Even with all the smoke and mirrors, and bluster and misdirection that is the world of professional boxing, Danny Green wants people to know one thing has remained constant throughout a decade of rivalry with Anthony Mundine.
"There's no relationship. There's no relationship whatsoever. There is zero relationship," Green said. "It really is as simple as that."
On Friday night, the pair will meet in the middle of Adelaide Oval in what will be the final appearance in the ring for both men. It will be the official end of more than 10 years of bitterness between two men who have no desire to reconcile once they lay down their gloves.
Local ticket sales have been strong, but the bout hardly has electricity crackling throughout the land, as did their first meeting in 2006, which Mundine won comfortably. Green is now 43, while Mundine, 41, has not fought since 2015. There will be no belts on offer, nor the promise of title shots in the future.
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What has sustained the interest is the poisonous dynamic between the pair. They are poles apart in their politics, their support base and, yes, their skin colour. Rarely has a Mundine fight passed without race, heritage and culture becoming a central feature.
For a duo who have been intrinsically connected in their professions, what may surprise outsiders is the astonishing lack of interaction over the years. They have crossed paths barely a handful of times, Green says, none of which changed his opinion of the former rugby league star.
"I've seen him in the flesh once when we agreed on this fight, I saw him when we fought and I've seen him twice on TV appearances before that, where we had to be amicable," Green said. "We don't have a relationship whatsoever.
"He doesn't push my buttons at all. I have no emotion towards him. I don't care about him. I don't think about him. I'm not invested in him enough to even give him a second thought."
Green does, though, challenge Mundine on his framing of the fight along racial lines. Green said he refused to be cast as some sort of oppressor and turned the heat back on Mundine, who he believes has squandered his celebrity, excluding worthy causes while focusing solely on indigenous issues.
"He's right in one sense," Green said. "If we look in the mirror, he's kind of correct. His skin is brown, mine is white. But that's where it stops.
"Anyway, he's full of shit. He's like a reverse racist. What does he do for any other parts of the community, aside from his Indigenous community?
"He doesn't go into other parts of the community. A lot of Australians do go and help out the Indigenous community, as they should. So do I. But we should support all walks of life.
"We have a diverse range of cultures and walks of life. To just pigeonhole yourself to one culture, it's a bit narrow minded."
Green feels like he has earned every dollar in his pocket and every title shot he's had. As he's done throughout his career, he has approached this fight with the same relentless work ethic that has become one of his trademarks.
But he's not above admitting how profitable it has been to find a Lex Luthor to his Superman. While Mundine continues to insist Green would be a bar brawler if not for his celebrity and promotional talents, Green says their spite has been mutually beneficial.
"Without doubt," he said. "We're both very fortunate to have had one of the longest rivalries in Australian sport. And it's been a great for our careers, to be honest. He knows that and I know that.
"I accept that and he does, too. Without doubt, there would not have been as much anticipation to some of the fights.
"It's pretty wild. We've both put ourselves in the position and been on the world stage for a long time, but my resume is much stronger than his."
This is the final hurrah for Green, who, along with Mundine and Daniel Geale, have been the staples of the Australian scene in recent history. That mantle has now been passed to the likes of Jeff Horn, whose management remain in negotiations to bring Manny Pacquiao to Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
For the Perth native, having the last laugh over Mundine would be eternally satisfying.
"The excitement and adrenalin never leaves you," Green said. "This will be my last fight and to finish at the Adelaide Oval on high against Choc, that's the perfect way to go out."
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