Interim WBA light middleweight champion Anthony Mundine has been accused of racism after making disparaging remarks about the heritage of his upcoming opponent, fellow Australian Aboriginal Daniel Geale.
Mundine said of Tasmanian-born Geale at a pre-fight media conference that he thought “they wiped all the Aborigines from Tasmania out” - referencing a colonial-era policy that sought to resettle the indigenous inhabitants of what became an island state south of mainland Australia. Mundine added that Geale had “a white woman and white kids”, and “I don’t see him representing black or coloured people.”
Tasmanian state Aboriginal leader Michael Mansell on Friday described the comments as “ugly and racist, and an embarrassment to Aboriginal people everywhere.”
Mansell added: “Racist comments are no less racist because they are made by an Aboriginal against other Aboriginals.”
