Goosen optimistic about Toney vs Klitschko
GL: Last week you and Shelly Finkel exchanged some pleasantries on **********.com. Have the two of you spoken since then?
Dan Goossen: Greg, we're always pleasant. I think Shelly is a little embroiled in the NY court case right now but we had a good conversation. What it boils down to is, the fight can be made from our side the question is, will it be made from their side?
GL: When will you know if they're going to move forward with James or Oleg Maskaev, whom **********.com reported as Vitali's likely opponent over a week ago? I also understand that Maskaev is still the frontrunner for a Klitschko fight as we speak.
Dan Goossen: "I don't know if it's the frontrunner but the most important thing our industry could do right now is present the best fights out there, especially in the heavyweight division. We need to get this heavyweight division back into the lime light that it has enjoyed throughout the years of boxing. The only way we're going to do this is by having who the people think are the best fighting the best. Certainly the biggest fight out there in the heavyweight division today is Vitali Klitschko and James. It doesn't matter if it happens on PPV or premium cable, anything less would be exactly that, less.
"I think Shelly is looking at it from the stand point that we are, and that's to make the best fights out there for his fighters. And we all know that James is ready to get in there with this monster immediately."
GL: If it's not Klitschko, when could we expect James next fight to take place?
Dan Goossen: "I've already had some talks with Don (King) about doing something with Chris Byrd. We feel James is the best heavyweight in the world and he's looking forward to fighting in September. We've made no bones about it for the past year and a half, we want to fight Vitali Klitschko, now it's up to Vitali to see how he feels about everything. We can't make Vitali, or any other fighter, take a major risk in fighting James, it's the individual fighter's decision whether or not they're up to the task."
GL: When I spoke with Finkel he told me they were too far along with the Maskaev fight to do anything with James.
DG: "I certainly didn't feel that way after we spoke. I'm not concerned with how far along they are, now is the time and place to be able to deliver a Klitschko-Toney fight. The key is that no deals have been made out there for any particular fight with Klitschko as we speak. Freddie Roach feels James knocks Vitali out, James feels the same way and so do I. Klitschko-Toney is great for boxing, great for the fans and great for the industry. We're over all of the financial hurdles as far as making the fight happen and those are usually the major obstacles, so let's just see where it goes from here. We want to get this heavyweight division back into the spotlight, the question is, does Klitschko?"
Dan Goossen: Greg, we're always pleasant. I think Shelly is a little embroiled in the NY court case right now but we had a good conversation. What it boils down to is, the fight can be made from our side the question is, will it be made from their side?
GL: When will you know if they're going to move forward with James or Oleg Maskaev, whom **********.com reported as Vitali's likely opponent over a week ago? I also understand that Maskaev is still the frontrunner for a Klitschko fight as we speak.
Dan Goossen: "I don't know if it's the frontrunner but the most important thing our industry could do right now is present the best fights out there, especially in the heavyweight division. We need to get this heavyweight division back into the lime light that it has enjoyed throughout the years of boxing. The only way we're going to do this is by having who the people think are the best fighting the best. Certainly the biggest fight out there in the heavyweight division today is Vitali Klitschko and James. It doesn't matter if it happens on PPV or premium cable, anything less would be exactly that, less.
"I think Shelly is looking at it from the stand point that we are, and that's to make the best fights out there for his fighters. And we all know that James is ready to get in there with this monster immediately."
GL: If it's not Klitschko, when could we expect James next fight to take place?
Dan Goossen: "I've already had some talks with Don (King) about doing something with Chris Byrd. We feel James is the best heavyweight in the world and he's looking forward to fighting in September. We've made no bones about it for the past year and a half, we want to fight Vitali Klitschko, now it's up to Vitali to see how he feels about everything. We can't make Vitali, or any other fighter, take a major risk in fighting James, it's the individual fighter's decision whether or not they're up to the task."
GL: When I spoke with Finkel he told me they were too far along with the Maskaev fight to do anything with James.
DG: "I certainly didn't feel that way after we spoke. I'm not concerned with how far along they are, now is the time and place to be able to deliver a Klitschko-Toney fight. The key is that no deals have been made out there for any particular fight with Klitschko as we speak. Freddie Roach feels James knocks Vitali out, James feels the same way and so do I. Klitschko-Toney is great for boxing, great for the fans and great for the industry. We're over all of the financial hurdles as far as making the fight happen and those are usually the major obstacles, so let's just see where it goes from here. We want to get this heavyweight division back into the spotlight, the question is, does Klitschko?"
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