Written by Seb Costello
Boxing world champion Danny Green has slammed one-punch attackers as “extremely gutless cowards” ahead of the launch of his latest “Coward’s Punch” TV campaign.
“No one respects it. It’s unnecessary,” Green told A Current Affair, while discussing the issue.
In 2012, Green founded “Coward’s Punch” to campaign against street violence.
The organisation’s latest TV commercial features a distraught mother and father waiting in an intensive care unit, as their son fights for life.
As a nurse explains to the couple that the situation is terminal, the focus of the advertisement switches to the man who’s decision to throw a punch has effectively ended a life.
The new advertisement has aired for the first time on A Current Affair.
It’s a powerful snapshot of the type of tragedy that has affected families like Jon and Heidi Walker.
In May 2017 the Walker’s 22-year-old son, Jaiden, was struck in Melbourne’s CDB.
Five days later, Jaiden’s surgeon’s told Jon, there was nothing more they could do.
“I got up and ran out. I couldn’t deal with it. I remember just running down the hallway to where (Jaiden) was and I think actually shook him to try and just wake him up because I just couldn’t believe it,” Jon told A Current Affair.
“It’s been four years now. People say that it’ll heal with time. But it doesn’t. Every single day we go through the same thing. It just doesn’t get any easier at all,” Jon said.
Former Victorian Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, is a board member of the Coward’s Punch.
“I think what that campaign tries to say is: the consequences of your action can be that someone dies, that you take the life of another for a stupid act,” Ms Nixon said.
As Chief Commissioner Ms Nixon saw the full costs of street violence on society in terms of legal and medical resources.
“Those people I’ve seen who’ve survived the coward punch have had significant physical damage done, that in many cases they don’t recover from. That’s millions and millions in costs,” she said.
Green’s first TV campaign was in 2014.
New research shows that between 2014 and 2018 fatal “coward punch” attacks have dropped by 50 per cent.
Green said he will continue to campaign on changing the perception of these acts of violence.
“What’s not brave is someone thinking that they can walk up and crack someone, particularly when the person doesn’t know it’s coming, (the attacker) is so piss weak,” Green said.
If you would like to view the A Current Affair segment, click here.
