Green's sparring session with Toney

[Kev]

Don't know what Green would have been thinking... Toney absolutely played with him, talking trash the whole time and landing huge rights whenever he felt like it... And Green was really really playing into Toney's abilities just trying to hurt him with everything he could throw.. Did Toney pay him for the target practice I wonder?

It's sparring and he was a sparring partner for Toney not the other way around. A sparring partner's job especially one of Toney's is to just be a punching bag and a recipticle of abuse.

Im not sure that's true though... I heard that Green actually called Toney out and challenged him to a sparring session. I mean this was only a couple of years ago, so what good would sparring a SMW do for Toney, when campaigning at HW for the championship

Danny Green would be the last boxer in the world to call someone out and challenge them to a sparring session the guy is a perfect gentleman. I've never heard that story but I'd say 99% certain that that never happened Green just ain't the kind of guy to get involved with smack talking a guy like James Toney.

Apparently not. From the stories I've heard he had been calling James out and saying he wouldn't show up in his days of training there and saying he would beat him up and that Toney wasn't at camp the first few days, but on the last day, Toney came, and the rest is history

I found this from a segment of a Danny Green interview. The whole interview is here http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Harrison/Dickey030105.htm.

The bit that relates to Toney is below.

T.D.: You had a much talked about sparring session in Hollywood, California recently with James Toney, there have been a lot of versions over the internet of what happened during that session, what is your version of what happened?

GREEN: You know Jeff asked me, do you want to spar with James Toney? I said yeah sure, I'd love an opportunity to fight with him. I grew up watching James Toney, I watched a lot of his fights, and I watched him knock out Michael Nunn. The guy's unbelievable, he's a great great fighter, and I was always a big fan. But, I was a little bit disappointed with the way he spoke during the sparring session. You know he was like 250 pounds, and I was like 175 pounds max. There was a huge weight difference. But, he gave me some good shots, and he took some good shots. I was just having fun, honestly the experience was enjoyable for me, I don't tend to take things too seriously. I think he got upset with me by the way I was joking at the start. But, I wasn't being disrespectful, that's just my nature. I'm easy going and a bit of a prankster, and I like to relax and have fun. I went in the ring and had a go, and I enjoyed it. But there was a bit of talking and shit going on. It was nice to have the chance to spar with James Toney, it was a thrill, it was unreal. I guess I was a bit disappointed with the way it ended on bad terms. But, he's a professional fighter, and he knows why he does the things he does. Bottom line was that it was an honor for me to step in there with one of the pound for pound best fighters. For a big guy, he's so skillful, and so slick. It was unreal, I had a ball. I actually enjoyed it, it was a great fight. There was a lot of talk that he bloodied my nose, and did this and that. I get a bloody nose at dinner. I was proud of the way I held my own against a heavyweight.


Green has only ever come across as respectful to me, I still don't see him as talking shit to Toney beforehand, it's just not his style.