WBA Heavyweight champion John Ruiz and James Toney got together again on Thursday for a worldwide media conference call to discuss their upcoming April 30th fight from New York City. Their previous press conference in the Big Apple had a lot of fireworks, and as expected so did this one. It was probably a good thing again that both sides were not in the same room. The call had been fairly tame between the camps until the end, when Norman Stone and James Toney got into a verbal battle. It was actually Toney's closing comments that brought a response from Stone, and then an even bigger response from Toney...

    Toney was saying how the fight was going to be a war, and how he always goes to war, and Stone
responded by saying that this is not a war, that war is what is going on in Afghanistan. This brought on a
tirade from Toney, a tirade that kept even Stone -of all people- from talking, as Toney would not let him
get a word in.  Toney responded by saying, "I'm from Detroit, we go to war, where are you from, Boston? I
got something for you too, you better bring a vest because I'm going to war, and I got something for you
too. I know you got one bad hip, and I'll make the other hip bad too." Toney abruptly hung up on the
conference call after this, and even left Stone speechless with laughter for a few seconds. Here's
some more of what each had to say during Thursday's conference call:

                
John Ruiz

-On his frustrations over his lack of respect from the media...
It seems I can't catch a break. I just worry about going out there and winning, it's not about looking pretty. I can't get any respect, people would rather put me down than give me credit. I beat guys who people consider to be good, and then after I beat them, everyone starts criticizing them.

-On trash talking...
I used to just fight, and let my promoters and managers talk. I realize now that you have to trash talk to get attention. I get frustrated with all these other so called champions not ever wanting to fight anybody, and it's personal.

-On Toney's talk about going to war...
I think he forgets that I've been in a lot of wars myself. If he wants to do that, then I'll just knock him out.

-On some of the problems in Boxing...
No one wants to fight each other. Fighters are taking easy fights to look good. We have been trying to get this unification thing for awhile. It gets me angry, because I want to fight the best, but all I hear is excuses.

-On James Toney as a heavyweight...
Who has he fought as a heavyweight? Everyone criticized me as I was coming up for not fighting top guys. He becomes the #1 from fighting nobody and nobody criticizes him.

-On Toney's words for Norman Stone...
He better be ready for me, not Stoney on April 30th.

-On Toney having an easier fight with Evander Holyfield...
Holyfield aged after his trilogy with me, he should have retired after our first fight.

             

Norman Stone

-On the problems in Boxing...
It's television, if they got a guy then they want to protect him.

-On his antics during some of Ruiz's past fights, including him getting ejected from the fight with
Andrew Golota...
I do what I got to do. I was telling the ref what Golota was doing, Golota is a dirty fighter. The ref has got to be even, and the ref wasn't even. I would do it again if I had to. I will be the same Stoney that I've been for the last 17 years.

-On if he will be the same for this fight...
Whatever happens, happens. Freddie (Roach) does what he has to do, and I'll do what I have to do. James will be busy in the ring. What happened at the (Madison Square) Garden is past tense.

-On other fighters reluctance to fight Ruiz...
Toney has
more balls then anyone else, just look at Klitschko, he doesn't want to fight anybody.

-On Toney and his promoter Dan Goossen...
I've never seen a fighter control a promoter the way he does.

-On Toney's words for him...
He told me to wear a flak vest, he better be ready for John, not me, because John's coming to fight.

                

James Toney

-On fighting John Ruiz...
It's great to fight John Ruiz. He's the best heavyweight out there, and I say that because he's the only heavyweight out there with the balls to fight me. Klitschko's fighting Rahman, so he's the best heavyweight. I'm going to be right there with him, and I won't be running like Roy.

-On the possibility of being only the third man to win the middleweight and heavyweight titles...
It's a great achievement, and I'm going to do it in style. I'll be in elite company, not Roy Jones, but guys like Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott.

-On him being late for the conference call...
I got better things to do then be on the phone with a bunch of geeks.

-On what's wrong with Boxing...
95% of you media who ask that question have never put gloves on in your life, so you can't talk about it. So stop asking smart ass questions and wasting my time.

-On trash talking...
I don't start unless they start with me. If they want to talk, I'll talk, if they want to get physical, then let's do it.

-On the problems that Ruiz poses...
No problems, he's a good fighter, but he poses no problems for me. Only scared fighters look at that. I prepare myself in the ring. It won't be an easy fight, my fights never are. The only thing easy in life is death and taxes.

-On how he plans to fight Ruiz...
My name is not Roy or Lennox. I don't run, I'm old school, and old school fighters fight. I'll be right there with him banging. I'm old school, I go to war.

~~~~~~~~

World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (41-51, 28 KOs) will put his title on the line against three-time world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (68-4-2, 43 KOs) at Madison Square Garden on April 30 in a match promoted by Don King Productions and Goossen Tutor Promotions in association with Madison Square Garden.  Tickets priced at $350, $250, $175, $100 and $50 are on sale now at the Garden box office and all Ticketmaster locations or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171, (201) 507-8900, (631) 888-9000, or (914) 454-3388. Ticketmaster purchases are subject to convenience charges.