'There would have been bodies in the street'

Danny Green has revealed referee Frank Garza wanted to disqualify Anthony Mundine for his first round 'cheap shot', until Green talked him out of it.

Green got revenge for his 2006 loss to Mundine on Friday night, but he very nearly didn't make it out of the opening round.

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As Garza stepped in to break up the grappling fighters early in the bout, Mundine rocked Green with an illegal left hook while his opponent wasn't looking.

Green stumbled back to his corner and was forced to undergo tests with the ringside doctor, but was eventually cleared to continue.

However Green has now revealed Garza intended to DQ Mundine rather than just impose a point penalty.

"It was a very, very, very cheap shot," Green told 6PR radio.

"The referee was going to call the fight off and disqualify him and I've gone, 'No, that cannot happen. It'll be a nightmare, there'll be riots in the stands, there'll be riots around the country and there'll be bodies in the street.

"It couldn't happen. I had to hang tough and pull it together and somehow try and keep going."

Green also said Garza should have given him more time to recover from the blow.

"The referee also should have given me five minutes time to recover," Green said. "When you get a low blow you get five minutes, when you get literally knocked unconscious he didn't give me a second.

"It was disgraceful from the referee — he was a very poor referee and it was disappointing. It literally could have cost me the fight but I just had to stay in the game.

"I would rather end on my back than win the fight by disqualification so early."

The 43-year-old from Western Australia initially the 'cheap shot' was an accident, but has since changed his tone.

"I watched the replay so many times, he loaded that shot up...he tried very hard and I don't know why he did it. I hit him in the first 30 seconds with a really nice shot and I hurt him," Green said.

"I watched his eyes and I think he did it out of shock. He thought, ‘Any chance I get to crack this bloke ...' and he took that chance. It was a disgraceful shot.

"I think he had a shock and a bit of fear and panic. He saw an opportunity to have a shot and he took it, and it was the wrong thing to do."