Toney: ‘I can beat anybody’

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

Whether it's participating on a conference call or appearing as a guest during a boxing telecast, James Toney has his spiel and he's sticking to it. Hot off a win against Evander Holyfield, he never fails to say he will fight anybody, anytime and beat them, too.

It's braggadocio, of course, but Toney feels he can back it up.

"I know I can beat anybody," he said, not only during a conference call with media but while appearing on Fox Sports Net's Sunday boxing show. "My skill level is better than anyone else out there.

"I am ready for anybody, anywhere."

Toney, 35, advanced his record to 67-4-2 with 43 knockouts by stopping Holyfield in the ninth round of their Oct. 4 fight at Mandalay Bay. In the ensuing days he and promoter Dan Goossen have been on something of a self-promotional tour, pitching fight possibilities and ideas.

Nothing, however, has been set as yet.

"Toney will fight anybody," Goossen said, reiterating the fighter's stock answer to questions pertaining to who he would like to fight next. "We cannot make guys get into the ring with Toney. Decisions have to be made by fighters like (Roy) Jones, (Mike) Tyson and (Lennox) Lewis.

"We do not want to hold him back. We want to get him in a big fight and big fights are not made every two months. We are dealing with it right now."

Goossen would like to have Toney fighting in January but is willing to stretch his itinerary to March or April if need be.

Toney, beyond saying he's ready to fight today, is indifferent to the scheduling process.

"Whatever Boss Hog says," he said, referring to Goossen. "I will do what he says. I am leaving everything open.

"Right now we're playing chess and deciding what we want to do next."

Likewise, Toney may relinquish his International Boxing Federation cruiserweight title if it means he can line up an attractive fight as a heavyweight. The IBF gave Toney a waiver, allowing him to leave the division and fight Holyfield, but it will strip him of the title if he does not defend it in his next bout.

"I would rather stay a heavyweight (but) I am chasing the money," Toney said. "The belt does not make the fighter, the fighter makes the belt."

Toney's mandatory IBF challenger is O'Neil Bell, but Goossen has already said that fight will not happen. Current options beyond Jones, Tyson and Lewis include IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd or one of the Klitschko brothers.

"I am not scared," Toney said. "I am not chicken. I am a complete fighter. I can do it all."

He pretty much did what he wanted with Holyfield in a fight that became so one-sided the former heavyweight champion's corner stepped in to stop the carnage at 1:42 in the ninth.

"I think I gave Holyfield the first round, but I always lose the first round," Toney said. "After that, I exploded and broke him down. I went to the head, then to the body and then back to the head.

"I broke him down and stopped him, just like I told everyone I would do before the fight.

"I fought a world-class heavyweight and he tried to take my head off, but I stopped him. I would have done that to anybody."

Humorously, Toney said the punch that turned the fight was one he received while looking off into the crowd.

"The turning point was when Holyfield landed a right hand (in the first round) when I was looking at (fellow fighter) Vernon Forrest in the crowd," Toney said. "It did not hurt or anything, but I thought 'Now the fight is on.' "

And, of course, when the fight is on, Toney feels he'll come out ahead.

"I am always going to be the most dominant man in the ring," he said. "I am going to get you.

"I'm going to fight big guys and I'm going to beat them up."