If you're hanging up the gloves, what better place to do it than Las Vegas?
That's the plan of Corrimal boxer Peter Meades, who's set to draw the curtain on his second coming as a boxer in the fight capital of the world in February. It will end a decorated Masters career for the 67-year-old, who picked up his most recent world title a fortnight ago, a trip to Queensland netting the WBF 65-70 heavyweight title.
It comes just months after claiming the 65-70 world title at the World Masters Championships in Connecticut in June alongside training partners Victoria Waring and John McDonald. Claiming multiple world titles at masters level requires a varied skillset given the different fight stipulations around the world.
"I actually got picked in the Australian team to go to Germany, but I couldn't compete over there because they close off at 60 so they wouldn't let me compete." Meades said.
"It's different everywhere. For the WBF title I had to fight over six two-minute rounds, but over in America you fight one or one-and-a-half minute rounds, which is hard because of the pace you have to fight at. Over there it's a sprint, back here in Australia it's a marathon."
While he's nearing a well-earned retirement, the former pro kickboxer feels he's, in terms of skill, boxing sharper than he ever has having come under the tutelage of former unified world middleweight champion Daniel Geale alongside McDonald at Camden.
Geale claimed the WBA and IBF titles in 2012 with a win over German champions Felix Sturm and famously shared the ring with future hall-of-famers Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin.
"I've improved heaps under him," Meades said.
He's a very nice bloke and very skillfull in his approach. Daniel always says he's turned me from a tent fighter into a boxer so that's a pretty good wrap from him."
While he's still feeling sharp as he nears 70 years of age, Meades is confident it's the right time to leave the gloves on the hook.
"I'm still sparring blokes a lot younger than me so my stamina's still there," he said.
"At the moment I can't get blokes my age anymore in Australia, even five or six years younger than me. I think it's the right time. I'm going to las Vegas in February to fight and I'm retiring after that so I can't wait to get over there."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
