Sydney Entertainment Centre. Green weighed up at a career high of 199.7 pounds and Tarver at 196.7. Tarver has dropped some 35 pounds since his last bout which was his heavyweight debut against Dominican Nagy Aguilera. In that contest he tipped the scales at 232 so it a fair presumption he has put some sweat on the boards.
Danny Greens record – won 31 (KO 27) + lost 3 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 34.
Antonion Tarvers record – won 28 (KO 19) + lost 6 (KO 0) + drawn 0 = 34
Tarver ring walk is led by a bevy of stunners holding aloft American flags. If these girls are American GOD BLESS AMERICA! Through the ropes he goes and to a corner to pray. Tarver doesn’t appear at all overawed at fighting in Greens Australian backyard.
Greens ring walk starts with a big-screen highlight reel montage of his prior fights…we hear the song that accompanies Green ring walks “I come from a land down under” sun by Aussie rockers Men at Work.
Crowd goes ballistic for their hometown hero. He looks all business on his ring walk and as usual appears in good nick.
Tarver takes his bright blue Robe off and looks in great nick. Really has sorted out his condition since his last fight, nine months ago, with Aguilera. Carrying no excess around the midriff he looks more like twenty two then forty two. If condition is anything to go by Tarver hasn’t turned up just to collect a pay cheque.
National anthems of America is sung, followed by the Australia. They guy singing the Australian anthem looks like he got lost in a 1980s time warp.
It’s fight time.
Round 1:
Tarver look relaxed. Green throws out a jab. Tarver noticeably taller. Green aggressive, coming forward throwing strongly off both hands.
Green is very, very aggressive in the opening stanza. Really looking to take the fight to Tarver.
Both men come together. Green slips. Tarver throws a straight left driving Green back in to the ropes. Great shot!
It would appear Greens game plan is to walk the older man down backed with heavy shots of both wings. No surprises there his career is based on stalk and shoot hard shots.
Tarver trying to work the 1-2 down the chute.
Tarver getting busier and lands a straight left. Green again felt his power.
Tarver misses with a hail Mary! Had KO written all over it but just short of it’s mark.
Tarver definitely here with some bad intent.
Even round due to Greens early work but Tarver evened up the slate in the latter round.
Round 2:
Tarver lands a lovely left shot.
Green not as buillish as the first round. Perhaps feeling Tarvers power early has forced him to adjust.
Tarver coming forward. Whoa! Green is sat down with a left uppercut. Great shot! Well timed. Green bounces straight back up.
Ref counts and Green lets him know he’s good to go.
Appears Green is having problems dealing with the Southpaw stance. Which doesn’t auger well.
Tarvers power is telling. The taller man looks to be the stronger man.
Green looking for the straight left. Think he’s hallmarked it as the money shot and why not because when it lands it forces Green on to the back foot meaning Tarver can dictate from the outside.
End or round. Definitively Tarver due to sitting Green down.
Round 3:
Tarver fighting from the outside.
Green lurches forward but doesn’t land.
Tarver trying to walk his man down looking for the straight left down the chute.
Green told by the ref to stop holding.
Tarver is definitely on the hunt for the 1-2 right –left down the middle.
It’s obvious Greens intention is to use his metric advantage. Work off his right hand jab while looking to shoot his straight left of the back of his sniping jab.
Working against the ropes a Tarver short Left rocks Greens head backwards.
Green has tasted Tarvers power and given he’s fighting off the back foot which is very unlike Danny Green it would appear he didn’t like the taste.
End of round. Tarver round. Coming forward. More punches landed.
Round 4:
Tarver bullying Green. Green not used to being the bully. That’s usually his role.
Fighting from a distance Tarvers dictating the pace and that will suit him.
Green fighting off the back foot looking to counter. Almost feels unnatural to write that given Greens career has being based on coming forward throwing high volumes of punches.
Great long left sneaks through from Tarver.
It’s a clinic. Tarver dominating. Tarvers like a teacher giving a lesson to a pupil. Jimmy Williams Tarvers trainer stated pre-fight this is “skill versus will”. Skill is definitely dominating to this point.
Green sneaks through two right hands that don’t appear to phase Tarver.
Tarvers flicking jab keeping Green at bay.
Green looking for the counter but in doing so has abandoned what has worked for him best in his career; aggression coupled with a lot of punches.
End of round. Another Tarver round. Coming forward. Forcing the fight, landing the more telling shots.
Round 5:
Tarver continuing to fight long and he should be given the success to this point.
Tarver looking really composed in there. Tarver dictating the pace of the fight and it should suit his older legs.
Tarvers jab a great range finder as he looks to set up the straight left.
Green throws a low shot and the ref gives him a warning to keep them up.
Green looks like a wizard without a wand. Tarvers jab simply neutralizing anything Green is looking to conjure.
Round 6:
Tarver continuing to fight long. Great uppercut landed by Tarver.
Tarver bullying Green, picking him apart like a hungry vulture.
Another Tarver left hand down the chute lands on the money. Green doesn’t seem to be able to pick that shot off.
Tarver is barely blowing…in fact he doesn’t appear to be sweating.
Green coming forward, lands a right hand. Good moment for him. Needs more of this if he is to stay in this fight.
Greens counterpunching strategy needs rethinking. Tarver is using his reach to great effect and walking away with this fight…actually more running away with.
End of round. More of the same. Tarver in a relaxed and controlled canter.
Round 7.
Green needs a new plan, plain and simple. Fighting of the back foot has not worked to this point but I think the power of Tarver has forced his hand to take that route.
Green corner need to open up the tool box and find a new set of plans that can be used to upset Tarver.
Green digs some nice body shots. Could be looking to slow the Tarver onslaught up by going to the older man’s body.
Green lands a right hand shot, Tarver a left. Tarver may be stunned from that shot. First clean shot Green has landed at it looks to have made a dent.
Tarver now fighting hunched forward. The earlier bodywork may too have hurt Tarver.
Green now coming forward. The earlier right hand shot may have given him confidence.
Green now getting busy, his best round by far. Green has found some Mo-Jo. He needs to find some more.
End of round. Green round. Took the fight to Tarver fighting off the front foot and he needs to replicate for the remainder.
Round 8:
If Green is to bring himself back in to this fight it has to be off the front foot.
Tarver looking to re-establish the length working off his jab. Tarver know back to fighting tall.
Green comes forward lands a good right hand. Tarver replies in kind with a left hand shot.
Great 1-2 down the tubes lands for Tarver.
Tarver back to fighting behind his jab. The jab has upset Greens rhythm all night long.
Tarver walks on to a right hand, wears it well. Green needs a KO to win this fight. That simple.
Both guys got whiskers. Neither have ever being stopped.
Tarver round. Busier, controlled the round. Landed the more meaningful shots.
Round 9:
Tarver barely sweating. He should at least do we the viewers the good service of sweating just to show us he is human. Must be making a lot of men his age and younger feel inadequate. Tarver is on top of his game at the not so tender age of forty two.
Green throwing short, nothing but air. Tarver lands a nice left hand counter.
Green trying to fight off the front foot. Green digs to the body. Digs another shot to the body.
Tarvers power seems to have dissuaded the volume punching style we are used to seeing from Green. Throwing single shots not punches in bunches like he needs to be.
Short right from Green.
Green against the ropes Tarver unloads…throwing left- rights…right- left…every shot imaginable and they’re landing. Green stumbles under the sheer volume of shots he’s wearing. End of round. Green is all over the place and tries to embrace Tarver like it’s the end of the fight…I think he thinks it’s the end of the fight. Green is gone!
Angelo Hyders Greens trainer is going to have to make a decision. Brendan Green, Danny Greens brother, and co-corner-man has called the fight off. Very good decision made by Brendan. Green was gone.
Tarver wins by TKO stoppage. First man to stop the Australian.
Very good fight.
Brilliant night out for the American. His skills and tactical wherewithal were simply overwhelming tonight. Just as Jimmy Williams called it.
Buddy McGirt his co-trainer is ecstatic! And he should be.
Antonio Tarver is announced the winner. Danny Green comes across to congratulate him.
Tarver “ thank you Sydney…he hurt me twice…but I couldn’t let him know that…thanks Danny Green for this fight and the great promotion…I fought with pride…” (paraphrased).
Green “what can I say…just want to apologies…thank you Antonio…he fought a great fight…so gutted…sorry to the fans (eyes welled up with tears)…just goes to show forty two is only a number…right now I just want to chill out and take stock…so sorry (to the fans)” (paraphrases).
With Tarver winning this fight and Bernard Hopkins recent feats is the forties the new twenties? Not to mention the best heavyweight in the world just turned forty years of age.