What was already a shock bout to begin with, between Danny Green and out of retirement Paul Briggs, had its head turned when the NSW Combat Sports Authority denied sanctioning of the fight in NSW two weeks out.
They were certainly vindicated in their decision after the debacle that occurred when the bout took place at WA’s Challenger Stadium, leaving a sour taste in even the most diehard Green fan.
In the exchange, which lasted all of 29 seconds and with only four punches thrown, Green’s glancing blow to Briggs head floored him and the referee gave him the ten count. Green was left fuming in his corner, while Briggs was whisked to a hospital for a doctor’s certificate to confirm concussion.
Green addressed the crowd, calling Briggs a dog, said that he wouldn’t be paid, and that he would make it up to his fans.
While a dive is suspected, there is further weight to it with the betting industry after Ezybet, WA Tab, Sportsbet and Sportingbet all reported large bets coming in for first or second round knock-out, where the odds were crunched in from as far as $10.00 in to $1.50.
In unprecedented betting on the first round, the talk with the bookies was Briggs to take a dive in the first or second.
Green’s opinion of what had transpired did a 180 degree turn as he held up a DVD at press conference the following day indicating that the blow was legit and Briggs would be paid. To the dive theorists, this has worked out for both parties: Briggs securing his pay day and Green helping his mate out.
The questions everyone is asking are: why fight an illegitimate contender who was overweight, had six to seven weeks preparation, had medical cloud over his head and hadn’t contended a bout in over three years?
Green’s personal friendship has appeared to some as motivation for the fight – help Briggs out of a bad spot. Some charity to a warrior of Australian boxing, it would seem. But everyone else sees it differently with the IBO and Australian authorities launching an inquiry into the bout.
While the verbal banter between Mundine and Green generally consisted of calling each other pretenders, Mundine has had a significant win here as Green’s credibility has taken a major blow.
Not only have Green’s last two fights been virtually no contests, he has been called out by several overseas fighters (Chad Dawson, Antonio Tarvers and BJ Flores) who would give Green the credibility that Australian boxing is again beginning to lack.
The disclosure of any offers is all hearsay considering that what is leaked is generally to the detriment of the other.
You only need to visit Green’s Facebook Fan Page (pushing 110,000) to see the discontent following Wednesday night’s bout. The criticisms are especially apt considering the amount of spam like statuses that appeared the last few days before the fight, asking fans to either purchase tickets or pay per view.
His recent chatter of drawing UFC Champion Brock Lesnar is a fairytale at best, and the reality is, he will more than likely line up with another southern hemisphere journeyman.
The solution? Green to stop taking the Australian paying public for a ride, have his next fight in the US against a quality opponent.
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