Green loads up his $4m punch

[WelshDevilRob]

FOR weeks, Danny Green has been telling anyone willing to listen that his bout with Roy Jones Jr is the biggest in Australia's boxing history.

 

And maybe, he will have the pay packet to prove it. Just 10 days before the Acer Arena showdown, The Sunday Telegraph has learned Green could surpass Anthony Mundine's $3million collect from three years ago.

 

Industry insiders have suggested Green could earn close to $4m, and quite possibly more, due to a number of contributing factors, including:

 

> The fight being beamed into 15 countries, including the US, Canada, England, Malaysia and South Africa. A huge financial lure that the Mundine-Green fight failed to attract;

 

> Just 5000 tickets remain for the bout at Homebush, with an 18,000 sell-out "guaranteed'';

 

> Overwhelming demand for ringside seats has allowed ticketholders to auction seats on eBay for up to $1250;

 

> Demand for pay-per-view subscription at pubs and clubs is rivalled only by Green's fight with Mundine in 2006.

 

Jones Jr will arrive in Sydney today and will receive a guaranteed $3m. Luring the 40-year-old legend out of the US for the first time in his 54-fight career hasn't been a cheap exercise for Green's company, Green Machine promotions.

 

"Obviously he doesn't come cheaply,'' Green's manager Justin Monolikos said. "But I'm more than happy with the deal and I'm more than confident we'll cover the guarantee ($3m).''

 

It's believed that under the terms of the contract the two fighters will split everything down the middle, including, sponsorship, gate-takings, pubs and clubs subscription and home pay-per-view.

 

Asked if the rewards for Green would surpass Mundine's $3m in 2006, Monolikos said; "You never know. It may. It depends on pay-per-view numbers. The potential is there. It's looking good. But truthfully, we honestly don't find that out until a month after the fight when all the numbers are collated.''

 

Green's career-defining bout with Jones will be shown through US cable network Versus as a prelude to Bernard Hopkins' comeback fight with Enrique Ornelas. "It's massive exposure," Monolikos said. "Just to be the pre-fight to Hopkins will see us gain 10 times the exposure.''

 

However, Green suggested his desire to topple one of the most respected boxers in the world had little to do with money. "I could've just coasted along, still make good money and I don't even want to mention his name, but the rematch bloke,'' he said. "I could've gone on for other world titles, much easier fights, but I think this is the fight which will define my legacy in world boxing.''

 

Source:

www.dailytelegraph.com.au