Against Tarver, Green looked out of sorts all night. Seemingly unable to avoid the American southpaw’s long left cross, he was dropped in the second round and despite a strong seventh round, was battered in the ninth before his corner stopped the fight. With the win Tarver annexed Green’s IBO championship but was stripped of the title in his follow-up bout with Lateef Kayode after testing positive to the banned steroid Drostalolone.
“I was born with power and certainly don’t need drugs to increase it,” says Cameron. “I know I’m the stronger guy in this fight and if one of my punches really lands, it’s going to be a bad night… for Danny Green.”
A career heavyweight until 2010, Cameron has gone 3-0 in the 200lb division including a spectacular 12th round knockout of former Commonwealth champion Dominic Vea on the undercard of Green-Tarver in July last year. In his sole excursion to heavyweight in the last two years, Cameron weighed in at a relatively svelte 214 ¾ pounds to starch former world title challenger Monte Barrett in four rounds last July.
The fight with Green has been brewing since the Vea knockout but Green’s losses to Tarver and Wlodarczk had put the fight on hold. A confidence boosting 5th round TKO of two-time world title challenger Danny Santiago by Green in July has made the fight viable once again.
“This is big for me, I’m not going to let this slip away,” says Cameron. “I’m not going to let Danny Green dictate whatever he wants to do. I’m going in there to win that belt. However I do it, I want to win that fight.”
Cameron’s last loss was to former heavyweight world title challenger and fellow Kiwi David Tua in 2009. The big-punching Tua jumped on the “Mountain Man” from the first bell, dropping Cameron twice in the first round and finishing him off in the second.
“It was the first time I had no nerves,” says Cameron of the fight. “It was the biggest fight for me back then. It didn’t work for me, I was too relaxed, I was too blasé about things. I didn’t respect David enough. I have changed that since then and I respect every opponent who’s in front of me. It makes me train harder and keeps me sharp.”
With not only the IBO title at stake but also Trans-Tasman pride, do not expect any ANZAC spirit in the ring when the first bell rings on Wednesday night.
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