By Mark Vester
IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green is hoping the fight with Bernard Hopkins comes off. Green and Hopkins have been talking but the fight is in trouble over money. BoxingScene.com reported on Thursday that Hopkins and Green were at odds over money. Hopkins wants a 60-40 split and Green wants 50-50. Green's adviser Gary Shaw told BoxingScene the agreement outlined with Golden Boy Promotions was a 50-50 split and Hopkins is now trying to change the terms.
"I respect the bloke as a fighter and as a businessman. He's a smart guy. He's really taken care of business in a major way, from where he's come from...you have to respect that. He's a hard man and he's a smart man. He's an incredible fighter," Green told BoxingScene.com's Ernest Gabion.
"He's very smart. He's not going to come down if it's not worth his wild. If it doesn't make economic sense and it doesn't put the greenbacks in his pocket, he's not going to come. If it makes sense, then he'll do it. And if it makes sense for me to come here, then I'll do it."
Green's status in Australia brings a lot of money to the table. He told Roy Jones Jr. that he didn't have to come to Australia. Green was willing to fight Jones in America for free. He only wanted the Australian television money in return. There appears to be an issue between Green and Hopkins over the television money. Hopkins wants his taste of the Australian TV and 100% of the American TV money. Green has turned down those terms.
"I told Roy Jones that I would come here for free. I told him that I would come here for nothing, just give me the Australian TV. I'll even pay for my own ticket to get in, just give me the TV. I'll come to America to fight, I don't care where it is. I think the way the climate is worldwide, Australia could be beckoning for Bernard Hopkins. It could be historic again," Green said.
He doesn't think a win over Hopkins will be as easy as Jones. Green took Jones out in one round. Green has a lot of respect for the defensive style of Hopkins but he still plans to look for the big knockout win if the two ever meet.
"A different fight. Bernard Hopkins is cagey, a genius. A very wily old fox. He don't get hit much. Everyone knows my style. I walk forward to destroy and take no prisoners. You don't need to hype it up. The people know that I'm going in there to knock Bernard Hopkins out, just like I did with Roy Jones. Bernard Hopkins is a defensive genius. He knows how to mix it up when he needs to and he's a legend," Green said.
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