Aggressive Green defeats reluctant Drews, calls out Mundine
By Anthony Cocks (Dec 17, 2007) Doghouse Boxing  
It wasn’t pretty, but Danny Green finally realized his longtime dream of winning a world title in front of his hometown fans in Perth with a dominant points win over Croatian Stipe ‘Spiderman’ Drews for the WBA light heavyweight strap at Challenge Stadium in Perth, Western Australia on Sunday night.

All three judges awarded the bout to Green by large margins, with Levi Martinez scoring it 120-108, while judges Jean-Louis Legland and Tom Miller had it marginally closer by scores of 118-111 and 118-110
respectively.

Green, who rushed out of the ring before the scorecards were read out to kiss his wife Nina and her heavily pregnant belly, revealed his motivation for the fight.

“I promised a long time ago... to bring the world title to Perth, I promised I would be world champion and I promised I would win it in my own backyard,” Green said. “It doesn't get any better than this, until my new baby comes.”
Danny and Nina’s second child was due on the same day as the fight.

It was a disappointing performance by Drews, who fell into passive defence early on after three separate Green right hands caught him on the chin in the second round. The fight adopted a predictable pattern after that, with the stalking Green occasionally tagging the reigning champion, who would immediately tie up the 34-year-old Australian or use his long legs to get well out of punching range.

To his credit Green remained on the attack throughout, constantly encouraging the hesitant Drews to fight. Green had won every round when Drews, 32-2 (13), was warned in the fourth round for punching to the back of the head. Early in the sixth Green landed a solid left hook to the jaw that hurt Drews, but the reigning titleholder went on the run so much that referee Takeshi Shimakawa was compelled to intervene and implore him to let his hands go.

“This is amazing here,” observed Main Event commentator Barry Michael during the ninth round. “Stipe Drews is the world champion but he’s not throwing punches.”

In a fight marred by Drews’ reluctance to engage, Green did everything he could to make the fight entertaining as he piled up the points round after round. It may not have been the ideal way to win a world title, but the 5,500 screaming fans at ringside didn’t mind as long as their man got the desired result.

As for the future, Green mae it clear that a rematch with conqueror Anthony Mundine was very much on his radar at the higher 175-pound weight limit.

"I am the official world champion, he’s an interim world champion,” an exuberant Green, 25-3 (22), said in the ring after the fight. “It is in my backyard, it is on my terms if he wants it.''

In the main support bout William Kickett was impressive in just his eighth professional fight with a clear-cut points win over two-time world title challenger Tommy Browne over eight rounds at junior welterweight. Browne, who has challenged Injin Chi for his WBC featherweight strap and Chris John for his WBA version, looked comfortable at the weight but it was Kickett’s superior handspeed and variety of attack that overcame his substantial height and reach disadvantages.

Proclaimed by some to be ‘the next Lionel Rose’, Kickett controlled the bout from the third round on to win by scores of 78-74 on all three cards. With the win Kickett raises his ledger to 8-0 (4), while Browne drops to 23-5-1 (8).

In the second defence of his Commonwealth featherweight title Jackson Asiku, 22-3 (12), looked to be well on his way to victory over Matt Powell when the challenger was forced to retire with an injured right ankle midway through the fourth round. Asiku was a class above the roughhousing Powell, 10-4 (3), picking apart the reigning Australian featherweight champion with accurate combinations to the body and head. Now trained by Craig Christian at Harry’s Gym in Perth, Asiku can look forward to bigger and better challenges in 2008.

In an entertaining heavyweight scrap late replacement Pieter Cronje overcame a 34-pound weight disadvantage to win a six round split decision victory over well-travelled Australian Colin Wilson by scores of 58-56 twice, with one dissenting judge tabbing Wilson the winner 59-55. The former Australian heavyweight champion started well but the crafty Cronje came into his own in the third round landing some sharp punches. The last three rounds were all action with both big men trading in close until the final bell.

Wilson was originally slated to fight Ukrainian Alexander Gurov, who was in Australia to provide sparring for Danny Green. South African Cronje moves to 6-2 (2) while Wilson falls to 33-23 (20).

Junior welterweights Steven Wills, 5-0-1 (3), and Thomas Yakuba, 2-0-2 (1), warred to a draw over four rounds with scores of 38-38 twice and 39-37 for Wills. The action came thick and fast and the draw was a fair result with there being very little between the two combatants by the end of the fight.

The opening bout of the evening saw Adam Wills, 8-3 (2), pinch a close decision over Robert Sanders, 0-2, in a very close fight at welterweight. The two cards for Wills that read 40-36 didn’t reflect how close and competitive bout was, with the third score of 38-apiece providing a more accurate reflection of the action in centre ring. A rematch would be welcomed.







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