Tim Clarke
Fight time.... Anthony van Niekerk and Danny Green.
Anthony Mundine will be the elephant in the room at Danny Green's comeback fight against Anthony van Niekerk on Sunday - with the WA favourite admitting he risks blowing the biggest fight in Australian boxing history if he loses.
The fight Green vowed would never happen when he retired a little over a year ago will be a sell-out at Challenge Stadium this weekend, when the Green Machine revs up again on the road to redemption against Mundine.
But first he must overcome van Niekerk, a 35-year-old who has only fought outside his homeland once in his 25-3 career but who has set his sights on upsetting the odds in Perth and taking Green's spot in the ring against the Sydney-based motormouth.
"First things first, I have really just got to get a victory, so I am really not focusing on Anthony Mundine," Green said.
"I have got to put my mind on Anthony van Niekerk. This guy's coming to fight and I am anticipating a pretty rugged affair, and that is what I relish.
"If I don’t win on Sunday night then potentially the biggest fight in Australian boxing history is scrapped and this guy gets a crack at it.
"I want to be impressive and win convincingly."
Following an intense training camp in Sydney, Green said he felt fresher physically and mentally after his self inflicted lay-off.
"It is funny the word intelligence gets used in the same sentence as boxing, but I feel I have progressed. I am more relaxed, seeing the punches come more," Green said.
"I learned a lot about myself in the retirement, in enjoying what I am doing and not try to light up every punch.
"It does feel like a fresh start, but it also feels like I have been here before.
"It will be pretty emotional walking out into the ring, touching gloves and then the bell goes and then it will be like an old friend has come back to visit me.”
Van Niekerk's only other trip out of South Africa was a 12th round defeat to Andras Galfi for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title back in 2002.
He said he was not underestimating Green because of his year off - having stayed away from the fight game himself, for four years between 2003 and 2007.
"We have come to the do the business," van Niekerk said.
"I retired for four years, came back two years ago and you come back a stronger, better and mentally-fit fighter.
"Don’t underestimate any fighter. I like Danny Green, but it is fight time.”
Anthony Mundine will be the elephant in the room at Danny Green's comeback fight against Anthony van Niekerk on Sunday - with the WA favourite admitting he risks blowing the biggest fight in Australian boxing history if he loses.
The fight Green vowed would never happen when he retired a little over a year ago will be a sell-out at Challenge Stadium this weekend, when the Green Machine revs up again on the road to redemption against Mundine.
But first he must overcome van Niekerk, a 35-year-old who has only fought outside his homeland once in his 25-3 career but who has set his sights on upsetting the odds in Perth and taking Green's spot in the ring against the Sydney-based motormouth.
"First things first, I have really just got to get a victory, so I am really not focusing on Anthony Mundine," Green said.
"I have got to put my mind on Anthony van Niekerk. This guy's coming to fight and I am anticipating a pretty rugged affair, and that is what I relish.
"If I don’t win on Sunday night then potentially the biggest fight in Australian boxing history is scrapped and this guy gets a crack at it.
"I want to be impressive and win convincingly."
Following an intense training camp in Sydney, Green said he felt fresher physically and mentally after his self inflicted lay-off.
"It is funny the word intelligence gets used in the same sentence as boxing, but I feel I have progressed. I am more relaxed, seeing the punches come more," Green said.
"I learned a lot about myself in the retirement, in enjoying what I am doing and not try to light up every punch.
"It does feel like a fresh start, but it also feels like I have been here before.
"It will be pretty emotional walking out into the ring, touching gloves and then the bell goes and then it will be like an old friend has come back to visit me.”
Van Niekerk's only other trip out of South Africa was a 12th round defeat to Andras Galfi for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title back in 2002.
He said he was not underestimating Green because of his year off - having stayed away from the fight game himself, for four years between 2003 and 2007.
"We have come to the do the business," van Niekerk said.
"I retired for four years, came back two years ago and you come back a stronger, better and mentally-fit fighter.
"Don’t underestimate any fighter. I like Danny Green, but it is fight time.”
No comments:
Post a Comment