clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Danny Green-Antonio Tarver on for July 20

Danny Green faces Antonio Tarver on July 20 in Sydney. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Danny Green faces Antonio Tarver on July 20 in Sydney. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Danny Green will finally get his chance to face Antonio Tarver. The two fighters, who were scheduled for a December 2007 showdown that did not materialize and ultimately led to a brief retirement from Green, will square off on July 20 in Sydney.

Tarver, now 42, will be making his cruiserweight debut against the 38-year-old Green. Both are really light heavyweights, but age doesn't allow them to get down to 175 pounds anymore. Tarver flirted with a heavyweight career last October, when he fought Nagy Aguilera on Showtime. It was a waste, really; a listless Tarver's skills were too much for Aguilera, but Tarver was far from impressive as a heavyweight. A step down to cruiserweight is the right idea, if the "right idea" means fighting, anyway.

The Aussie press isn't totally sold on the fight, and it's hard to blame them given some of Green's recent stinkers, including wins over Manny Siaca and Paul Briggs, the latter of which was a pure disgrace. The Australian even has this headline: "Danny to defend title against 'Rocky' fighter." Not exactly a headline befitting a big fight.

Green (31-3, 27 KO) gained his highest level of fame with a first round stoppage of the faded Roy Jones Jr. in December 2009, and since then has gone 3-0, with only one of those wins (BJ Flores) having much credibility, but it was a good win. Tarver, of course, is the man who ended the prime of Jones definitively back in 2004 with his second round knockout of the legend.

Actually, does Roy Jones get some kind of finder's fee for this fight? He should. Both of these guys are stars mostly because of him.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook