Eugene Carnachan – Troy Ross 23-2 (16 KOs) who in June of this year lost a fight against Steve Cunningham 23-2 (12 KOs) for the IBF title has called out Australian Danny Green. Ross who is Guyanese by birth but fighting out of Canada lost the fight with Cunningham via a fifth round cut to his left eye. Until that point many ringside observers had Ross winning. Ross in an interview with boxing scribe Benny “Big Dog” Henderson had this and a number of other things to say about Danny Green “I have known Green from the amateurs and I always thought of him being a good guy”. Ross and Green both have extensive amateur pedigrees; both fighters representing their respective countries at the Olympics.
Ross went on to say “and seeing the way his career has sky rocketed and now all of a sudden he is making a comeback, he is beating guys that have been retired for so long”..
Ross is specifically making reference to Paul Briggs. Briggs hadn’t fought in over three years before accepting a July fight with Green. Briggs with diagnosed neurological problems that brought his career to a premature end before accepting the fight with Green was blown out in less then a minute by Green.
However four of Greens opponents prior to Briggs too have questionable credentials as credible opponents – Anthony Van Niekerk 21-6-2, Roy Jones 54-5-0, Manny Siaca 22-6-0.
In 2009 Green too fought Julio Caesar Dominguez 20-4-1 of Argentina for the vacant IBO Cruiserweight title.
Of those four fighters – particularly Jones and Siaca – it could be argued none were in their fighting primes and in fact well past their used by dates having expended their best mileage much earlier in their respective careers.
Greens valor is storied. He has crafted an amateur and pro career on been one heck of a warrior however with the potpourri of opponents he has laid on underneath his own promotional banner – Green Machine Promotions – in the last 18 months he is seriously undermining his credibility to not only his international audience but too his domestic audience who for years have fervently supported their “Danny boy”.
Home grown support for Green has historically being beyond repute and overwhelmingly unanimous. It is now divided.
Something Ross has noted “he is making a mockery…I am not having that, I mean if Danny wants to fight, fight a real fighter, fight Troy Ross”.
Ross like many want Green to call out a credible challenger for his IBO title and not opponents and I mean opponents in the sense that fight fans want to see Green fight someone that doesn’t come to the contest in survival mode but in an in it to win it mode.
Something sadly lacking in his most recent bout with Paul Briggs. We now know Briggs wasn’t a live opponent in this contest.
Ross wants to be that fighter “if you are coming back you want to make a statement, fight a fighter who is ready to defend himself and fight back”.
Troy Ross has thrown down the gauntlet “stop pulling guys out of retirement and making a mockery out of the sport like he is doing so” and given Ross’s outstanding record, athleticism and enthusiasm to want to compete with the best he could provide a real test for Green. In fact many would favor him to win a contest between the two.
I am sure fight fans would love to see Green fighting a live opponent and feel such a contest is long overdue