So instead of letting people in to understand that walk, Green withdrew.
“I’m a very quiet person,” he said.
Ultimately, Green figured it all out, and with a clean bill of health, he was ready to get down to the fun part in Milwaukee. Well, almost.
“Not even then,” he said of fight week. “You’ve still got weight to cut, and you’ve still got all these other worries. I’m afraid of heights, so the flight there is a big deal for me.”
He laughs.
“You’re gonna be nervous. You’re gonna have all those nerves and different things happening. That’s just part of it too. But once you actually get into the fight and it gets going, that’s the fun part. You’re free now.”
It’s 15 minutes of peace. Sometimes less, but it’s time when the only thing that matters is the fight. And if Green gets his hand raised when it’s over, he says “That’s the only good part about fighting. That 10-15 seconds of fame, the way you feel, that you set out a goal and actually conquered it, that’s the free feeling that I live for. But really, for me, fighting is the check and what I can do to help people around me. That’s what’s most important to me. My family counts on me.”
Is that the walk he’s talking about?
“After I win, I’m gonna tell everyone that this is for someone who’s been through depression, for someone who’s been through struggle,” Green said. “I’m trying to inspire people to keep pushing forward when they’re at their lowest. That’s what I’m about. For me, it’s different.”
