by Eddie Goldman
Richard Pound, the president of
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA),
is not impressed with the sanctions
taken by the New York State
Athletic Commission against fighter James Toney
following his
testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone.
Fight Fax records indicate that following a
positive test for a banned substance, the New York State Athletic Commission
has issued a 90-day suspension and a $10,000 fine to James Toney.
Team Ruiz was formally notified today by the New
York State Athletic Commission that the April 30th World Boxing Association
heavyweight championship fight between defending champion John "The Quietman"
Ruiz and challenger James "Lights Out" Toney has been officially declared a
"No Decision" because Toney violated the illegal substance rule.
According to Nicholas Kahn, an attorney for Toney, the fighter's promoter,
Dan Goossen, was informed Monday night by the New York State Athletic
Commission that Toney had "tested positive for a banned substance that is
not a narcotic."
NEW WBA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JAMES TONEY
WAS FLAWLESS AGAINST RUIZ
James “Lights Out” Toney fought what most considered a nearly
flawless fight when he out quicked, out boxed, and ultimately outclassed
defending champion John Ruiz en route to convincingly capturing the
World Boxing Association heavyweight title last Saturday night in New
York’s Madison Square Garden on HBO.
TONEY-RUIZ: THANK YOU JAMES... by Kenny Perrault
Last night in New York City James Toney did a lot of us a big favor, a huge
favor. He finally rid the boxing world of John Ruiz. It wasn't a dazzling
or a dominating performance but it was enough to win.
VICENTE
'EL LOCO' MOSQUERA MAKES IT TWO PANAMANIAN
WORLD CHAMPIONS IN TWO DAYS
Vicente Mosquera became the second Panamanian
world champion in as many days. Mosquera captured the WBA Super Featherweight
belt in a unanimous decision win over champion Yodsanan Nanthachai (3-K Battery)
in the Toney-Ruiz undercard. The official scorers saw it 116-11, 115-112 and
118-108.
RUIZ IN RETROSPECT... by Jim Amato
Well James Toney has finally freed us of the
clutches of John Ruiz. I see that John has decided to retire. We'll see. In a
lot of these cases money talks and bullshit walks. If John does decide to stay
retired here is a little retrospect on his career. No, John was far from
exciting. He gave a new meaning to the phrase "Winning Ugly." But ...
he won.
TONEY DESTRONA A RUIZ ... por Oscar Borrás
James Toney se convirtió en campeón WBA de peso completo el sábado pasado en
el Madison Square Garden en New York, por medio de una relativamente fácil
victoria por amplia decisión unánime sobre John Ruíz.
TONEY BEATS RUIZ PROMPTING THE FORMER
CHAMP TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT... by Oleg Bershadsky, ringside
James “Lights Out” Toney won a unanimous decision
victory (116-111, 116-111, 115-112) this Saturday night at Madison Square
Garden, against John “The Quietman” Ruiz to become the WBA heavyweight
champion. This victory marked Toney’s fourth time as a world champion and a
first time as the heavyweight champ. The bitter war of words that led up to
this fight was finally settled in the ring and from the onset it was obvious
that the two boxers were eager to get it on.
RUIZ SAYS NO MAS...
John Ruiz announced in his locker room at Madison Square
Garden after the fight that he has decided to retire from boxing.
FLASH QUOTES FROM TONEY RUIZ UNDERCARD
PARTICIPANTS
Mosquera became the first Panamanian to win a world title in Madison Square Garden
since Roberto Duran in June 16, 1983 vs. Davey Moore…8th round TKO…WBA Jr.
Middleweight title...
I CALLED IT, AND WILL CALL TONEY'S FUTURE
IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION... by Danny Serratelli
Toney is great for boxing, he is a dirty talker, but not a
dirty fighter. He talks enough to generate interest and backs it up in the
ring. He will have his work cut out for him, but I would love to see a
unification tournament, and despite what the general consensus will be
because of the size, injuries and age, I will look forward to seeing former
Middleweight Champion and fighter of the year in 1991 and 2003 become the
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World!
DAVID TUA: THE ONE MAN TONEY SHOULD NOT
FIGHT... by Jim Amato
Although David Tua is no longer a major
player because of inactivity I doubt if he would be considered for another
title shot. Just in case Toney may be looking for a "safe" defense before
meeting Byrd, he better not have Tua's name on that list.
THIRTEEN YEARS AND SEVENTY POUNDS LATER,
TONEY STILL REIGNS SUPREME... by Chris Robinson
The Toney-Ruiz match up featured a lot of pre-fight boasting from Toney and it
was all pretty much backed up as the Ann Arbor, Michigan native sized Ruiz up
early, dropped him midway, and closed the show in strong fashion on his way to a
unanimous decision win. Ruiz was game but Toney was a lot of things wrapped into
one as he showed his always cool ring demeanor, superb defense, cracking rights,
and the look of a Heavyweight Champion who is looking to change the division.
TONEY WHIPS RUIZ FOR WBA TITLE... by Jim Amato
FINALLY...The reign of John Ruiz has ended. A
large, 233 pound former middleweight champion out boxed and out slugged an
always game John Ruiz to take a unanimous twelve round decision. The scoring was
116-111 (twice) and 115-112.
WILLIAMSON WINS AND DONALD FIGHTS TO A
DRAW...
by Jim Amato
On the undercard of Toney-Ruiz, DaVarryl Williamson stayed in contention by
blasting out faded ex-prospect Derrick Jefferson in two rounds.
JAMES WEIGHED WHAT???... by Jim Amato I was sooooo
sure that James Toney was going to defeat John Ruiz when
this bout was signed. I was SHOCKED to see that James weighed in a
whopping 233. Holy S___ !!!
A CHAMPION'S PERSPECTIVE: JEFF LACY SPEAKS
ON TONEY - RUIZ... by Chris Robinson ‘James Toney is a very crafty fighter. In the Heavyweight
division I don’t see anyone out there for him. I think he’s going to hold
another title in that division. I think he’s one of the craftiest fighters in
that division and I think he’s going to be a world champion..."
Everything is going good in Glen’s world as he
waits to meet Tarver for a second time and he took the time out of his schedule
to offer up some unbiased opinions on ‘Lights Out’ and ‘The Quietman.’ Here’s
what the ‘Road Warrior’ thinks about the big fight...
PRE-FIGHT PROMOTION HYPE?... by
Oleg Bershadsky
For the first time the main point of discussion prior to a “championship”
fight is not about who will win or lose, but about whether the fight will
meet its modest expectations. It seems everyone is more worried
about the fight being a
complete bore more than the actual outcome.
Personally, I’m torn
about who I want to win.
PRE-FIGHT PROMOTION HYPE?... by
Oleg Bershadsky
For the first time the main point of discussion prior to a “championship”
fight is not about who will win or lose, but about whether the fight will
meet its modest expectations. It seems everyone is more worried
about the fight being a
complete bore more than the actual outcome.
Let’s face it, for most of us the
outcome is irrelevant, we just want to
see a good fight. Personally, I’m torn
about who I want to win.
NEAR PRE-FIGHT FIGHT AVERTED... by David Kolb
Toney then might have crossed the line by calling Ruiz a
"redneck" and
by shouting at Stone "tell your mother I said hello." Stone had to be held
back by security. Toney got up
and Stone barked... “Why don’t you fight
me in the street? After Johnny knocks you
out, I'm going to piss on you.”
FIGHTING WORDS AT THE RUIZ-TONEY WORKOUT... by
David Kolb
The fight between John Ruiz and James Toney is the big story in New York
this week, but the verbal battle between Toney and "Stoney" (Norman Stone,
Ruiz's trainer) is still on the minds of most... After Toney spoke at the
podium he berated his opponent saying "I wish we could get it on right now. I'm
sweating right now. I don't play boxing. I do this (bleep) for real.”
TONEY STILL IN THE GAME, AND HE CAN'T WAIT FOR APRIL 30TH...
by Chris Robinson
Those words were fresh out of James Toney’s mouth last Thursday as he
discussed his upcoming April 30th clash with WBA Heavyweight Champion
John Ruiz. Toney and Ruiz met at Madison Square Garden for a press conference
regarding their upcoming fight, and as expected things got a little heated.
Toney was outspoken as usual and seemed to rile Ruiz up at times. It's good to
see that after all of these years James can still talk a good game; besides
fighting, it's what he’s always done best...
WHY THE REIGN OF JOHN RUIZ WILL END...
by Jim Amato
It has to happen. The time has
finally come. The long and boring title tenure of John Ruiz is about to end. On
April 30th in New York's Madison Square Garden, Ruiz will take on James Toney.
The WBA heavyweight title that Ruiz has held for several unexciting years will
be on the line. Except for a short period of time after Roy Jones Jr. slapped
him silly and "borrowed" the title, Ruiz has claimed to be king.
IS TONEY-RUIZ LEGIT?... by Kenny Perrault
On the other side of April 30th is John "The Quietman" Ruiz. Sure he's
quiet, it's tough to get a word in when you're next to the "Loud Man" Norman
Stone. Most of us have suffered through a John Ruiz fight or two, with all the
clinching, grabbing, holding, wrestling, and dancing. When he finds time to
throw a punch between all those clinches is beyond me.
A VIEW FROM THE GALAXY: NATE CAMPBELL WEIGHS IN ON
TONEY-RUIZ... by Chris Robinson
Most insiders are going with Toney, because even if Ruiz is bigger,
James is simply badder. I took the time to catch up with Nate ‘The Galaxy
Warrior’ Campbell to get his views on the fight and the two Heavyweight
combatants. Nate has been a longtime James Toney fan and had several sound bites
to offer up.
RUIZ DEFIENDE SU TITULO WBA vs TONEY
... por Oscar Borrás
El histórico Madison Square Garden en New York, será el escenario este
sábado 30 de abril, para la pelea en que el campeón WBA de peso completo
John "The Quietman" Ruíz, defiende su título contra el ex campeón de peso
crucero James "Light's Out" Toney, en una cartelera presentada por Don King
Productions y Goossen Tutor Promotions en asociación con Madison Square
Garden, la cual será televisada por HBO.
TWO SENSATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUTS
ADDED TO APRIL 30 GARDEN CARD
Don King always packs his fight cards with tremendous bouts, and
he’s doing it again on April 30 at Madison Square Garden by adding two great
heavyweight title matches to go with the intriguing World Boxing Association
heavyweight championship featuring champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz against
challenger and three-time world champion James “Lights Out” Toney.
THE WAR OF WORDS CONTINUES AS TONEY - RUIZ GROWS CLOSER...
by Tom Dickey
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...
STRONG AND HEALTHY, TONEY GETS READY TO
BREAK CAMP With a little over one week to go before
his destiny match for the World Boxing Association
World Heavyweight Championship against WBA world
champion John "The Quietman" Ruiz on April 30 at the
Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York,
James "Light's Out" Toney is declaring himself ready
to "rock New York" when he breaks camp this Saturday
and heads out to New York with trainers Freddie Roach
and John Arthur.
JAMES 'LIGHT OUT' TONEY MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES
The fight with Ruiz is going to be any way he wants to make it. He can do it the
hard way, get beat up for 12 rounds and end up in the hospital. Or, he can do it
the easy way, get hit on the chin and go to sleep... It is up to him..."
“Ruiz is too busy holding and hugging
these guys in the ring to be the best. I say fight like a man; like a true
warrior, like a real heavyweight champion. Either way, he’s going down. As soon
as he tries to hold me, I’ll give him a bad case of the hiccups – I’ll be right
there in front of him – chopping him down!”
TRASH TALKING ON N.E. RINGSIDE RADIO SHOW: RUIZ,
STONEY AND TONEY
Some down and dirty trash talking will be going over the airwaves Thursday
night (6-8 PM ET) on the New England Ringside Radio Show because this week’s
guests are April 30th combatants, WBA heavyweight champion John “The Quietman”
Ruiz and challenger James “Lights Out” Toney, along with Ruiz’ always fiery
manager Norman “Stoney” Stone, live on WWZN 1510 The Zone.
RUIZ vs TONEY AT MSG ON APRIL 30: TWO- TIME WBA
CHAMPION DEFENDS AGAINST THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION
World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John
"The Quietman" Ruiz will put his title on the line against three-time
world champion James "Lights Out" Toney 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.
WHY THE REIGN OF JOHN RUIZ WILL END...
by Jim Amato
It has to happen. The time has finally come. The long and
boring title tenure of John Ruiz is about to end. On April 30th in New York's
Madison Square Garden, Ruiz will take on James Toney. The WBA heavyweight title
that Ruiz has held for several unexciting years will be on the line. Except for
a short period of time after Roy Jones Jr. slapped him silly and "borrowed" the
title, Ruiz has claimed to be king.
RUIZ-TONEY... AND WHY NOT?... by George Elsasser
Latest word is James Toney has signed on with Don King for a WBA title shot with
John Ruiz - and what better read than Jeff Mayweather, of the Mayweather family
of stars, to lay it out in simple verse for all fight fans to better understand
it all.
JAMES TONEY: NEVER SAY NEVER!... by
Jeff Mayweather
I've witnessed James
Toney speak horribly about Don King for many years. I distinctly remember him
once saying that 'Don King ain't shit' and he could kiss his ass.
Wow! What a
difference a day make, or, let's be real, what a difference a dollar makes!
James Toney is caught between a rock and a hard place and the only man left
for him to deal with in order to fight for the heavyweight championship of the
world is the same exact guy he told to kiss his ass and who he said wasn't
shit.
I guess it's fair to say that even a tough guy like Toney can be
softened up...
RUIZ PREDICTS A BLACKOUT FOR 'LIGHTS OUT' TONEY
“I’ve been calling for a heavyweight
tournament, but none of the so-called world champs are willing to risk their
belts against me. Others talk about being the best, but I am the best
heavyweight today. Toney’s my mandatory and his time is coming...Come
TONEY
NAMED MANDATORY CONTENDER FOR JOHN RUIZ The World Boxing Association has notified Team Ruiz that James “Lights Out”
Toney (68-4-2, 43 KOs) is the mandatory contender for WBA heavyweight
champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (41-5-1, 28 KOs). Realizing that
Ruiz owed a mandatory defense, Team Ruiz had inquired about the WBA’s mandatory
contender, and its official ruling for Toney was dated January 20, 2005. Ruiz’
promoter, Don King Productions, was ordered by the WBA to commence negotiations
with Toney’s promoter, Goossen Tutor, in order to reach an agreement to stage
the bout. If an agreement is not reached within 20 days of the order (February
9, 2005), Ruiz-Toney will go to purse bid and all bonafide promoters will be
notified of the process.
