Green closer to next world title tilt - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Green closer to next world title tilt

By Tim Clarke 18/07/2007 11:26:26 PM Comments (0)

Danny Green's hopes of bringing a world title fight to his home town Perth took another massive leap forward, with a convincing three round win over American Otis Griffin.

Continuing his unbeaten comeback since being soundly defeated by Anthony Mundine last year, Green dispatched Griffin with a series of bombs, again confirming himself one Australia's best fighters in recent years.

And after the 34 year-old West Australian safely negotiated his latest foray into the light heavyweight ranks, Green immediately challenged IBO light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver to put his belt on the line in WA.

With Green promoters waving the carrot of a possible event at Subiaco Oval and a big crowd ensuring a tasty purse, Green's long held dream of hosting a title fight in his home town could come true.

"Antonio Tarver, here in Perth, Subiaco Oval, 25,000 people - you want to do it Perth?," exclaimed Green in the ring moments after the bout.

The first round was uneventful apart from Green's looping right hand in the closing seconds which caught Griffin a glancing blow he complained was more rabbit punch than flush.

Griffin, whose win in the Oscar De La Hoya reality TV boxing series 'The Next Great Champ' launched his career, kept his distance from Green well in the early stages, while launching a few attacks himself.

But after two cagey rounds, Green unloaded in the third, flooring his younger opponent with a brutal left hook, and never let up from there.

A straight left all but ended Griffin's resistance, but he gamely fought on until pressure from Green ended the bout in 1.31s of round three.

The win secured another defence of Green's IBF Pan Pacific light heavyweight title and also won him the IBO Asia Pacific light heavyweight belt.

He dedicated the victory to a young friend who recently died of cancer.

Green was with 12 year-old Damian Scott in his last hours before the youngster lost his a battle to soft-tissue cancer rhabdomyosarcoma in June.

And then Green, who announced he is to become a father again this year, turned his sights to Tarver, whose own comeback last month against Elvir Muriqi unconvincingly secured him vacant IBO light heavyweight crown.

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