BoxRec

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By Brad Walter
February 1, 2006

SYDNEY'S fight fans face a television blackout of the $5.5 million Anthony Mundine-Danny Green showdown at Aussie Stadium, a move aimed at ensuring Australia's most eagerly anticipated bout is watched by one of the largest crowds in modern boxing history.

Confirming the April 19 clash between the long-time super-middleweight rivals would also be an eliminator bout for a shot at the WBA title held by Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, Mundine's manager Khoder Nasser yesterday revealed the only way Sydneysiders were likely to see the fight was to be at the 48,000-capacity venue.

"'We will be doing everything we can to make it one of the biggest boxing events in the world for 2006 and I'm pretty sure that's what it will be," Nasser said at Aussie Stadium, where seats will be placed on the field around the boxing ring and giant screens erected for the fight.

"There is a lot on the line, the winner will fight for the world title in the very near future with the oldest sanctioning body in the world, and if we can get 40,000 to 45,000 people it will be the biggest boxing event in the world for a live audience," Nasser said.

If the hype surrounding the fight, for which Mundine is believed to have been guaranteed $3 million and Green $2.5m, flows through to ticket sales, the record attendance for a sporting event at Aussie Stadium of 43,967 for Australia's 1993 football World Cup qualifier against Argentina is likely to be surpassed. Also under threat is the biggest crowd in Australian boxing, set a year earlier when 37,000 fans attended the Jeff Fenech-Azumah Nelson rematch at Princes Park in Melbourne.

Coincidentally, Nasser used the announcement of the date and venue for the fight to take a shot at both Fenech - Green's former manager and trainer - and the Victorian Major Events Company which had suggested to him that the Mundine-Green bout wasn't big enough for Melbourne. "Jeff's a very hard man to deal with," Nasser said. "Jeff looked for things not to make the fight happen."

Mostly, however, the talk was of the rivalry between Mundine and Green, which proved so strong they held separate media conferences and are still yet to meet.

"It's personal for me," Mundine said. "He stands for the system, I stand for the grass-roots fella - I stand for the guy who faces adversity every day. I'm not a corporate kind of guy, I'm an Aboriginal Muslim. They don't want to get behind me and never have.

"That's why in my rugby league days I talked the way I talked and walked the way I walked because they never gave me my just dues. If you look at my history, there were many times I should have made the national team, many times I should have made the State of Origin team, and there still are injustices within the system but I'm fighting against them."

Perth-based Green, who followed Mundine's attention-grabbing, red-carpet entry in a gangsta-style cream suit and hat by arriving on the field in a stretch limousine, countered that he was a carpenter by trade and hoped to have the support of the fans at the fight despite Sydney being Mundine's home town.

Asked if he respected Green, Mundine said: "He's got a puncher's chance but even that's a long shot. I really feel that I'm prepared for what he is going to do, I feel that he is a limited fighter who has some good assets - he's got a good strong jab and is physically strong but people underestimate me."

Amid questions about his recent trip to Mecca and his own reminiscing about running around former Manly and Wests Tigers winger John Hopoate - who was in attendance yesterday - to score "many wonderful tries" for the Dragons at Aussie Stadium, Mundine declared himself "the teacher" and Green "the student" and predicted the fight would not go the distance.

"This is D-day for Danny Green," he said. "It's obscene what I'm going to do to Danny Green. You're all going to be calling me the surgeon after this fight. I'm going to cut his eyes up, cut his nose up, cut his mouth up and you're going to say, 'Dan, when did you come out of the surgery'."

This is like something out of the roaring 20's. a 49,000 seater arena being used for a boxing match. fornicating fantastic, the atmosphere will be absolutely fantastic, almost enough to make me want to go to Oz....almost.

Mundine is a really unlikable guy, he looks like a right tool in that suit as well. However, I pick Mundine to do Green over. Green's on the slide, too many gym wars and too eager to eat shots to get his own in.

I hope someone picks this one up for broadcast here, because it could be a fantastic grudge fight.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I hope someone picks this one up for broadcast here, because it could be a fantastic grudge fight.

yeah i wanna see this one.

i've almost felt sorry for the aussies over this taking so long to materialise. they've been so desperate to see this one.

I was talking to a mate in Oz yesterday, and he was saying how much everyone hates Mundine and how dumb the bloke is.

But if he's so dumb, how has he managed to turn himself into a millionare on the back of just a few unimpressive fights?

He seems to always say the wrong thing and piss people off, but as a result, everyone in Oz knows who he is, the papers hang onto his every word and there's possibly 48,000 people turning up to watch his next fight live. Incredible really.

Green is a tough guy and a big puncher, i hope he wins, but...i see Mundine dancing around him for 12 rounds and winning an easier than expected decision. For all his fallbacks Mundine has ability and can punch hard enough and fast enough to discourage Green sufficiently in my view.

I hope Green knocks him out. Mundine looks like a prize cock in that suit.

Green by KO late on, If i recall correctly Mundine has been on the canvas a few times, can he handle Greens power ???

Didn't Mundine release an auto-biog a couple of years ago? Cock or not he's colourful if nothing else. Still can't believe he got himself KO'd by Sven Ottke mind!

dandantheweatherman wrote:Didn't Mundine release an auto-biog a couple of years ago? Cock or not he's colourful if nothing else. Still can't believe he got himself KO'd by Sven Ottke mind!

Yes he did. A large part of it was him crying about not getting selected to the National team.

Now Mundine being knocked out cold by Ottke was funny, could Ottke ever knock anybody out cold again if he tried 1000 times?

nickd wrote:Now Mundine being knocked out cold by Ottke was funny, could Ottke ever knock anybody out cold again if he tried 1000 times?

Refer to Pringle for any Sven Ottke related questions.

I'm interested by Green's less than agressive-minded comments, given his previous animosity.

How do you read into that? Is it a ploy or has he lost his pssion for the job?

I agree that Green may have lost something by his courageous heart on sleeve attitude to fighting, proper fight or in a gym, no matter a la Vargas.

I was intrigued by Mundine's "blue-collar man" etc points. I've heard he's extremely unpopular, PARTICULARLY with those of aboriginal descent.

Green may be worn and Mundine may have the footwork/running scared style but Green is a tough fighter and Mundine has a weak jaw - Ottke and Siaca.

Also I think Green overtrained for feather-fisted Beyer and if his training is good he could ctach up with Mundine...

Mundine has started as the small betting favourite, which surprised me.

nickd wrote:Now Mundine being knocked out cold by Ottke was funny, could Ottke ever knock anybody out cold again if he tried 1000 times?

Lets see Amir Khan step in with a light hitting WBA/IBF champ after 11fights, ie Raheem and see what happens. When your a novice you get exhausted on a long fight and your easy to ko when your exhausted - see Watson-Benn - Benn never got ko'd by a jab again.

Going for boxer over puncher here, if Beyer can keep Green off I think a faster slicker Mundine can, Mundines got some pop too and Greens not the hardest fighter to hit, a very very interesting and exciting fight

It's a shame Mundine turned to boxing so late, he's obviously a tremendous athlete to excell at two sports, and to come into boxing so late with no amateur background of note and become a champ is pretty incredible.

He was too green to face Ottke, but was doing well in the early rounds but started running out of steam in the middle rounds and collapsed from exhaustion as much as anything else.

The word I am hearing from people in Oz, is that Green is toast, he's done himself over by fighting too hard in the gym and taking beatings.

Green looked more Gangsta and Mundine looks like a pimp in that suit. 8)

Didn't Green start boxing late too?

Whats makes Mundine so special anyway best opponents except Soliman he lost to and they say Soliman was robbed.

Green will win by either Ud or late KO.

Mundine hasn't even beaten a fighter that is a champion, He beat Ecchols who has no jab and only tried to throw big right hands for 12 rounds. Green has a good jab and huge power, In the Kessler fight Mundine had no answer to the jab and was intimidated by the bigger stronger opponent. He was also beaten by the very limited Siaca who man handled and out pointed Mundine.
Green has only lost 1 fight and that was to beyer who done his home work and just scraped out with a UD. Beyer also took a lot of shots in the second fight that Mundine wouldn't be able to take.
Green was in an interview today saying how his trainer lives with him in his house while in trining for a fight and is training him harder and smarter than he ever has.

What was the first Beyer- Green fight like?

Sounded like from what I read that Green got robbed.

Well, there were certainly some shenanigans. The promoter and various officials stormed the ring and insisted that the referee award the fight to Beyer. This supposedly due to a cut which ended the fight, which was attributed to a butt, but in fact it was a first cut which was caused by a butt.

Yeah it was a bit of a mad first fight, Green decked Beyer twice early and opened a cut with a punch? He then blatantly headbutted Beyer in the fifth and got disqualified because Beyer's cut was too bad to continue, even though that was the first cut from previous....have i got that right? It's been a while

That sounds about right. It was a blatant fit up. The referee was surrounded by officials and the promoters who looked like they were on the verge of battering him. They pretty much forced him to DQ Green.

steve689 wrote:Yeah it was a bit of a mad first fight, Green decked Beyer twice early and opened a cut with a punch? He then blatantly headbutted Beyer in the fifth and got disqualified because Beyer's cut was too bad to continue, even though that was the first cut from previous....have i got that right? It's been a while

Yep sounds about right Steve.
The referee awarded to fight to Green initialy, and looked like nothing could persuade him otherwise.
I think...he deducted points, then fight went to cards as it was a TD due to cut - or a stopage for Green.

But after about 20 minutes of arguing by the Germans he caved in a gave it to Beyer by DSQ.

It was strange considering the ref was tough guy Bill Clancy, he doesn't usually take any shit. I suppose the force of Germany is too strong even for him :P

P.S. For the record i think i am one of the only people around (maybe stujones too?) who had Green winning the rematch!

Not seen the rematch actually, don't recall there being any great amount of controversy about it though.

Beyer is a bit of a flaky operator, think he's ready to be taken these days, won't be holding on to a belt for long, and I will be amazed if he risks it against Kessler or the winner of Lacy v Calzaghe.

Green fought the wrong fight in the rematch and tried to box with Beyer for 11 rounds. If he had gone after him like he did in the first fight and the last round I think he would have won no problem