Mohegan Sun's Rising Stars Boxing Series Local Fighter Spotlight: Nate Green "He's in T
New Haven, CT: In an eight-round featherweight showdown for New Haven bragging rights, Elm City's Nate Green (9-0, 2 KOs) takes on long-time cross town rival and New Haven native, Josh Crespo (7-5-3, 3 KOs). The bout will be presented as the co-feature on the Thursday, October 5 installment of the Mohegan Sun's Rising Stars Boxing Series. The bad blood between Green and Crespo goes back to Green's professional debut in 2011 when he handed Crespo his first loss.
Since their 2011 match-up, the two have crossed paths professionally at various times. When Crespo traveled to Rochester, NY three years later to defeat Sammy Rodriguez in Rodriguez' hometown, Green worked Crespo's corner. According to Green, "After I beat him, he came to my gym and he was training with my club. Then he left my gym and he needed a coach because he had a fight. He asked me to be in his corner. I had to give him instructions during the fight and I was his head coach" Green continued. "It's crazy to me that he thinks he's going to be able to beat me when he used me to get a win. One of his wins is because of me!"
It is this inside knowledge, coupled with his previous win over Crespo, that has convinced Green he will dominate Crespo on Oct. 5. He added, "I know what he's good at and I know what he's not good at. That's why he used me [in his corner]. "He knows I know what he does best and what he's good at. I guess that's why he wanted me to be in his corner."
Despite assertions to the contrary from Crespo, Green does not believe there is any tension between himself and his opponent. "I don't think it's bad blood," said Green. "I don't know. He was talking junk like some people talk some junk while somebody around him almost talks at him junk. But come October 5th, he's going out there, he's gonna eat his words and nobody's going to be able to fight for him. So, he's in trouble!" Green continued, "He just better be ready and I hope he's in great condition. I just don't want no excuses after this. Because every time he loses it's always: It's because this happened and that happened. Man, no excuses man. When you lose it's because I'm better. Even his fans are going to want to cheer for me after they see what I do to him."
Green not only sees this fight as a chance to secure New Haven bragging rights against his long-time rival. It is also an opportunity to step up in weight for the first time to the featherweight division. His previous fights have been at bantamweight. When asked how he sees the future after this fight Green was emphatic. "I just want to be able to fight more consistently. Having the talent that I have (there) shouldn't be no reason why I'm not on any of these cards and I'm not fighting more actively. That's all I hope to achieve is that I just continue to fight. This will be my second fight back to back so I just want to continue fighting and not take no more setbacks. Just keep moving up the ladder and ultimately fight for a world title."
About October 5: The Mohegan Sun's Rising Stars Boxing Series hosts its third installment with a rare Thursday Night edition at the Arena at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Main Event features a ten-round middleweight match-up between Rising Stars' staple Vaughn Alexander and former middleweight title contender Elvin Ayala. The series is presented by Mohegan Sun and Main Events and feature boxing prospects from New England and around the world. Tickets start at $40 and are available now through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun box office.
