Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Danny Green's open letter to Roy Jones Jr -- Daily Telegraph

By Danny Green, The Daily Telegraph

Championship Training / Heart of a ChampionHi Roy,

It's Danny here. I have for months listened to an endless series of excuses and false allegations that you and your camp have made in the media and on the internet as to the reasons why I beat you in our fight last December.

It is now time that I had my say and let the public know the truth about you and what went on in the fight.

December 2, 2009, is a night in my life that cannot ever be tarnished.

It is a night that featured one of the greatest sporting upsets in my great country's proud history - one for the battler and the underdog.

I was a 5/1 outsider to lose to you Roy, so much so that you had begun counting your money from the upcoming Bernard Hopkins rematch you so arrogantly flaunted while on your seemingly "done-deal" trip Down Under to collect a payday against a sure thing.

Just like the title of one of your hip-hop albums Roy, "Y'all musta forgot" that I am not just an easybeat opponent with the power and hunger that I possess, and now you know that, mate. The smile still creases my face at the thought of those glorious 122 seconds that made a nation cheer.

You said immediately after the fight the better man won and held up my hand as the victor. But since that night you have offered one sorry excuse after another as to why I beat you, including to your eternal discredit falsely alleging that I cheated.

It's time for you to face the facts.

The day after the fight you complained the referee stopped it early.

C'mon Roy, did you want to leave the stadium in an ambulance?

The referee acted to protect you, as he was required to after 46 unanswered punches.

When you returned to America you complained that the gloves we gave you to use were not satisfactory.

Roy, it's time you looked hard at not getting hit in the head ever again mate - you supplied and used your own gloves.

You then alleged that my hand wraps were illegal, as I had wrapped them to make an illegal cast to hit you with. This is a low blow as you are saying that I cheated to beat you.

Given your lies it is time the facts came out:

* THE hand wraps were the same wraps I used in five previous world title fights, in Germany, Montreal, Australia and even in the fight in Mississippi that set our blockbuster bout up, under your own governing body's jurisdiction;

* MY hand wraps were personally inspected by three independent inspectors of the NSW Combat Sports Authority and they each certified that my wraps were legal and gave me no advantage whatsoever. They did this by visual inspection and by physical inspection to confirm that the bandaging was soft;

* IN an attempt to unsettle me before the fight, your representatives in my dressing room specifically complained to the independent inspectors about the hand wraps and the inspectors inspected them again and ruled that the wraps were fine;

* YOUR complaint that you have been denied due process is embarrassing. Your complaint was ruled upon before the fight by the independent inspectors and found to be baseless. You have no more right to challenge that decision after the fight than a decision of the referee;

* WE had expert opinion from international boxing icons coming to my defence, agreeing your complaint was nothing but sour grapes; and

* THE only people who are suggesting that there was any problem with my wraps are people in your camp, who would also profit from you continuing to fight.

Roy, you know how the age-old saying goes - the mark of a true champion is how they accept defeat.

When the time came for you to stand up and show the world what type of champion you were, well, let's just say, you sat down.

You then flew back to America and went into damage control in an attempt to salvage the Hopkins rematch that had now been derailed due to your annihilation.

It's obvious you were clutching at straws, but it was to my detriment. You got a lot of mileage out of those allegations, so much so that the Hopkins fight is going ahead. It is now time for you to stand up again and to stop the excuses, as it is damaging your reputation and spoiling your legacy. It is time for you to be a man and accept that the better man beat you on the night.

My coach and I dissected your game punch by punch, and I did a number on you that memorable night.

It is time for you to accept your defeat like a true champion rather than as a sore loser. You may have secured yourself another payday by carrying on, but one thing you can never do is erase the utter jubilation and cherished memories from the night an underdog took down a legend.

Thanks for the opportunity, Roy.

Regards, Danny

Source: dailytelegraph.com.au

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