As both men prepare to do battle June 19th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland CA, Fight Hub TV had a chance to sit in on the conference call between Allan Green and WBA Super middleweight champion Andre Ward. Below are some of the highlights from both fighters.
Andre Ward on Allan Green:
“I don’t know if I can compare Allan with anyone I’ve ever fought before. At the end of the day each fighter has his own strengths and his own weaknesses. If you’re going to become a great fighter you have to learn to exploit his weaknesses so that’s what we’re working on. But I don’t get caught up in trying to compare this guy with that. At the end of the day I look at June 19 as a fresh night. And it’s all about showing up on that night. So even though we’ve studied tape I expect a better Allan Green than what I’ve seen on tape. I’ve prepared myself mentally for this to be the toughest fight of my career.
Andre Ward on Allan Green and his trash talking:
Allan Green has had some negative things to say about you. Has that bothered you?
“Bother me? No. Use them? Absolutely. I don’t read a lot of press before the fight but I get people coming up to me all the time saying, ‘Did you hear this or did you hear that?’ I’ve been like since the amateurs but for some reason I live like a lamb before the fight. I’ve heard his comments on Fight Camp 360 and you better believe I use that. It bothers me in a good way because I constantly have something to prove and that’s what not a lot of people realize. I think a lot of people think I’m coming in here really well rested and really enjoying the fact that I’ve got a championship. But it’s been all work. For me, I try to say as little as possible before a fight. I’m not going to stand there and get pushed down or get bullied but at the end of the day I just shut my mouth, work hard and take care of business. So that’s what I plan on doing 11 days from now.
Andre Ward on his fight in general:
“If he (Green) has a chip on his shoulder then that makes two of us. I’ve been away from my family for a long time. I’m a bit irritable. He’s desperate to win but I want to keep my title. I don’t know if it’s now or it it’s later but I know eventually I’m going to get respect for the dog that’s in me and for the bite down that I have. It’s about going out there and taking care of my business. I expect him to have a chip on his shoulder because I definitely have one on mine. It’s just go time. At some point the talking just stops and it’s about just showing up. If Allan Green beats me I’ll take my hat off to him. I don’t make excuses. And I expect the same from him if I beat him. What I’m prepared for is a dog fight. I’m prepared for anything he’s got.”
Allan Green on his recent knee injury:
“My right knee is fine. We’ve had no issues with the knee throughout our entire training camp. Coming off of surgery there are certain things you need to do in rehabilitation just to keep the muscles and the hamstring and all the different muscles that wrap around the knee; just keeping them strong. The knee has really been a non-issue in this camp.
Allan Green on Ward as a opponent:
“Andre looked great against Kessler but I’m not Kessler. Mikkel Kessler really couldn’t deal with a lot of things that Andre was doing. I’m slick guy and I’m a sharp guy. I’ll fight however my opponent wants to fight. If I have to be slick I’ll be slick. If I have to box I will box. If I have to brawl I’ll brawl. I expect a thinking match. I can’t give my game plan. Andre is not the easiest guy to fight with his style but I understand how to fight him because I fought a lot of those guys in the amateurs. I understand his style.
Allan Green on not being included in the tournament in the first place:
“I think I belonged in the tournament originally. As far as (Andre) Dirrell goes I don’t think he was ready. The thing I didn’t understand was Jermain Taylor getting into the tournament. No offense against Jermain but we fought on the same show and I won my fight and he lost his fight. I got pushed back to ShoBox and he got put into the tournament. That’s what I didn’t understand.
Allan Green on winning
“I’m not coming into this tournament thinking about points. I’m thinking about victories. With victories come points. I don’t want to put any more pressure on myself than I already have. The only points I’m worried about are the points in the fight. And that’s up to the judges. So I can’t worry about that. I can’t put pressure on myself like that.
