Danny Green was seeing double. His legs were jelly. All he could hear was a numb whirring.
After 11 years of waiting, just 30 seconds into his rematch against arch rival Anthony Mundine and Green was gone. Concussed.
Green had been caught in the back of the head, while not looking, by a cheap shot from Mundine as referee Frank Garza tried to break the fighters.
Garza wanted to call Friday night’s fight off, then and there.
And Green’s boxing legacy came down to one single question from the ref: what is the ringside doctor’s name?
“I’m looking at him (the ref) going ‘ahhh ahhhh ahhhh’,” Green said.
“He said: ‘That’s it. I’m calling it off’.
“I went noooo, no, no – it’s Doctor O’Neill. I just sprung into action. Bang.”
Green went on to win a fight that was as tight as a tourniquet.
One judge couldn’t split the boxers, scoring it 94-94. Another scored it slightly for Green, 96-94. And even Green can’t believe the third judge scored 98-90 in his favour.
“I didn’t win by eight points. No chance,” Green said.
“It was a close fight.”
Mundine has yet to speak publicly about a result which confounded some pundits.
But he did re-issue a tweet from high-profile lawyer Adam Houda: “History books will forever tell the story of how @Anthony_Mundine was robbed!!!”
Green himself holds no animosity towards Mundine – not for the late blow, not for anything.
For while their rivalry has been sour at times, Mundine always had Green’s respect.
“I don’t think Choc intentionally meant to do it like that. But in the heat of the moment, that is the game,” he said.
“Choc proved he’s a warrior … an incredible competitor. He’s a superior athlete,” he said.
“He’s a class act, man. I have always liked watching him fight.
“I can tell you now, he’s got no shit in him. He’s a goer, because I hit him with a couple of good shots and he came back hard.
“He’s digging hard and really trying to put me away. And as a fighter, you become endeared to the bloke.
“His heart just wants to jump out of its chest because it’s pulsating but he’s digging deep.
“And you get respect for a fighter and I have always respected Choc. We don’t see eye to eye, but I gained a lot more respect for Choc even though I won the fight.”
Ben
Roar Guru
He can't help himself! Green will say whatever he thinks will make him appear to be everything he's not, and uneducated fools just eat it up! He's had some crackers over the years. I'll list some of his best lies here: 7. When he had 20 fights prior to the first Mundine fight at SMW... But was only "weight drained" in ONE of them 20 fights... 6. When he told anyone that would listen, that Paul Briggs was a world class fighter (he was 3 years earlier when hee was 15kg lighter and didn't have neurological problems) and that Briggs was coming to "knock" Green out... That was a cracker. 5. When he said he "knew" Antonio Tarver was "on steroids when i fought him"... Even though Tarver passed ALL drug tests involved with their fight. 4. When he talked about a 40 year old Roy Jones Jnr like RJJ WASN'T 7 years out of his prime and was a formidable opponent. 3. When he fought the "number 9 heavyweight on the planet". But that heavyweight had to shred something like 10kg off his frame to earned his money from his contract to fight Green. 2. When he told a doctor that the doctor couldn't stop the fight when the doctor told him he was gana stop it. So the doctor let him fight on, even though the doctor could lose his career for letting a "heavily concussed" fighter continue to fight. But the best one came out today! When he told anyone that would list that Mundine's cheap shot "knocked me unconscious"... Absolute cracker! ???
AJ
Guest
Somehow I doubt that Green's plaudits will be reciprocated.