Toney's promoter Goossen challenges Couture to get in a boxing ring
You like James Toney as a big underdog against Randy Couture at UFC 118? You may want to listen to his boxing promoter, Dan Goossen, who by the end of this eight-minute interview will have you running for the window to bet Couture. Goossen doesn't rip Toney, he just knows the reality of a boxer stepping into a cage and fighting under the rules of mixed martial arts. He admires Toney for showing the guts to crossover but frankly the whole "boxing versus MMA" promotion bothers him.
"He's counting on being able to go out there and hitting Couture with one of the shots that would definitely put him out if he connects," Goossen told FightHubtv.com. (4:55 mark.) "The only thing that I say is there's nothing this will prove if James loses because it's a whole different sport."
Love or hate him, Toney is doing something very few boxers who are still viable in the squared circle have been willing to do.
"One person has been willing to walk on the wild side, James Toney," said Goossen (8:09 mark). "It's a completely different sport. It would be like a lacrosse player all of a sudden playing Major League Baseball. It would be tough for him to do it, no matter how many times he hits a ball in lacrosse."
Goossen is lost on that analogy. There is no "hitting" the ball is lacrosse. Boxing is one of the many disciplines used in MMA.
Goossen says three times that he'll offer Couture the same money UFC is paying for this fight to bounce back immediately and take on Toney in a boxing match.
"Win, lose or draw with Randy Couture, I'll match whatever he's making for this fight," said Goossen (5:19 mark). "And let's see if he's got the same warrior makeup that James Toney has to crossover, to the boxing business."
Goossen says he isn't ripping Couture but wants everyone to know Toney is one-of-a-kind for doing this. He also says he made a similar pitch to UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta seven or eight years ago to match up Toney against Tito Ortiz in a boxing match. Fertitta passed on the offer.
Good for Goossen for not raising a big stink and trying to block Toney from taking this risk. Don King freaked out when his boxer Ricardo Mayorga tried to crossover for an MMA fight. DK went as far as putting up one million dollars cash to get an injunction to stop Mayorga's MMA fight against Din Thomas. He claimed a poor performance by Mayorga could ruin his investment in the boxer. Now what is Mayorga left with? Where is his payday? Toney had nothing big on the horizon in boxing so at least this keeps his name out there and cashes a nice-sized check.
