Fight your own fight

Danny Green’s latest trick is just another example of the irrelevance of professional boxing.

For those not paying attention to Green’s tedious antics, Green wants an ANZAC day rematch with Anthony Mundine, and has issued an ultimatum. Green, whose previous win was against the 41 year old Roy Jones Jr, has offered to split the purse 45% to each fighter and to use the remaining 10% to fund an Indigenous youth program.

No really, Green delivered his ransom alongside indigenous footballers Des Headland and David Wirrpanda in a suburban Western Australian school yard school yesterday.

Green is serious.

"I don't see how he [Mundine] can possibly turn this offer down and if he does I suggest he check his passport and leave the country because he'd have to hang his head in shame," Green said.

"This is what I think will smoke him out of the hole he's been hiding in since he called me out of retirement.”

What could Green possibly hope to achieve by holding Mundine ransom to his own culture?

Mundine should think hard before dignifying Green with a response, there certainly would be no dishonour in Mundine politely declining the offer and leaving Green to revel in his own obscurity.

What will be the focus of this youth program? Who will administer it, what are the projections? I doubt Green and his team his given the details a second thought.

If this is an attempt to stall the rise of mixed martial arts, which is slowly smothering what little interest is left in the sport of professional boxing, then please Danny, leave the ANZACs and kids out of it.

Fight your own fight.

Why not just establish the youth program anyway? Show you’re committed to the cause, champion the programs results. Then put together an event and feed the proceeds, reports estimate a rematch could generate as much as $10 million, into said program.

Few would doubt that a Green Vs Mundine rematch would generate keen interest; the frivolous prefight banter alone would provide enough faux-hype to set the bookies alight.

The fact is professional boxing is struggling to remain relevant. And Danny Greens’ latest attempt at reviving the sport by holding Mundine to ransom, and a limp attempt at evoking the ANZAC spirit, is a cheap-shot at exhuming a nostalgic dinosaur.

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