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When Victor Oganov dropped out of his October 2 "Shobox" main event against Allan Green the other day, the hope was that a suitable replacement could be found. Instead, Green might be getting a better test out of the deal.
BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno says a deal has been reached for Green (28-1, 20 KO) to face Tarvis Simms (25-0-1, 11 KO). Simms, 38, turned pro in 1997 but has moved very, very slowly. His twin brother, Travis, is a former junior middleweight titlist who has had a mountain of trouble with promoters over his career.
Simms would be a nice scalp for Green, who would in theory take an unbeaten record and look good as he continues to talk big about fighting top guys but instead fights guys like Oganov or Simms. Green was offered a fight with Sakio Bika on the Mayweather-Marquez undercard, which obviously didn't happen. Think he might regret that one now with the one million-plus eyes on that card?
For Simms, this is a chance to break through finally and potentially land a big fight. Green is currently the alternate for the Super Six tournament, in case someone gets hurt or just quits or whatever. If Simms can pull off the upset against Green, he makes a good case for himself to inherit that role, even though his resume is pretty weak overall. Simms last fought in August, winning a split decision over journeyman Marcus Upshaw. Green was last seen starching Carlos de Leon Jr. inside of two rounds on the Froch-Taylor undercard in April.