Green holds advantage in Mundine grudge match: Lewis

Talk of a rematch between two of the fiercest rivals in Australian boxing history has persisted in the decade since Mundine defeated Green by a comfortable points decision in front of 38,000 people at Allianz Stadium.

Following that bout at super-middleweight, Green went on to win world titles at light-heavyweight and cruiserweight – at which he earned a career-defining knockout victory over American legend Roy Jones Jr in 2009 – while Mundine moved in the other direction, aiming to become the first fighter to win multiple world titles descending in weight.

The weight issue proved the biggest obstacle to a rematch between the pair until both camps agreed on a catchweight of 83kgs for their February 3 clash.

Lewis believes it’s too big a jump from the 69 kilos Mundine fought at in his last bout, an 11^th round TKO loss to American Charles Hatley.

“The first time they met I thought that Anthony would be too good,” Lewis said.

“This time I do think that Danny Green should win. I think he’s too big for Anthony at this weight and I’d be very surprised if Danny doesn’t win this one.

“If you look back, I think one of the mistakes Choc made was that he was super-middleweight and he was going to be the first fighter to win titles coming down.

“I think most times he’s fought light he hasn’t gone too well, so much so that he’s been knocked out at the lower weights. I think he’ll be better at this weight but it’s still better suited for Danny.

“They’ve both been a great advertisement for the sport but putting everything into it’s proper perspective, weighing it all up Danny should win. I think he’ll be too powerful and punch too hard.”

While debate about Mundine and Green’s respective legacies will be a topic of debate even after they finally settle the score in the ring, Lewis’ stature in the sport is without question following confirmation that he will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June.

He will join two of his former pupils, three-weight world champion Jeff Fenech (2002) and former lineal junior-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu (2011) in boxing's most elite club.

He’s also guided the careers of world champions Jeff Harding and Gairy St Clair among a host of others.

“I’m very proud about it,” Lewis said.

“When I started out all I wanted to do was put something back into the Police Boys Club as it was called in those days.

“The first thing you think of is everybody I've ever trained has certainly contributed to [the induction] happening.

“It’s bit like the jockey and the horse. If the horse isn’t good enough the jockey’s not going to win the race and I’ve been blessed with some very, very good fighters and together it’s been a great journey.”

That philosophy of putting back into the sport has continued through Lewis’ ‘Jab by Johnny Lewis’ training accreditation program that will come to UOW Boxing Club on March 3-4.

The program, run with one his former fighters Eddie Younan, trains and qualifies fitness professionals to incorporate proper boxing techniques into their training programs.

“It was the brainchild of Eddie, one of my fighters from years ago as an amateur and professional, and it’s something I really believe in,” Lewis said.

“I travel around a fair bit and you do see a lot of people doing things the wrong way. We want to put a little bit back into the sport from what we’ve gathered over the years and hopefully we can help a few people who want to get into the training industry.

“It goes beyond people who want to box, it’s about training, learning and really enjoying the sport. We’re catering for the people who want to get into the industry and be part of it.”

Information on the Jab by Johnny Lewis program at www.jlfa.com.au