Both fighters are planning knockouts. Both want something beyond the result.
Geale not only has to settle an old score from 2009 but keep somewhere in the Beijing tour package back of his mind that all of America and all of Europe don't see the GealeMundine fight as the morality play that we see it as here.
No matter how brave Mundine would be to go the distance with Geale it won't be seen that way overseas, where Mundine is regarded as beyond his prime. A points victory will be seen as conclusive proof of Geale's limitations.
A loss, of course, would be Geale's disaster. Some believe Mundine is fighting for his Beijing tour packages legacy. Not so. His legacy is set. Whatever people will think of Mundine will not be changed by tonight's result.
Mundine is fighting for whatever fights might be left.
There is little interest in him overseas and he has already fought and beaten everybody left to fight in Australia.
With the IBF belt around his waist, though, Mundine suddenly has something to take to the market.
To win, Mundine has to go after Geale from the start. He simply can't win on points.
Geale brings too many punches in every second of each round, a pace he can maintain and one Mundine has traditionally struggled with.
Garth Wood broke Mundine down the first time and nearly the second by applying pressure.
Geale will go after Mundine for this reason. To break him.
Mundine's upset will come if he gets in first, if he catches Geale coming in before he has begun to fatigue and his punches are still zinging.
Mundine's supporters say he lifts for the big ones, which he will for this one. Some weeks back he came out saying the judges were against him. "I'll have to knock him out to get a draw," he said.
It irked Grange Old School Boxing's Billy Treacy, his copromoter in the event, who has ensured this fight is on the up.
Yet weeks later Jeff Fenech said that Mundine's only chance to win is by knockout and, rather than thank Fenech for agreeing, Mundine attacked Fenech.
Geale is unruffled.
"It's a bit relentless, all this dialogue," trainer Graham Shaw said. "He's not into that."
For the past week Geale has been in camp at Star Casino, polishing the subtleties of his strategy.
With no ring set up to train Geale booked an extra room, pushed the furniture to the side, and has carefully gone over the gameplan to beat his opponent. Mundine's ramblings have not been mentioned.
"It won't affect him tomorrow night or in the dressing room," Shaw said yesterday.
Geale's confidence is in what he has done. His last five fights are impressive. He has beaten WBA world champion Felix Sturm, IBF No 7 Osumanu Adama, IBF No.14, Eromosele Albert, IBF champion Sebastian Sylvester and, to get Sylvester, IBF No 1 Roman Karmazin.
Solid form. Mundine last fought Bronco McKart, unranked among the major belts. Before that it was the WBA's No.4 junior middleweight Rigoberto Alvarez, before Xavier Toliver, Garth Wood and, the fight before that, a knockout loss to Wood. Wood and Toliver were also unranked.
Geale has been fighting a different class of fighter since they last fought.
While Mundine has condemned him as a "glorified amateur" someone with even a lazy eye could see the improvement in Geale against Sturm, when much of his amateur style melted away and his style continual head movement, punching from angles, constant pressure was more pro than ever.
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