Green foe leads with mouth
Danny Green has been told he has one option if he is to avoid an inglorious end to his 11-year professional career - run like hell.
Green takes on New Zealander Shane Cameron in Melbourne next Wednesday still undecided, at least publicly, about whether the cruiserweight title bout will be his last.
Any uncertainty will be deemed irrelevant should Perth's former three-weight champion submit to a third defeat in four outings.
And Cameron, who last time out knocked out ageing former world heavyweight title challenger Monte Barrett with a booming right hand, is backing himself to repeat the trick when he takes on Green for the vacant International Boxing Organisation belt. "I'm the biggest puncher Danny Green has faced and the only way he will stay away from my power is by running," the 35-year-old said.
"But I don't think he can do that for 12 rounds."
Encouraging for former Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Cameron is that in his last two bouts at the weight, Green has been unable to stay out of harm's way.
He was in the firing line from almost the first bell against Antonio Tarver in July 2011, while a much more impressive display against Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in Perth four months later still ended in an 11th-round stoppage.
Those losses led Green to talk about a move back down to light-heavyweight, conceding he was unable to match the bigger boys.
But after a blowout win over non-punching American Danny Santiago, Green is back in with a fully-blown cruiserweight - a back flip he is happy to acknowledge.
"Ha ha ha, boxers are not that rational," Green said.
"Remember, a man is entitled to change his mind.
"But no, we got an opportunity to win a world title, my fourth world title. And we thought we'd take a risk.
"Cameron's win over Barrett was very impressive. Barrett had fought (former world heavyweight champion) David Haye yet Cameron knocked him out in electrifying style with one punch.
"I think he expects it to be all his way against me because of his size and strength. I think he thinks he is going to bully me. But he'll be shocked when he sees how strong I am inside and how hard I hit."
Cameron this week complained the fight contract stipulated he had to weigh in at 89kg - not the 90.7kg cruiserweight limit - to get the fight with Green, labelling it a "Danny division".
"Perhaps he thinks I'll lose my power dropping down from heavyweight," he said.
Green, 39, may also feel the Kiwi lacks the skills that world-class operators Tarver and Wlodarczyk possessed to utilise their punching power.
The "Mountain Warrior", who boasts 22 knockouts in 31 fights and just two losses, had appeared on Green undercards three times before his game-changing win over Barrett.
Green, meanwhile, still holds cache despite his recent dip in form, with the UK's Boxing News magazine last month ranking him in their top 10 current cruiserweights.
"He'll be shocked when he sees how strong I am inside and how hard I hit."" *Danny Green *
