by David P. Greisman
An interview with Edwin Rodriguez published on BoxingScene.com earlier Monday, Nov. 7, prompted a response from Allan Green’s adviser.
Rodriguez had said he wanted to fight a big name at super middleweight.
“I’d like to fight Kelly Pavlik, Allan Green, somebody that is known, and definitely one of the top 10 guys,” he said. “But the division is so deep and with so many good fighters there now, that it doesn’t really matter who. It’s one of the toughest divisions right now. It’s a good division to be in. There’s a lot of choices. I believe that by fighting somebody with a big name, that’s how I’m going to get my name out there as well.”
Green’s adviser, Greg Leon, emailed this statement:
“I spent seven months pleading with DiBella Entertainment to make Allan Green vs. Edwin Rodriguez. Fact is, OUR promoter was highly opposed [to] making the fight. Allan Green is a full-blown light heavyweight now, and if Edwin Rodriguez wants to move up in weight, we’d be more than happy to make his wish come true.
“After Edwin’s last televised performance on ‘ShoBox,’ Allan Green told me that DiBella Entertainment ‘would never put that kid in the ring with me, because if he’s getting walked down by undersized guys, he’s far from ready for a bigger, stronger fighter.’
“Right now, Allan Green’s primary objective is improving to 2-0 in Canada by shocking Jean Pascal in his back yard. If not, handing Edwin Rodriguez his first loss would be a decent consolation prize.”
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com
