Fenech slams 'criminal' title fight.

Fenech slams 'criminal' title fight

Jamie Pandaram (SMH - July 19 2010)


JEFF FENECH has described Danny Green's fight against Paul Briggs as ''criminal'' and believes only a miracle can save Briggs from a painful battering on Wednesday night.

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''What Danny Green is doing to Paul Briggs is criminal, when you give someone six weeks to prepare for a world title fight it is criminal,'' Fenech said. ''Briggsy has been out for more than three years. Your body cannot get back in shape in six weeks. It's impossible.

''Paul has got a puncher's chance but if he doesn't catch Danny early, he has no chance. This is another nail in the coffin for boxing. Why do you think the [NSW Combat Sports] Authority stopped it from going ahead in NSW?''

The statements are extraordinary given Fenech's involvement in Briggs's training camp, but the former world champion expects an early knockout victory for Green, who said the fight was signed nine weeks ago and Briggs had approached him in February.

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''He has offered Paul a good pay day, and that is all that is exciting to Paul. If they'd given me three-and-a-half months to work with Paul, I would have convinced the authority he was ready, but I haven't been here. Briggsy is not the underdog, he is the under, under, underdog.''

Fenech even suggested mixed martial arts would take over in Australia because of the promotions of Green and his rival Anthony Mundine.

''It's not Green Machine, it's Green-Mundine, they're both doing the same thing, fighting washed-up guys. Fight somebody with some credibility, don't fight 35-year-old guys [Briggs turns 35 in August] who haven't been in the ring for years,'' Fenech said. ''Boxing is dying. When Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather retire, there is nobody else who can sell. MMA will just take over.''

Green responded: ''Thanks for your sentiments Jeff, as usual, all class from a classy guy. Because he is not needed or wanted [in Briggs's corner], he has simply turned on them, which seems to be a pattern he routinely follows.''

He added that Briggs is only trying to make himself feel better by downplaying his recent achievements of knocking out Roy Jones jnr and Manny Siaca, and vowed to finish the world title fight early.

''When I beat Roy Jones jnr, he was jumping up and down in the commentator's seat, and now he wants to bag that result. He is just trying to make himself feel more comfortable,'' Green said. ''If I catch him [Briggs] I'm finishing him early, I don't give anybody chances.''

 

I disagree with a lot of what Fenech writes, including some of this article, but there's also sadly a lot of truth there.

People have a right to be concerned about this bout - anyone that doesn't see it as a mis-match just doesn't want to look hard enough.

 

Fenech certainly has a history of turn-coating Roscoe - with you on that one.

 

It's hilarious how the media will blindly announce or print stuff about boxing that is just factually incorrect too Jet.

The morning after Mundine v Jerez, the Melbourne sports radio station were going on about how Mundine had won another world title the previous night and now held titles in this many divisions, blah, blah, bull****!

I reckon they were more than likely fed that crap by people knowing they'd be silly enough to run with it.