this turn of events because I was planning on making a big statement by beating Mundine, but I was left with no choice but to withdraw," Mosley said in a statement.
Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer said his fighter had no other option after the remaining US$700,000 of his $1 million purse was not paid as required under the terms of the contract by 5:00 pm on Monday.
It is a huge blow for Mundine, a former rugby league footballer, as it was to be his first bout since losing an IBF world middleweight title fight to fellow Australian and arch-rival Daniel Geale in January.
A victory would have given him much-needed leverage in the United States to secure some high-profile fights, but those hopes are now in ruins unless a way can be found to resurrect the contest in the future.
"I lay no blame on Mosley. He is just a fighter himself and he just wants to make sure he gets paid," Mundine told reporters.
His manager Khoder Nasser said Mundine, who spent three months preparing, was gutted with the pair planning to fly to the United States this week to try and make the bout happen later in the year.
"We will do all we can to try and bring this promotion back to life in our hands... and we're already in talks with Golden Boy Promotions," Nasser said.
"Anthony is devastated and has waited all his career to fight someone of this stature and someone who has been in the mix with the best fighters over the last five years."
Mosley, who has won five world titles in three weight classes, announced his retirement in June last year after he lost a unanimous decision to junior middleweight champ Saul "Canelo" Alvarez of Mexico.
But the 42-year-old returned to the ring in May, beating Pablo Cesar Cano by unanimous decision to win the vacant WBC international welterweight title in Mexico.
