Big Bob seeks rematch with Hopoate

By Mike Gandon
Updated November 5 2012 - 6:36pm, first published September 22 2008 - 11:40am
A defiant Bob Mirovic is eager to tackle rival John Hopoate again, despite suffering a broken arm in their recent Australian heavyweight title clash on the Gold Coast. Picture: ORLANDO CHIODO
A defiant Bob Mirovic is eager to tackle rival John Hopoate again, despite suffering a broken arm in their recent Australian heavyweight title clash on the Gold Coast. Picture: ORLANDO CHIODO

With his broken right arm resting in a sling, an angry Big Bob Mirovic has demanded a return bout with John Hopoate for the Australian heavyweight title next February.Hopoate took the crown from Mirovic in the ninth round of their Australian title fight on the Gold Coast earlier this month.Mirovic was upset with what he described as Hopoate's "dirty tactics".He has been informed that the Australian Boxing Commission will direct the ex-rugby league bad boy to make a mandatory defence of his title against the former champion in the next five months.It will be three months before Mirovic will be able to use his broken right arm in training before resuming his career in the ring.Mirovic had a titanium pin and eight titanium screws inserted in his right forearm, which he broke when Hopoate threw him to the canvas in the sixth round."Boxing is hard enough, standing there fighting another man. You don't have to resort to dirty tactics, such as low blows and fouls," Mirovic said in Wollongong on a visit to see family and friends."If you can't get in the ring and fight like a man, don't get in the ring. 'Hoppa' headbutted me a few times, hit me low a few times."Mirovic had not watched a tape of the fight until a week ago."In the very first round Hoppa very viciously threw me down on the ground ... in the next few rounds he decided to use his head and headbutted me a bit, tried very dirty tactics," Mirovic said."Then in the sixth round he threw me down on the ground again and that's where I pinpointed that I broke my arm, because I do remember in the sixth round my arm was broken."I came back to the corner at the end of the sixth round. I looked at my trainer Jeff Fenech and said to him, 'My arm is broken, mate'."Jeff never knew to what extent or what happened."Jeff just knew I had to try and keep myself motivated and not give up."Mirovic said he actually felt the bone on his forearm twist inside the skin. "I knew it had been broken," he said. "I knew I couldn't use my right hand anymore."Jeff knew, when I fought Rob Calloway a few years back, I fought seven rounds with a broken jaw."Mirovic claims the Australian title is rightfully his."I wasn't going to give it away," he said. "For the next three rounds I fought with one hand."My left hand was the only offence I had."

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