Sakio Bika re-issues challenge to Danny Green

 
FORMER world champion Sakio Bika has re-issued his long standing challenge for a bout with Danny Green. In the wake of growing speculation that Green will embark on another comeback to the ring in 2015,  Bika has called out the popular Western Australian to face him in what would be a brutal all-Australian showdown.

 
“I have wanted to fight Danny Green for many years, and if it’s true that he’s making a comeback again then he needs to return against a genuine opponent – I ask that he strongly considers facing me,” said Bika.

 
“If he wants to come back and fight against unknowns from overseas then there is not a lot of point – it is not what boxing here needs – so Danny may as well stay retired and enjoy his time with his family. But if he wants to make a great fight to entertain the Aussie fans, then he doesn’t need to look any further than me.”

 
Bika represented Cameroon at the 2000 Olympic Games, where Green fought for Australia, and the pair soon found themselves training together as professionals under the guidance of Jeff Fenech.

 
Those present for the countless rounds sparred between the two remember them for their relentlessness and brutality, and there is little doubt a bout between the pair would be amongst the toughest all-Australian clashes in recent memory.

 
“I first called out Danny Green I think six or seven years ago but he doesn’t ever want that fight, but now it feels like the right time. He needs a genuine opponent and somebody who will make a good fight, and I know that I will make a great fight with him,” said Bika.

 
“I think it is time for Danny to look at giving us Aussie fighters a share of his limelight too – which is not something he has done much, by bringing in overseas fighters a lot. There is a weight-difference between us but it is not huge and I am more than happy to move up in weight to make it happen.”

 
Bika is currently in consultation with his US advisor Al Haymon for his next bout, after losing his WBC super middleweight belt against Anthony Dirrell last year.

 
The boxer says that Haymon has a number of options for his return fight in the US, but is happy to consider a bout on Australian soil if it is a big enough event, and a clash with Green certainly falls into that category.

 
Green has been in hiatus since his IBO cruiserweight title victory over New Zealand’s Shane Cameron in November 2012. However there is increased speculation in recent days that he is planning a comeback with a possible end-goal being a lucrative return bout with long-time rival Anthony Mundine.

 
 
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