TULSA, OK – World rated super middleweight contender Allan Green looks to continue his march towards a world championship when he battles former world title challenger Rubin Williams on January 4th at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino, Tulsa, OK..
While Green is excited to return, this bout represents somewhat of a let-down for Green. After already committing to this fight, Green was offered an opportunity to square off against Olympian Andre Ward on HBO. The timeline, however, left it impossible for ESPN2 to fill the hole with a comparable fighter, and Green was forced to keep his original commitment.
“Losing the fight with Ward was a major blow,” said Green, who will be fighting in his hometown of Tulsa for the 4th time. “While losing that fight really hurts, I have to block it out and focus on January 4th because my head has to be together when I step into the ring.”
“It’s disappointing that the Ward fight offer came at the wrong time,” said promoter Tony Holden. “But, we would be more than happy to meet him after this fight.”
Meanwhile, Rubin Williams, who will have a chance to get back into the world championship picture with a win over Green. Williams gave a valiant effort against than IBF world champion Jeff Lacy in 2005, but has seen his career slow to a crawl since then, fighting just four times over the next two years.
“This is a great opportunity for me,” said Williams. “This fight is a long time in the making. Allan has been making a lot of noise and a fight like this, against a fighter like Allan is just what I need to show the world where I stand in the super middleweight mix.”
Both Green and Williams have been on a collision course for some time. Both have been very vocal about their dislike for the other in the past.
“Rubin talks a lot and has said I didn’t want to fight him, but he has been offered fights with me on many occasions and he never wanted to make it happen,” said Green. “I have nothing bad to say about him only that on January 4th he will be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I get a bad rap from a lot of people because I had to pull out of the Pascal fight,” said Williams, who brings a 29-2-1, 16 KO’s record into the fight. “I was in a car accident and had to pull out, but you can rest assured that I will be in that ring on January 4th.”
In 2007 Green suffered his first career set-back at the hands of hard punching Edison Miranda. Despite suffering through a major medical issue, Green quickly rebounded to score two devastating knockouts over veterans Darrell Woods and Sherwin Davis.
“I am not going to make any excuses for the Miranda fight,” said Green, who brings a 25-1, 18 KO’s record into the fight. “Miranda did what he had to do to beat me. I don’t think one fight should make or break any fighters’ career. I had major surgery after that fight and then I rallied for two wins. I am still in the Ring Magazine top ten and I have never ducked anyone in my career. Now I have to take care of Williams to continue on the road back. In fact I think Williams is a tougher fight than Ward.”
Since the loss to Lacy, Williams’ career has all but stalled. Williams last fought to a draw with former three-time world title challenger Antwun Echols on January 12, 2007.
“I definitely have not been as active as I would have wanted,” said Williams, who hails from Detroit, MI. “I made a lot of bad decisions and had some major managerial issues that kept me sidelined more than I would have liked. I went out for the Contender and that took a lot of time as well, and left me unavailable for some good fights that I did get offered. But I am ready to get going and I know a win over Allan on January 4th would put me right where I want to be.”
The Green-Williams fight is scheduled for 10 rounds and will be televised live by ESPN2. Former world title challenger Zahir Raheem looks to start 2008 in a big way as he is scheduled to face Francisco Dominguez in the 10 round co-feature.