By Thomas Gerbasi

Allan Green wasn’t like the other kids in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While they ran around (like most kids growing up in the 80’s) talking about Spider-Man, The Hulk, or Wolverine, Green danced to his own beat, choosing instead to follow the Norse God of Thunder, Thor.

Even today, Green is never too far away from his childhood hero, whether it’s the comic books in his luggage on the road or the tattoo of Mjollnir, Thor’s Hammer, on his arm.

“Thor is just the man,” smiles Green. “I’ve always liked comics and really liked Thor, even when I was younger.”

Yet like Thor, the red-headed (or blond-headed, if you will) stepchild of the Marvel Universe, Green has seen his career experience a series of starts and stops that has seen him get perilously close to the big time like most of his peers. Face it, ask boxing fans about the super middleweight division and the names immediately coming to mind are those of Mikkel Kessler, Carl Froch, Andre Ward, and even former middleweights like Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham. It’s almost like asking someone on the street about superheroes, and getting at least ten different responses before getting to the name Thor.

Of course, that may change once the major motion picture release of Thor in 2011. As for Green, he’s got a timetable that’s a little bit more accelerated, and the self-proclaimed “Superhero of the Super Middles” wants to be in the title picture yesterday.

That’s where the water gets a little murky. But what is clear at this point is that Green is currently on the perpetual tightrope walked by those contenders on the brink of getting their big shot – the one where you have to stay busy, but at the same time avoid getting a loss that will send you plummeting down the ranks. Tonight, at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma, Green is on the high wire, and poking a stick at him will be unbeaten late replacement Tarvis Simms.

For the 38-year old Simms, the upside is obvious. A win over Green improves him to 26-0-1 as a pro and makes him a player at an age when he should be veering towards a walk into the sunset. For Green, a win is just that – a win, another notch on a record that currently stands at 28-1 with 20 KOs.

“For him, it’s the Super Bowl; for me, it’s just another game,” admits Green. “And the risk outweighs the reward in fights like this, so they’re always more dangerous. You may have a harder time getting up for guys like this as opposed to fighting the top five guys in a big event for more money. So these fights are always more dangerous than the other ones. These are the kinda fights that always bother me, but luckily for me, I’m up for this fight.”

Green’s dedication to training camp for this fight may have had to do with a couple factors. First, the bout is nationally televised on Showtime. Second, his original opponent, Victor Oganov, was an orthodox banger who, while dangerous, had a style tailor-made for the fast hands and feet of Green. Simms, on the other hand, is a southpaw with the type of style that doesn’t exactly scream out ‘Fight of The Year.’ It’s the type of last-minute switch that can wreck havoc on a fighter’s psyche, but the cool and collected Green – while admitting the necessity to make some last minute adjustments – isn’t rattled at all.

“I still gotta fight,” he said. “I’m still in shape to fight and things changed a little bit with the guy I’m fighting being a southpaw. I trained for a strong Russian, straight up and down, and now from a stylistic point of view I have to switch up because I’m fighting this guy. It’ll be fine though. It’s not gonna make a big difference.”

As for Simms’ desire to keep his unbeaten record being a motivating factor that could pose problems on fight night, Green dismisses such talk.

“To a fighter like me, who was up and coming, it (an unbeaten record) meant a lot, but to him, I’m not sure how much it means,” he said. “It may mean something, but as far as him keeping it, that’s not gonna happen. If you look at his opposition and the type of guys he’s fought, anybody should be undefeated.”

Green chuckles, one of the few hints of levity you’ll get out of him when it comes to his current standing in the super middleweight division.

And you can’t really blame him.

Despite his stellar pro record, a five fight winning streak that includes four knockouts, and solid placing in the sanctioning bodies’ rankings (WBC 6, WBA 12, IBF 11, WBO 9), the 30-year old was left out of Showtime’s ‘Super Six’ tournament in favor of such fighters as the unproven Andre Dirrell (whose best win was over the aforementioned Oganov) and former middleweight champ Taylor (who is 1-2 in his three fights since losing his middleweight titles and moving up).

“I felt disrespected that I wasn’t included, but I really don’t care,” said Green. “I still gotta do my thing and get on with my career, so while they’re taking care of that, I’m gonna still take care of my business. The way I feel about the tournament, it may be good for boxing, but for the powers that be to say that whoever wins this tournament is the best super middleweight in the world is bulls**t because I’m not in it, (IBF champion Lucian) Bute’s not in it, (Sakio) Bika’s not in it, (Librado) Andrade’s not in it. So how can you automatically say that whoever wins the tournament is the best super middleweight in the world? That doesn’t make any sense. If Taylor wins, that makes him the best? Come on.”

So why not Green? He has his theories, but he’s not talking about it, choosing to instead focus on the things he can control inside the ring.

“I’ve been ranked in the top ten at super middleweight for almost three years and I’ve never had a big fight at super middleweight,” he said. “I pretty much know who or what it is that’s keeping me back but I’m really not gonna speak on it.”

What Green will talk about is how the last year or so has made him question whether it’s all worth it to put in all the time in the gym, make sacrifices few pro athletes can imagine, and then have to focus your mind in the ring when an opponent is trying to separate you from your senses.

“For a minute I thought about retiring,” he said. “I watch old tapes of myself and think about why I started doing this in the first place, and it’s because I love it, but at the same time, as you get older, you think ‘this is how I make my living, so things got to be right.’ But I started boxing in the first place because I love fighting, and it’s my job, it’s what I do, so I have to keep trucking along and keep on fighting.”

Of course, that doesn’t help when you have to field questions – even from friends and family – about your career and why you’re not on TV and magazine covers like the other fighters out there.

“It’s very hard,” admits Green. “You can’t explain it in one sentence. (Laughs) I just tell them ‘yeah, I’m still fighting.’ And when they ask ‘so when you going for the title,’ I say ‘I guess when the title goes for me.’”

What Green hopes is that one of the two titles not held up by the Super Six tournament will start coming for him in the New Year. But as it stands, Bute’s IBF title is holed up in Canada, and Robert Stieglitz’ WBO belt sits in Germany. No problem, says Green.

“It’s not an issue,” said Green, who currently has his sights set on Stieglitz. “If that’s what has to be done, that’s what has to be done. I’m in this game to win, make money, and be champion, so if I have to go overseas to get it, I will.”

In the meantime, expect Allan Green to keep swinging that hammer until he hits gold.