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These two fights pack heavy punch
It isn't exactly a heavyweight championship tournament, but boxing's most confused division became clearer yesterday when two major pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Promoter Don King finally got Hasim Rahman to meet WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, and signed James Toney to meet WBA champ John Ruiz. Rahman and Klitschko are set to meet on April 30, but King is still trying to hammer out a deal with Madison Square Garden. There is no site or date set for Ruiz-Toney. With WBO champ Lamon Brewster slated to meet Andrew Golota in Chicago on May 21, there could be a major shakeup in the heavyweight division by the end of summer.
Rahman stormed out of King's Deerfield Beach, Fla., office last Thursday, unhappy over his proposed purse for the match with Klitschko. King said he opened the books for Rahman's manager, James Prince, to show him just how much money was in the pot for the match. King then sweetened Rahman's deal, giving him a $2 million guarantee and promising him a share of additional revenues from the bout that could bring Rahman another $1 million. King tried but could not find a suitable replacement for Rahman over the weekend. Rahman agreed to the new deal on Tuesday to avoid a purse bid where he more than likely would have earned less as the challenger to Klitschko.
For Rahman, it is an opportunity to regain the heavyweight title he won and lost in 2001. Rahman KO'd Lennox Lewis in South Africa on April 22 to win the title. Seven months later he lost it in the rematch when Lewis KO'd him.
Toney, a former middleweight world champion, brings a jolt of excitement to the heavyweight picture. He could be the real dark horse in the campaign for a dominant heavyweight champion. Toney and his promoter, Dan Goossen, are banking on Ruiz being the first of the heavyweight dominoes to fall.
"After the fight with Ruiz, the public will know who the dominant heavyweight boxer is," Toney said by telephone from his home in Los Angeles yesterday. "If Dan lines these guys up, I'll knock 'em out. I don't care about the WBC, WBA or any of these belts. Those belts don't define me. The people know who the real champion is. They'll know after I'm finished with these guys."
Goossen formed a partnership with King and they will co-promote Toney as long as he keeps winning. So there is plenty of incentive for Toney to get into the ring and perform.
Ruiz, the ugly duckling of the heavyweight division, isn't the most appealing match for Toney. Ruiz's awkward style has earned him the distinction of being one of the toughest guys to box. But that style has made Ruiz a two-time heavyweight champ.
"You have to look at who he's fought," Toney said. "When he's hugging, they hug. I'm not into hugging. I'm not into running. I'm an inside fighter. He hugs me and he's going to look like Pac-Man. He's going to get a terrible case of whiplash and he's going to have the hiccups."
Goossen believes that the 36-year-old Toney has what it takes, inside and outside the ring, to become a dominant force. The only drawback to Toney is that injuries over the last year have hampered his momentum in the heavyweight division. He tore an Achilles tendon and a biceps tendon that delayed or postponed fights.
"He's a young 36 and I believe his injuries are all over," Goossen said. "As much as Mike Tyson jazzed up the heavyweight division in the 1980s, I believe that James Toney is going to do the same thing in this era."
Originally published on March 10, 2005
This article was in the NY Daily News today.
It isn't exactly a heavyweight championship tournament, but boxing's most confused division became clearer yesterday when two major pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Promoter Don King finally got Hasim Rahman to meet WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, and signed James Toney to meet WBA champ John Ruiz. Rahman and Klitschko are set to meet on April 30, but King is still trying to hammer out a deal with Madison Square Garden. There is no site or date set for Ruiz-Toney. With WBO champ Lamon Brewster slated to meet Andrew Golota in Chicago on May 21, there could be a major shakeup in the heavyweight division by the end of summer.
Rahman stormed out of King's Deerfield Beach, Fla., office last Thursday, unhappy over his proposed purse for the match with Klitschko. King said he opened the books for Rahman's manager, James Prince, to show him just how much money was in the pot for the match. King then sweetened Rahman's deal, giving him a $2 million guarantee and promising him a share of additional revenues from the bout that could bring Rahman another $1 million. King tried but could not find a suitable replacement for Rahman over the weekend. Rahman agreed to the new deal on Tuesday to avoid a purse bid where he more than likely would have earned less as the challenger to Klitschko.
For Rahman, it is an opportunity to regain the heavyweight title he won and lost in 2001. Rahman KO'd Lennox Lewis in South Africa on April 22 to win the title. Seven months later he lost it in the rematch when Lewis KO'd him.
Toney, a former middleweight world champion, brings a jolt of excitement to the heavyweight picture. He could be the real dark horse in the campaign for a dominant heavyweight champion. Toney and his promoter, Dan Goossen, are banking on Ruiz being the first of the heavyweight dominoes to fall.
"After the fight with Ruiz, the public will know who the dominant heavyweight boxer is," Toney said by telephone from his home in Los Angeles yesterday. "If Dan lines these guys up, I'll knock 'em out. I don't care about the WBC, WBA or any of these belts. Those belts don't define me. The people know who the real champion is. They'll know after I'm finished with these guys."
Goossen formed a partnership with King and they will co-promote Toney as long as he keeps winning. So there is plenty of incentive for Toney to get into the ring and perform.
Ruiz, the ugly duckling of the heavyweight division, isn't the most appealing match for Toney. Ruiz's awkward style has earned him the distinction of being one of the toughest guys to box. But that style has made Ruiz a two-time heavyweight champ.
"You have to look at who he's fought," Toney said. "When he's hugging, they hug. I'm not into hugging. I'm not into running. I'm an inside fighter. He hugs me and he's going to look like Pac-Man. He's going to get a terrible case of whiplash and he's going to have the hiccups."
Goossen believes that the 36-year-old Toney has what it takes, inside and outside the ring, to become a dominant force. The only drawback to Toney is that injuries over the last year have hampered his momentum in the heavyweight division. He tore an Achilles tendon and a biceps tendon that delayed or postponed fights.
"He's a young 36 and I believe his injuries are all over," Goossen said. "As much as Mike Tyson jazzed up the heavyweight division in the 1980s, I believe that James Toney is going to do the same thing in this era."
Originally published on March 10, 2005
This article was in the NY Daily News today.
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