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DANNY GREEN AND VIC DARCHINYAN ARE BOXING'S ODD
by: Nick Walshaw
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/boxing/danny-green-and-vic-darchinyan-are-boxings-odd/story-e6freygr-1226208186044
Nov 28 2011
Australia
DANNY Green has never eaten worse steak.
Meat tougher, he says, than Chinese arithmetic. Chips burned badly
too. Pausing only briefly in reflection before describing said meal,
overall, as (if) roadkill (nf).
"But, mate," the Aussie cruiserweights laughs, "when you've got a
mad little Armenian staring at your every bite . . . you eat the
bloody lot."
Sitting in a suite overlooking Scarborough beach in Perth, Green is
trying to explain one of the more unlikely mateships in a sport far
more accustomed to sneaks, rattlesnakes and the dodgy double cross.
A bond uniting Green - the fighter whose Facebook Army numbers 200,000
- with Vic Darchinyan, the naturalised Aussie whose own contribution
to technology goes no further than delayed text responses from his
mobile phone.
Green boasts three world titles and a (if) Dancing With The Stars
(nf) gig. Black eskies the newest feature of Australian boxing's
largest merchandise range.
Darchinyan, meanwhile . . . well, he owns eight gold straps and could
dance down George Street unnoticed.
Yet when in Sydney, this boxing Odd Couple (if) always (nf) eats
together. Shares gyms, friends, financial advisors, too. Darchinyan
this week telling us from LA that "whenever Danny wants a sparring
partner . . . he also knows I'm ready".
And now, within they space of five days, they will each fight for
prestigious world titles.
It starts this Wednesday in Perth, with Green fighting WBC champ
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in a bout which, US experts insist, will either
revive his career or force him into retirement.
Then on Sunday afternoon, Darchinyan becomes the first Aussie in
40 years to have an overseas title fight shown live on free-to-air
television - 7Mate screening from California his unification bout
with WBA Super Champion Anselmo Moreno.
Hard to believe it all started over butchered steak.
Back a decade when this pair of anonymous pugs, fresh from competing
at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, suddenly found themselves sharing a tiny
Bankstown unit at the request of their mutual trainer, Australian
great Jeff Fenech.
Darchinyan spoke little English. Green zero Armenian. "Which made
for plenty of hours," the cruiserweight laughs, "where we watched
the television in complete silence".
Yet not that very first night. No, that's when Green was greeted by
the little European warrior who, having sized up his new flatmate,
then deadpanned: "I cook, you eat."
Green, however, declined. Explaining how he wasn't (if) really (nf)
that hungry.
"At which point Vic turned and glared," Green recalls. "He was already
pulling this hunk of frozen meat from the fridge, looking at me like
'I told you I'm cooking so you will be f...ing eating. So yeah,
it was shithouse but though gritted teeth I ate the lot."
by: Nick Walshaw
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/boxing/danny-green-and-vic-darchinyan-are-boxings-odd/story-e6freygr-1226208186044
Nov 28 2011
Australia
DANNY Green has never eaten worse steak.
Meat tougher, he says, than Chinese arithmetic. Chips burned badly
too. Pausing only briefly in reflection before describing said meal,
overall, as (if) roadkill (nf).
"But, mate," the Aussie cruiserweights laughs, "when you've got a
mad little Armenian staring at your every bite . . . you eat the
bloody lot."
Sitting in a suite overlooking Scarborough beach in Perth, Green is
trying to explain one of the more unlikely mateships in a sport far
more accustomed to sneaks, rattlesnakes and the dodgy double cross.
A bond uniting Green - the fighter whose Facebook Army numbers 200,000
- with Vic Darchinyan, the naturalised Aussie whose own contribution
to technology goes no further than delayed text responses from his
mobile phone.
Green boasts three world titles and a (if) Dancing With The Stars
(nf) gig. Black eskies the newest feature of Australian boxing's
largest merchandise range.
Darchinyan, meanwhile . . . well, he owns eight gold straps and could
dance down George Street unnoticed.
Yet when in Sydney, this boxing Odd Couple (if) always (nf) eats
together. Shares gyms, friends, financial advisors, too. Darchinyan
this week telling us from LA that "whenever Danny wants a sparring
partner . . . he also knows I'm ready".
And now, within they space of five days, they will each fight for
prestigious world titles.
It starts this Wednesday in Perth, with Green fighting WBC champ
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in a bout which, US experts insist, will either
revive his career or force him into retirement.
Then on Sunday afternoon, Darchinyan becomes the first Aussie in
40 years to have an overseas title fight shown live on free-to-air
television - 7Mate screening from California his unification bout
with WBA Super Champion Anselmo Moreno.
Hard to believe it all started over butchered steak.
Back a decade when this pair of anonymous pugs, fresh from competing
at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, suddenly found themselves sharing a tiny
Bankstown unit at the request of their mutual trainer, Australian
great Jeff Fenech.
Darchinyan spoke little English. Green zero Armenian. "Which made
for plenty of hours," the cruiserweight laughs, "where we watched
the television in complete silence".
Yet not that very first night. No, that's when Green was greeted by
the little European warrior who, having sized up his new flatmate,
then deadpanned: "I cook, you eat."
Green, however, declined. Explaining how he wasn't (if) really (nf)
that hungry.
"At which point Vic turned and glared," Green recalls. "He was already
pulling this hunk of frozen meat from the fridge, looking at me like
'I told you I'm cooking so you will be f...ing eating. So yeah,
it was shithouse but though gritted teeth I ate the lot."