By Rick Reeno
Super middleweight contender Allan Green is pushing for a fight with Kelly Pavlik, the WBC/WBO middleweight champion. Making the fight is easier said than actually done. The issue at hand is the weight. Pavlik wants to defend his middleweight titles at 160 and Green would rather meet at a catch-weight. Outside of a possible fight with Paul Williams or maybe a Felix Sturm, there are very few options at 160 for Pavlik. A move to super middleweight is going to happen sooner than later. Green is not exactly feeling any enthusiasm from Pavlik’s team. The weight is certainly a roadblock.
“HBO had my name [as a possible opponent]. My name was on the list and my name was in the mix but now he wants to defend his title. Saying that he wants to defend his title is his way of saying that he doesn’t want to fight me. He wants to fight at 160. Maybe we can meet at 164 or 165. I don’t understand. He fought Bernard Hopkins at 172. He fought Jermain Taylor at 166 but whenever it comes to me - they want me to lose extra weight to try and handicap me,” Green said to BoxingScene.com.
“If I had a lot of time [to get down there], maybe. But it’s not safe [without a lot of time]. Let me clarify something. At 172 he looked sluggish against Hopkins, but against Jermain, at 165, 166 - I thought he looked just fine. At 164, 165, 166 I see no problem at all. Who is there for him? The marquee names are not there.”
While Pavlik is trying to find an opponent at 160, Green is dealing with his own issues at super middleweight. The majority of the big names at the weight are contractually bound to Showtime’s Super Six tournament. Most of those names will be locked in to the Super Six tourney until the end of 2010. The idea of moving to light heavyweight is there, but Green would rather stay at 168 for the moment.
“I approached Chad Dawson about a fight before. Me and Glen Johnson are very close friends. That fight would never happen unless the money is right. I don’t see why I should go up. There are still some decent names like Jeff Lacy, the WBO champion, Lucian Bute, Librado Andrade,” Green said.
Speaking of the Super Six, Green has mixed feelings about the tournament. On one hand he loves the concept and looks forward to watching the fights. On the other hand he doesn’t like the idea of being left out.
“They got guys like Jermain Taylor in the tournament - now what does that tell you? And Arthur Abraham who never fought at super middleweight. I’m the “Mighty Thor.” How do you leave the super hero of the super middleweights out of the Super Six? Taylor got knocked out [in his last fight] and I won, and it’s almost like I’m the one who got penalized for it and he got rewarded. I feel like I should be in the tournament,”
Green said. “I do think it’s good for boxing. I’m curious to see what happens and see who the marquee names will be in the division for the next 18 months.”
Should any injury occur to one of the Super Six participants, Green’s name has been mentioned as a frontrunner to replace the injured party. Green is willing to take the call, under the right circumstances, but it doesn’t sit well with him.
“No disrespect but is that supposed to be a compliment to me? That I’m on the list after guys like Jermain Taylor. I don’t want to be anybody’s bitch. I just want to clarify that. No disrespect to any network. If there is enough time to get ready [I’ll do it]. But I don’t want to get a call two weeks before a fight telling me that ‘this guy can’t make it.’ I wouldn’t do it then. If I had a full six weeks [to train], that’s different,” Green said.
As far as the first round of the Super Six, Green broke down the fights to BoxingScene and gave his opinions on the possible outcomes.
Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor
“I did hear that [Abraham] was very strong. I could see Jermain winning a lot of the rounds and possibly getting clocked later on. I don’t think he has the mental fortitude or the mental toughness to have any kind of control for a long period of time. I could see him slipping and jabbing and jabbing, and then after the eight round - Abraham will get him out of there."
“I think [Jermain] is too nervous. [He fades] and it’s not because he’s not in shape. I know for a fact that he was in shape for his last fight because we were both in Florida at that time and he was training hard. He just gets so nervous in the ring. He doesn’t fight to attack a guy. He fights to keep a guy off of him. That’s what kills him.”
Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell
“I could see Dirrell outboxing him, but if it gets grimy and a battle of attrition - it will be interesting. Dirrell is very talented but he’s not very polished. Froch is better at fighting a grudge match than Dirrell is. Dirrell won’t be able to hold all the time and try to finagle his way around all the time and throw pitty pat punches. But I don’t think he should [stand and trade]. I saw his fight with Oganov and he looked a little out of it in there. The pressure was getting to him a little bit. Oganov caught him a couple of times. Dirrell started getting wild and throwing a lot of punches. Froch is a much better offensive fighter than Oganov.”
Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward
“All three guys that I know, that I spoke to, even [Jerson] Revelo who got knocked out, and [Edison] Miranda - they said Ward hits like a baby. Ward is tricky but Kessler’s actual hand speed is faster than Ward’s. Ward is just tricky. They said Ward hits like a baby. Kesser’s hand speed is quicker, more intense than Ward’s and when Kessler starts putting the heat on him, it’s going to get interesting. I pick Kessler in the fight.”
