A boxing match between world champion Danny Green and a little-known hack called Paul Briggs ended in farce after Briggs went down in 29 seconds from what appeared a very soft punch.
However, after initially threatening not to pay Briggs for the fight, Green has now performed the ultimate backflip, claiming Paul Briggs didn’t take a dive and was legitimately hurt in Wednesday night’s controversial IBO cruiserweight title bout in Perth.
Green was left fuming last night when Briggs was counted out after copping a punch that merely grazed the top of his head, ending the bout just 29 seconds into the first round.
But on Thursday Green said he had changed his tune after viewing slow-motion vision of the punch.
The West Australian now believes nothing untoward occurred.
“I caught Briggs on the soft part on the skull on top of the head,” Green told a packed media conference.
“I viewed the footage this morning and slowed the footage down to an incredibly slow speed and I’m happy I did that, because you can actually see the blow that lands.
“To the naked eye it appears it hasn’t … (landed) but this is proof he’s been felled by a legitimate blow to the head and actually a brain stem kind of injury has occurred … it’s almost like a collision.
“He’s come in, I’ve gone ‘bang’ and that’s it, he’s gone down for the count.
“He was legitimately hurt.”
After the fight, Green threatened not to pay Briggs a cent, accusing the Queenslander of dogging it.
But Green confirmed on Thursday that Briggs would be paid in full, an amount believed to be in the vicinity of $250,000.
Briggs’ trainer Billy Hussein said Briggs went to hospital after the fight.
Serious doubts are being raised about the fight after several betting agencies experienced a huge plunge by punters on a first or second round knockout.
It was Briggs’ first fight since February, 2007.
