Danny Green, Anthony Mundine Set Up Fights For July

Australian fighter Danny Green will return to the ring on July 25, hoping to compete again as a light heavyweight as he seeks a rematch with Anthony Mundine (who has lately fought at junior middleweight). Green will face American club fighter Danny Santiago in Perth.

The fight is a lousy bunch of nothing, which is more or less par for the course too often with Green and Mundine, should perhaps consider combining energy forces and becoming an Aussie mega-star named Danthonny Mundreen. Santiago, diehard fight fans will remember, is a 5'8" light heavyweight with nothing to offer in the ring, really -- he can't punch, he can't box, and while I'm sure he's a nice guy (or at least assume he is), there's no more point to Green fighting him than there was Beibut Shumenov picking his bones last year.

Santiago (31-5-1, 19 KO) is apparently unknown to Daily Telegraph writer Nick Walshaw, who uses his BoxRec ranking (#120) to judge that the Bronx native, now living in Florida, is an unfit opponent for any sort of actual "event" fight. I can assure Nick that he's right as rain about this fight, but let's share some of his words anyway, since they made me laugh:

For how do you reckon Green will fare against a journeyman aged 39 and, according to Boxrec, ranked 120th in the world? An anonymous New Yorker who has had only five fights in the past four years - and lost three?

A fella so bad, even his nickname has been stolen from the Yankees. ...

If not for the existence of a bloke like Anthony Mundine, this could be the most lopsided sporting contest since the Christians and the lions.

If the press know these fights are bunk, how do these things even survive on pay-per-view and at the gate down there? That's a legitimate question, too. Does anyone know? How do they keep selling this nonsense?

Green says he's had offers from Shumenov and Nathan Cleverly. Somehow, I don't doubt him. That seems about right -- pick out a 39-year-old fighter most figure is shot, as he tries to drop down in weight again, and claim you beat a "three-time world champion."

I like Danny Green. He seems like a good guy, genuine, hard-working, largely honest. And I guess since it's an experiment in weight, you can forgive it. But don't they have any crummy light heavyweights in Australia he won't have to fly in?

Trust me, anyone who doesn't know: Danny Santiago is not going to be any more a challenge than Joel Casey would be. Importing Americans doesn't mean you're importing quality. Not when it was Xavier Toliver to face Mundine, and not this one.

If anyone missed it, Anthony Mundine has made good on his promise to come to the States for a big fight, as he'll be facing the dusty bones of Bronco McKart on July 14, live on Wealth TV. The less I say about Mundine, the better, so I'll just leave it at that.