Danny Green
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- For the MLB player see: Danny Green.
Daniel ("Danny") Thomas Green (born March 9, 1973) is an Australian professional Light Heavyweight Boxer and former Olympian, who is nicknamed The Green Machine.
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[edit] Early life
Danny "the machine" Green is a Salem Police Officer and "OIC" while working hard downstairs on sometimes troubling cases. When not working he enjoys driving golf carts and cooking on his grill in the kitchen! Green was born on March 9, 1973 and grew up in Doubleview, a suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. His family was a sporting one, with his brother Brendan eventually being selected to the professional playing staff of the West Coast Eagles Australian rules football team. His father Mal was also active in the game; he coached Green's junior team to three premierships.
Green participated in kickboxing and martial arts throughout his youth, in addition to his involvement in Australian Rules Football. He began boxing at 18. He and his brother had attended a clinic to assist with preparation for the next Australian Rules Football season. Noted trainer Pat Develerz convinced him that he possessed significant natural boxing ability. Green took him at his word and commenced a successful amateur career, with Develerz as his trainer.
[edit] Amateur boxing career and the Olympics
Success at the State Amateur level led to Green being selected for an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship, with a view to development for the upcoming 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Green qualified for the Olympic team and got off to a dream start in the first round of the competition, stopping the Brazilian Laudelino Barros in the fourth and final round. Unfortunately, the draw wasn't favourable to him. The Russian Alexander Lebziak stopped Green in the fourth and final round of their second round bout. Lebziak went on to claim the Gold medal.
[edit] Professional career
Following the Olympics, Green decided to turn professional. His decision was vindicated by a second round technical stoppage of Waqa Kolivuso on 29 June 2001 in his adopted hometown of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It had long been believed that Green's boxing style was more suited to professional boxing than to amateur ranks due to the higher premium placed on power and resilience rather than technique. Green was blessed with natural power, and won his first 16 fights by KO or TKO, earning a world title fight with Super Middleweight World Champion Markus Beyer.
The fight, on 16 August 2003, was held in Beyer's home country, Germany. It is remembered in Australian boxing circles as being controversial. Green floored Beyer twice, opening a cut above the champion's right eye that had to be closed between the third and fourth round. In the fifth round, a clash between Beyer and Green's heads opened the cut again and was ruled deliberate on Green's part. Green was disqualified. All three judges had Green ahead on their scorecards, so it seemed strange that Green would deliberately headbutt his opponent at that stage of the fight. Recriminations followed, and Green was granted a rematch on the condition that he fight two contenders to be nominated by the World Boxing Council.
Green proceeded to win his first fight on foreign soil, a 6th round stoppage of Eric Lucas, on 20 December 2003, in Montreal, Canada. Green then defeated Sean Sullivan in a unanimous decision on March 21, 2004, in his hometown of Perth, Australia. On 29 September 2004, Green fulfilled the WBC criteria for his rematch by stopping Omar Eduardo Gonzales in the fifth round in Sydney, Australia. He was immiediately granted a rematch with Beyer, who was still the reigning champion. The fight was scheduled for early March 2005. Once again though, Green would have to fight in Beyer's home country, Germany.
The fight went ahead on 12 March 2005. Green started cautiously, and tried to "outbox" Beyer in the early rounds. The strategy was the wrong one; technically, Beyer was a much better fighter than Green and he opened up a large points lead. Near the end of the fight, and realizing he needed a knockout to win, Green went for broke. Utilising his superior power, he took the last three rounds from the German, and scored the only knockdown of the fight in the twelfth and final round. But it was too little, too late. Beyer was a majority winner on two of the three cards (with one scoring a draw), and Green was left empty handed again.
A period of soul searching followed for Green. He dismissed his trainer, former world champion Jeff Fenech, and hired famed Cuban Olympic trainer Ismael Salas. Green sought his next challenge, ideally both a lucrative payday (now being 32, quite old for a boxer) and a path for another challenge to Beyer. As a means to the latter, Green stopped James Crawford in the 5th round of their match on July 3, 2005 in his hometown of Perth, Western Australia.
[edit] Rivalry with Anthony Mundine
Green had long had a contentious rivalry with fellow Australian Super Middleweight boxer Anthony Mundine, the son of Tony Mundine, himself a former champion boxer. Circumstances had prevented a fight between them for some time. When Green's fortunes were high, Mundine's had been low and vice versa. However, following Green's loss to Beyer, both men found themselves at a low ebb, and negotiations commenced.
An agreement was hammered out. Although Green arguably commanded more popular support amongst the public, he was forced to make concessions for a Green - Mundine showdown. A qualifying fight was assigned to each man. If both won, their fight would go ahead in March or April 2006. These two fights were fought on the same card which was promoted by Green Machine Promotions. Despite Green conceding to fight on the "undercard" and Mundine being able to fight the main event, the event was generally considered a double main-event by the fans and media alike. Mundine agreed to fight the card in Green's home city of Perth, Western Australia.
The card went ahead at Challenge Stadium in Perth on 11 December 2005. Green defeated the Mexican Kirino Garcia, in a fight that went the full ten rounds - only the third time in his career that Green had gone the full distance as a professional. All three judges scored the fight the same, 100-90. Green quickly changed clothes and returned ringside to watch the fight between Mundine and New Zealander Rico Chong Nee. Before Mundine entered, Green commandeered a microphone and encouraged the Perth crowd to show Mundine their feelings. "Perth, you have got a guy coming out next who disrespected the lot of us," he said. "Lets give him the welcome he deserves. Who in this place wants to see Mundine get knocked out?" [1]
Mundine then entered to boos, catcalls and abuse. He responded by stopping the unheralded Kiwi in the third round, then, running to the side of the ring Green was watching from, mocking and threatening Green from the ropes. He was then whisked from the arena to a hail of plastic cups and bottles, leaving the official result announcement to be made in a ring empty of boxers.
Having each won their preliminary bouts, one of the most eagerly anticipated fights in Australian boxing history went ahead on May 17, 2006 (this date being pushed back from April 19 due to Green suffering a back spasm during training). The fight was held at Aussie Stadium in Mundine's hometown of Sydney, however Green's popularity and Mundine's unpopularity meant a fairly balanced crowd of onlookers.
Green started the bout as a slight favourite with the bookmakers and did well in the opening rounds with his strong power jabs but Mundine was too agile and evaded most of Green's attacks. By the 6th round Mundine had taken control of the bout with crisp counter-punches after swaying or blocking Green's punches. The 7th round saw Mundine land a right hook on Green's jaw and Green began to look weary. He managed to last the full 12 rounds without a knockdown, but Mundine was awarded the bout in a unanimous points decision 118-113, 116-113 and 118-111.[2], [3]
The following day, Green announced that the rivalry between Mundine and himself was over. He also stated that he respects Mundine as a fighter, but will be seeking a rematch, to prove it was just an off night.
[edit] After Mundine
After the loss to Mundine, Green moved up to the Light Heavyweight to fight Jason DeLisle. Danny had fought Jason twice before, losing to him on points in 2000 as an amateur and beating him in 2003 by KO in the 5th.
Green and DeLisle fought on the 20th of Sept. Danny won convincingly by TKO in the 9th.
After the fight in an interview he said: I felt bad fighting Jason. A couple of times during the fight I thought, 'Goodness me, I wish his corner would throw the towel in because he's copping unnecessary punishment'. I went the body quite a bit, trying to soften him up there but in the eighth round he hit me plumb - a very good shot - and that's when I thought I'd better put him away.
It was announced on Dec 7 that Danny's next opponent would be fellow Australian Paul Murdoch. The light-heavyweight bout took place January 21st. Green took an impressive victory, stopping Murdoch in the second round when a member of his corner threw in the towel.
Green is now currently the WBA # 6, IBF # 6, WBC # 10 and # 15 IBO light heavyweight.
Green's USA agent Don Majeski has been negotiating with the WBA champion Silvio Branco and reports are that if he is successful in his mandatory defence against Croatia's Stipe Drews then danny may well get his shot at the WBA version of the title.
[edit] Documentary
In 2006 a documentary called The Fight Game was released based on Danny. It covers the triumph and tragedy of the first four years of his professional boxing career. The Documentary has been hailed the greatest sporting movie of all time and credited for giving an insight to the world of boxing like has never before been witnessed by the general public.
