When Gatto and Mundine got into the ring Anthony Mundine gets into the ring at Mick Gatto's house. BOXING'S two most controversial identities, Anthony Mundine and Mick Gatto, climbed into the ring together - with the Melbourne underworld figure feeling quite at home in every sense. Gatto invited the media to his luxurious Lower Plenty mansion to promote - sorry, make that publicise - Mundine's junior middleweight fight against unbeaten Belarussian Sergey Rabchenko at Hisense Arena on Wednesday night. Once a professional boxer of little note himself long ago, Gatto has a well-appointed gymnasium, including a half-size ring, built onto the back of Chateau Gatto, adjoining the well-stocked bar and TV room and looking out onto the swimming pool and a peaceful rural backdrop. It is filled with memorabilia, mostly boxing, including an autographed photo of him with another colourful fighter, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but also a Collingwood premiership poster and photos of various harness horses winning races. The biggest image, though, is of himself. While licensed promoter Brian Amatruda, a wealthy Melbourne property developer, looked on, Gatto, 59, donned padded gloves at which Mundine threw punches, a routine training exercise. In shorts and sleeveless shirt, exposing his plentiful tattoos, silver-haired Gatto, kept up a commentary about how impressed he was with Mundine's fitness. But even though he was the one who texted the media invitations and did much of the spruiking, he insisted he was not promoting the fight but sponsoring it. It's hard to miss this large portrait of Gatto. That's because the Premier, Denis Napthine, decided several months ago that Gatto was not a fit and proper person to hold a promoter's ­licence, even though the Government-appointed Boxing and Combat Sports Board had granted him one. Mr Amatruda said that without Gatto's help, he could not afford to put on big fights. This one cost a $1 million to stage, he said, and there would be no profit. Sydney-based Mundine, 39, who is expected to retire if he is beaten by Rabchenko, described Gatto as "a great man who loves his boxing - it's just a pleasure to be involved with him." Gatto made the claim that if Mundine won, it could lead to him fighting ­either Floyd Mayweather or Saul Alvarez - two of the world's greatest - at the MCG in front of 100,000 people. "It's a longshot," he conceded. He would not approach Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews to reconsider his promotions ban if the government changed. "Politicians shy away from me for some strange reason, they think I've got two heads," he said. I just run my own little, race, roll with the punches. I love the sport, I love these guys - they're beautiful. I want to see them go all the way, and get behind them. I will, no matter what. Mundine, who has won three versions of world titles, says he has not decided on his future if he loses. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, if I come to it. @Reedrw Originally published as Rumble at chateau Gatto