Michael Zerafa says there's virtually no chance of fighting Anthony Mundine's son Rahim, after the latter expressed interest in throwing down with the Melbourne fighter.
Rahim "CJ" Mundine will face Lance "G-Banger" McDonald in a five-round clash on the undercard of Nikita Tszyu's bout with Oscar Diaz in Newcastle on Wednesday night, in what will be his second professional fight.
But while his opponent's nickname and penchant for wearing a G-string to weigh ins was a topic of conversation at Monday's press conference, the talk veered towards a bout with Zerafa, despite the former title challenger no longer fighting under the No Limit banner.
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When asked about the end of his father's career at the hands of the Aussie middleweight, Mundine Jr said.
"These guys like Zerafa, Jeff Horn they were celebrating like they had won against a prime Mundine," he told News Corp.
"That rubbed me the wrong way to be honest."
Additionally, Mundine Sr said Zerafa "took the easy way out" in his no-contest against Tszyu earlier this year.
Zerafa, who is currently in negotiations with Chris Eubank Jr for a bout in Melbourne later this year, emphasised his respect for the Mundine family in an interview with Wide World of Sports.
The 34-year-old, who's still fighting off criticism online from his Tszyu no-contest, said he understands the boxing game and how things work, and won't take the comments from the Mundines personally.
In terms of a bout with Mundine Jr, Zerafa pointed to the experience levels between the two as "miles apart".
"I respect the Mundines, it's a legendary name in Australia, I get along with them. I guess Raheem's got a little bit more to prove. He's a talent," he said.
"I heard he's an unbelievable basketballer as well, they're just a talented family, but in terms of where he's at and where I'm at, it's miles apart.
"I feel if he gets to wherever I'm at, I'll be well and truly done. He's only two fights in.
"I think he's ranked like 900 in the world. I'm sitting top 10 in the world. There's a huge margin between us.
"Where I'm going and where he's at are two different worlds.
"I've fought for multiple world titles, it says it all. He's fighting a guy called "G-Banger" and I'm fighting Eubanker. You know what I mean?"
As for Mundine Sr's comments about Zerafa's controversial clash with Nikita Tszyu, the Melburnian acknowledged it might've been part of a campaign to get him to fight his son.
"I'm sure he believes that I took the easy way, I'm sure everyone believes that," Zerafa said.
"I'm the only one in the ring that knows what happened and the truth. I'm not here to slander anybody or throw hate around.
"I've got nothing but respect for them, and, every time I see them, there's nothing but love between me and them.
"I get how the sport works you gotta bait some fighters to try to get the thing over the line, but at the end of the day, where I'm moving and where he's at is well and truly too far apart."
Zerafa said his focus is on fighting the British son of a legend, Eubank Jr, in Melbourne later in the year, with several proposed venues including Rod Laver Arena and John Cain Arena.
The bout was supposed to take place in August, but Eubank just welcomed twins in early April, which scuppered plans.
The Victorian government is also part of negotiations, with both fighters said to have signed on the dotted line.
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