The man

Nicknamed The Man, Anthony Mundine is a professional boxer and ex-professional rugby league player. A member of the Bundjalung people, he was named the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of the Year in 2000.

Artist Abdul Abdullah became convinced there was more to Mundine than sport during the promotional tour before Mundine's 2006 fight with Danny Green (whose portrait, *Underdog*, by Peter Clifton Kendall is also in this group).

‘Mundine was represented as the bad guy who talked too much, says Abdullah. ‘But... he was down-to-earth, well spoken, and generous with his time.’

Abdullah says he didn’t want to portray Mundine as a boxer in this 2013 Archibald Prize portrait. ‘I wanted to show the earnest, deep-thinking person I believe he is. I wanted to show the warrior who fights for a cause bigger than himself. The crown is a nod to Basquiat’s portrayal of Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali.’