Justin Hurley
03-11-2005, 09:09 PM
Usual smack-talking stuff...
http://www.secondsout.com/USA/news.cfm?ccs=229&cs=15785
Toney signs with King, vows to get rid of Ruiz
By Ant Evans: Promoter Dan Goossen and leading
heavyweight James Toney have inked a long-term co-promotional deal with Don King, starting with a Mayor June mandatory challenge against WBA title-holder John Ruiz.
"Of all the options this was the best way forward," Goossen explained to SecondsOut. "Even though I think James is a young 37, every fight from here on in has to be a big fight. I've got a good working relationship with Don, and he does have all the other major heavyweights (bar Vitali) Klitschko under contract. I tried for four months to make James v Klitschko and soon I realised they were running scared of James and wanted nothing to do with him. Quite frankly, I got sick of Klitschko brick-walling me so it became apparent that working with Don was in all our best interests."
Although he has had but two genuine heavyweight bouts Toney immediately becomes King's most marketable fighter and if he can beat Ruiz (easier said than done) one can envision King doing everything in his power to establish Light's Out as the world's leading heavyweight - and that includes unification matches with IBF champ Chris Byrd and WBO title-holder Lamon Brewster.
"James now has access to everyone in the division except Klitschko, who doesn't want it anyway," Goossen said. "I've not got anywhere trying to convince Klitschko to fight James so we've gone with Don and now we're looking to do what Tyson did in the 1980s and just run through the entire division. With his pizzazz and personality, James will take over the heavyweight division."
This quest begins in early summer against the enormously unpopular and much derided Boston strong-boy Ruiz. Once known as 'the Quiet Man', WBA champ Ruiz has been extremely vocal in belittling former middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight world champion Toney's heavyweight credentials. You can imagine how smack-talker supremeLights Out responded...
"I'll make the fans and press happy by getting rid of this guy for you," Toney told SecondsOut. "The fans need a good fight and I'm 150% ready to go."
"There will be blood everywhere," Toney continued. "Not mine... his. I'm a young 37, I feel good, my body is strong and after Ruiz everyone will know who the dominant heavyweight champion is. I'm already the people's champion, the most marketable champion and belts don't define me. I just want to fight anyone who thinks they are the best.
"The heavyweight division is in bad shape but I will bring new light to it."
Now he has Toney on the books, the only major heavyweight player King hasn't got access to is WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who may find his position as the consensus best big man under fire if Toney becomes WBA champion.
Goossen said: "HBO and Ring magazine have tried to anoint Klitschko as the heir to the great heavyweights of the past but believing and seeing in this case are different things. HBO believes Klitschko is the best but the fans just don't see it. Even though he was fighting a guy in Danny Williams who was coming off a KO of Mike Tyson, Klitschko only drew 125,000 on pay-per-view in December which proves that no-one really is buying what certain people in the media are trying to sell in this guy."
But, hang on, Toney v Evander Holyfield in October 2003 did only 150,000 pay-per-view buys.
Goossen said: "James had been out of the limelight for eight, nine years and most people believed Holyfield was past it. Obviously we wanted more buys but when you take in the realisation of James been out of the public eye for so long it isn't that disappointing especially when compared to the numbers Klitschko - who has been given all this promotion by HBO and everyone else - did in December against Danny Williams.
"In his first fight back in the public eye James did better than Klitschko, who has been hyped all over the place. James's next appearance (v Rydell Booker) caused a 300% increase on Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period programme. That shows his popularity. James walks down Manhattan people know who he is; Klitschko walks down and people thinks he's a Russian shot-putter!
"The future success of this business is built on delivering big fights for the fans. Whether or not Klitschko wants to participate is up to him but once James knocks out Ruiz and then moves on to fight another title-holder or top contender and then another and another Vitali may realise that no-one believes that he is the best heavyweight anymore.
"By the end of this year, the heavyweight division will revolve around James Toney."
March 10, 2005
http://www.secondsout.com/USA/news.cfm?ccs=229&cs=15785
Toney signs with King, vows to get rid of Ruiz
By Ant Evans: Promoter Dan Goossen and leading
heavyweight James Toney have inked a long-term co-promotional deal with Don King, starting with a Mayor June mandatory challenge against WBA title-holder John Ruiz.
"Of all the options this was the best way forward," Goossen explained to SecondsOut. "Even though I think James is a young 37, every fight from here on in has to be a big fight. I've got a good working relationship with Don, and he does have all the other major heavyweights (bar Vitali) Klitschko under contract. I tried for four months to make James v Klitschko and soon I realised they were running scared of James and wanted nothing to do with him. Quite frankly, I got sick of Klitschko brick-walling me so it became apparent that working with Don was in all our best interests."
Although he has had but two genuine heavyweight bouts Toney immediately becomes King's most marketable fighter and if he can beat Ruiz (easier said than done) one can envision King doing everything in his power to establish Light's Out as the world's leading heavyweight - and that includes unification matches with IBF champ Chris Byrd and WBO title-holder Lamon Brewster.
"James now has access to everyone in the division except Klitschko, who doesn't want it anyway," Goossen said. "I've not got anywhere trying to convince Klitschko to fight James so we've gone with Don and now we're looking to do what Tyson did in the 1980s and just run through the entire division. With his pizzazz and personality, James will take over the heavyweight division."
This quest begins in early summer against the enormously unpopular and much derided Boston strong-boy Ruiz. Once known as 'the Quiet Man', WBA champ Ruiz has been extremely vocal in belittling former middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight world champion Toney's heavyweight credentials. You can imagine how smack-talker supremeLights Out responded...
"I'll make the fans and press happy by getting rid of this guy for you," Toney told SecondsOut. "The fans need a good fight and I'm 150% ready to go."
"There will be blood everywhere," Toney continued. "Not mine... his. I'm a young 37, I feel good, my body is strong and after Ruiz everyone will know who the dominant heavyweight champion is. I'm already the people's champion, the most marketable champion and belts don't define me. I just want to fight anyone who thinks they are the best.
"The heavyweight division is in bad shape but I will bring new light to it."
Now he has Toney on the books, the only major heavyweight player King hasn't got access to is WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, who may find his position as the consensus best big man under fire if Toney becomes WBA champion.
Goossen said: "HBO and Ring magazine have tried to anoint Klitschko as the heir to the great heavyweights of the past but believing and seeing in this case are different things. HBO believes Klitschko is the best but the fans just don't see it. Even though he was fighting a guy in Danny Williams who was coming off a KO of Mike Tyson, Klitschko only drew 125,000 on pay-per-view in December which proves that no-one really is buying what certain people in the media are trying to sell in this guy."
But, hang on, Toney v Evander Holyfield in October 2003 did only 150,000 pay-per-view buys.
Goossen said: "James had been out of the limelight for eight, nine years and most people believed Holyfield was past it. Obviously we wanted more buys but when you take in the realisation of James been out of the public eye for so long it isn't that disappointing especially when compared to the numbers Klitschko - who has been given all this promotion by HBO and everyone else - did in December against Danny Williams.
"In his first fight back in the public eye James did better than Klitschko, who has been hyped all over the place. James's next appearance (v Rydell Booker) caused a 300% increase on Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period programme. That shows his popularity. James walks down Manhattan people know who he is; Klitschko walks down and people thinks he's a Russian shot-putter!
"The future success of this business is built on delivering big fights for the fans. Whether or not Klitschko wants to participate is up to him but once James knocks out Ruiz and then moves on to fight another title-holder or top contender and then another and another Vitali may realise that no-one believes that he is the best heavyweight anymore.
"By the end of this year, the heavyweight division will revolve around James Toney."
March 10, 2005