Earl-Lesnar
07-20-2010, 08:40 PM
DANNY Green wants to take down the baddest man on the planet - and do it bare-knuckled.
Green, who tonight defends his IBO cruiserweight title against fellow Australian Paul Briggs, is trying to organise a fight with Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar, the American bad boy who weighs 120kg, wears XXXXL gloves and benches 220kg.
Green said the bout, which would be a stand-up confrontation, could be held inside an octagon cage as early as next February when the UFC returns to Acer Arena, Sydney.
"Would I like to fight Brock Lesnar? Absolutely," Green said after yesterday's weigh-in. "Obviously my only focus right now is Paul Briggs, but I'm professional enough to also have one eye on the future, and to fight the baddest man on the planet, yeah, that excites me.
"It would have to be a stand-up fight. I know my limitations and there's no way I could compete with Lesnar on the ground. The bloke outweighs me by plenty and was a champion college wrestler. But to stand inside a steel cage and be able to use fists and elbows, I'd even fight bare-knuckle if that's what it takes to get him Down Under and inside a steel cage."
Having needed just 11 rounds to destroy his past four opponents, including legendary American Roy Jones Jr, Green's reputation as Australia's hardest puncher will be further cemented if he can score another convincing win against Briggs at Challenge Stadium tonight.
And while Green conceded a fight with Lesnar, who stands 6cm taller and outweighs him by almost 40kg, would be "like David versus Goliath", he said the bout would be a popular one among Australian sports fans.
While Green remains wary of Briggs, it is understood his manager Justin Manolikos has already drawn up a hit list of possible international rivals, including Lesnar, American heavyweight James Toney and New Zealand warrior Shane Cameron - the latter pushing to fight Green before Christmas on the advice of Australian boxing legend Barry Michael.
Michael, who has been working with Cameron, yesterday confirmed he was responsible for his sudden step down in weight to fight Australian cruiserweight champion Daniel Ammann on tonight's undercard.
"It was my idea because I think Shane can really challenge Green at cruiserweight - make it a huge Trans-Tasman battle," Michael said.
Green, who tonight defends his IBO cruiserweight title against fellow Australian Paul Briggs, is trying to organise a fight with Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar, the American bad boy who weighs 120kg, wears XXXXL gloves and benches 220kg.
Green said the bout, which would be a stand-up confrontation, could be held inside an octagon cage as early as next February when the UFC returns to Acer Arena, Sydney.
"Would I like to fight Brock Lesnar? Absolutely," Green said after yesterday's weigh-in. "Obviously my only focus right now is Paul Briggs, but I'm professional enough to also have one eye on the future, and to fight the baddest man on the planet, yeah, that excites me.
"It would have to be a stand-up fight. I know my limitations and there's no way I could compete with Lesnar on the ground. The bloke outweighs me by plenty and was a champion college wrestler. But to stand inside a steel cage and be able to use fists and elbows, I'd even fight bare-knuckle if that's what it takes to get him Down Under and inside a steel cage."
Having needed just 11 rounds to destroy his past four opponents, including legendary American Roy Jones Jr, Green's reputation as Australia's hardest puncher will be further cemented if he can score another convincing win against Briggs at Challenge Stadium tonight.
And while Green conceded a fight with Lesnar, who stands 6cm taller and outweighs him by almost 40kg, would be "like David versus Goliath", he said the bout would be a popular one among Australian sports fans.
While Green remains wary of Briggs, it is understood his manager Justin Manolikos has already drawn up a hit list of possible international rivals, including Lesnar, American heavyweight James Toney and New Zealand warrior Shane Cameron - the latter pushing to fight Green before Christmas on the advice of Australian boxing legend Barry Michael.
Michael, who has been working with Cameron, yesterday confirmed he was responsible for his sudden step down in weight to fight Australian cruiserweight champion Daniel Ammann on tonight's undercard.
"It was my idea because I think Shane can really challenge Green at cruiserweight - make it a huge Trans-Tasman battle," Michael said.