Boxer Anthony Mundine has said that he will refuse to acknowledge the “racist” Australian national anthem in his match with Danny Green at the Adelaide Oval, something which he has said before: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/09/30/anthony-mundine-says-boycott-anthem-buddy-says-dont-be-stupid/; “Mundine’s Anthem Slur,” The Advertiser, January 30, 2017, pp. 1, 6.
Mundine is certainly a controversial figure. Here is some of the things he has got up to from the Wikipedia page on him:
“In an interview in October 2001, Mundine said of the 11 September terrorist attacks, "They call it an act of terrorism, but if you can understand religion, and our way of life, it’s not about terrorism. It’s about fighting for God’s law, and America’s brought it upon themselves".
Offering some insight into his tendency to make controversial comments in the media, Mundine stated that "If you want to toe the line, if you want to be some corporate guy and say the right things, do the right things, you might be okay in the media's eye, but it won't be real for me."
Mundine later claimed he was taken out of context stating:
"Those comments were just spun around like I was clapping my hands. I have a family too, I know what it is like to suffer the loss of someone close to me, and I would never wish that upon anyone. The point I was trying to get across was that it was in a war state of mind, and there is always going to be tit for tat, so why put yourself in a situation where you can endanger people. I have got nothing against any American, I have got nothing against any human being. It breaks my heart that people think I would even have that line of thought about being happy about people dying. That is crap and I want to clarify that because it is wrong."
Mundine would also refer to Cathy Freeman as a sell out: "Cathy Freeman. She sold out, toeing the line. And that ain't me. I'm not a fake." He also went on to state repeated times that men, not women, are more qualified to lead. "As far as being a leader, that's not her anyway, a man can only lead."
In late 2012, Mundine questioned former opponent WBA/IBF champion Daniel Geale's indigenous Tasmanian heritage saying he should not wear the Australian Aboriginal Flag on his shorts. "I thought they wiped all the Aborigines from Tasmania out ... He's got a white woman, he's got white kids. I keep it real, all day every day." Mundine said.
When asked whether Geale deserved to sport the Aboriginal flag on his trunks, Mundine responded: "No."
Mundine later apologised to Tasmanian Aborigines, adding that he felt many people claimed indigenous heritage in order to receive government benefits but had no real connection with their Aboriginal roots. He also claimed that Australia was one of "the most racist nations in the world" before calling for the Australian anthem and Australian flag to be changed to be more inclusive of indigenous Australians.
In November 2013, Mundine, an Aboriginal Australian, made comments on Twitter stating that homosexuality was incompatible with Aboriginal beliefs. Following Mundine's comments, Aboriginal actor Luke Carroll pointed out that Mundine's own religious beliefs that led him to form his opinions on homosexuality were incompatible with the Aboriginal Dreamtime.
On coming out in a 2015 interview with NITV, former NRL player Casey Conway described Mundine's comments as "really disappointing" and unrepresentative of the Aboriginal community, describing the damage that homophobic comments can do to young people.
In July 2015, Mundine sent a "desperate" and "bizarre" open letter to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., claiming that he is "the uncrowned best athlete of all time" seeking to challenge Mayweather for his final fight in September 2015. The letter was filled with "emojis and spelling errors". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Mundine
He is obviously too hot for the politically correct establishment to handle.