Danny Green has quickly become one of the most exciting fighters in the upper weight divisions. The Sydney, Australia native is currently 19-1, with his only loss coming by disqualification. Green is one of the most exciting fighters in the 168 pound division,  currently trained by Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech. Green's only loss came in controversial fashion to Germany's Markus Beyer for the WBC title. Green had knocked Beyer down twice before accidentally butting heads, which opened up a cut on Beyer. Later as the fight got physical and rough, Green was called for an intentional headbutt that led to Beyer bleeding worse. The bout was halted due to Beyer's cut, and since the second headbutt was ruled intentional, Green was disqualified. The good news for Green is that he's going to get a rematch with Beyer in March in Germany. Green was in Los Angeles recently to attend the Bernard Hopkins-Howard Eastman fight with his trainer Jeff Fenech. We caught up with Mr. Green  and here's what he had to say.
 

BRC: Who are you fighting next?
GREEN: I'm fighting Markus Beyer on the 12th of March.

BRC: How has it been working with Jeff Fenech?
GREEN: It's unreal, with him in the corner I feel very confident. He has obviously got a lot of experience. He's very good in the corner. He is good at reading what other guys are trying to do. I come back to the corner and he lets me know what I need to do. So, it's been very beneficial.

BRC: What American fighters would you be most interested in fighting?
GREEN: Well obviously Jeff Lacy, he's a good world champion. He's very strong and compact, and a very good puncher. I'd like to fight a unification bout with him. Another guy who interests me is Scott Pemberton. I have a lot of respect for Scott, he's a crowd pleasing fighter. He looks like a good guy to fight. He's got a lot of guts, a huge heart, a good punch, and a great chin. I think that fight would be an exciting fight for the public. It would also be a good fight for me, because I could get on TV and get more recognized worldwide.

BRC: When are you looking at fighting in the U.S. again?
GREEN: I'm not looking past Beyer right now. So, it's a little premature to say, Beyer's my focus right now. But, it would be great to be fighting in the U.S. by the middle of the year. It would also be great to be able to fight on HBO, which I was supposed to do last November.

BRC: What got you started in Boxing?
GREEN: Since I was a young kid I always wanted to be a professional fighter. To become a world champion has always been a dream of mine, so I'm kind of living my dream. My dreams have turned to reality, and I have been very fortunate. I have been very lucky to do what I love, and get paid for it.

BRC: A lot of people would say that the super middleweight division is weak right now, what do you feel that you bring to this division?
GREEN: That's a tough question. I'm here to do a job, I don't claim to be the best fighter in the world, but I try hard. But I know I can be the best on my day, I know that if I train hard that I can be the best on my day. If I train hard and prepare right, then on the day I fight I can beat anyone in my division. I think people will appreciate the way I fight, because I go out there and do my job and enjoy fighting. I'm trying to work on my defense and not get hit so much. But, my style of fighting is aggressive. I like to punch, and I can take a punch, and I'm not afraid to get hit. I don't hold back, and I give my all out there and I think people will appreciate that. So, I feel what I bring to the division is that people will enjoy watching me fight.

BRC: You had a much talked about sparring session in Hollywood, California recently with James Toney, there have been a lot of versions over the internet of what happened during that session, what is your version of what happened?
GREEN: You know Jeff asked me, do you want to spar with James Toney? I said yeah sure, I'd love an opportunity to fight with him. I grew up watching James Toney, I watched a lot of his fights, and I watched him knock out Michael Nunn. The guy's unbelievable, he's a great great fighter, and I was always a big fan. But, I was a little bit disappointed with the way he spoke during the sparring session. You know he was like 250 pounds, and I was like 175 pounds max. There was a huge weight difference. But, he gave me some good shots, and he took some good shots. I was just having fun, honestly the experience was enjoyable for me, I don't tend to take things too seriously. I think he got upset with me by the way I was joking at the start. But, I wasn't being disrespectful, that's just my nature. I'm  easy going and a bit of a prankster, and I like to relax and have fun. I went in the ring and had a go, and I enjoyed it. But there was a bit of talking and shit going on. It was nice to have the chance to spar with James Toney, it was a thrill, it was unreal. I guess I was a bit disappointed with the way it ended on bad terms. But, he's a professional fighter, and he knows why he does the things he does. Bottom line was that it was an honor for me to step in there with one of the pound for pound best fighters. For a big guy, he's so skillful, and so slick. It was unreal, I had a ball. I actually enjoyed it, it was a great fight. There was a lot of talk that he bloodied my nose, and did this and that. I get a bloody nose at dinner. I was proud of the way I held my own against a heavyweight.

BRC: How is your support in Australia?
GREEN: I'm pretty lucky mate, I guess they appreciate the way I handle myself in and out of the ring. I'm pretty relaxed and easy going. I don't talk too much, I just let my fists do the talking. I don't claim to be this or that, I just let my fists do the talking. I'm pretty humble, and I like to joke around some. You know you can't take life too seriously all the time, you got to enjoy life while you're doing it. So, yeah I'm lucky to have a lot of support back home, it helps out a lot.

BRC: If you change one thing about Boxing, inside or outside of the ring, what would it be?
GREEN: The bad decisions and the politics involved in Boxing. 


2-26-2005

 

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