Mean Joe Greene RETURNS: BOXING NEWS

Junior middleweight contender “Mean” Joe Greene (23-1, 15 KOs) returned to action on Saturday by scoring a TKO 6 over durable veteran William “Pete” Johnson.

Fighting at the Grand Ballroom at Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Greene showed no rust from his time off, throwing over 100 punches per round and finally getting the TKO at 2:16.

It was the perfect tune-up for Greene who was making his first appearance since suffering his first loss in June 2010, a unanimous decision against Vanes Martirosyan.

“Joe looked sensational tonight and showed no ring rust whatsoever. He was in terrific shape and looked as sharp as ever against a tough guy who was determined to make the final bell,” said Greene’s promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions. “We couldn’t be happier with his performance. Clearly, he’s got his focus back and is once again an extremely dangerous threat to any other junior middleweight in the world.”

Cohen says the 25-year-old southpaw will head back to the gym immediately to continue training.

“Joe is hungry again and you just can’t keep him out of the gym. He’s ready to show the world what he’s truly made of. We’ll sit down with him and his people and decide if another tune-up fight is needed or if we’ll just start talking to some of the other top contenders and champions in the division about getting in the ring with him. 2012 is going to be a great year for Joe, but not so much for his opponents.”