It was just past 9 p.m. in Germany on Tuesday, and promoter Dan Goossen was breaking bread with a variety of people involved in Saturday’s event from Berlin featuring “Fast” Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin in a heavyweight title elimination fight.
During a telephone conversation, the occasional clanging of glasses could be heard in the background. Sounded like beer mugs, but Goossen seemed very sober.
Chambers, who fights under the Goossen Tutor Promotions banner, was foremost on Goossen’s mind. But Goossen also discussed two of his other fighters – welterweight champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams and heavyweight James “Lights Out” Toney, the former middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight champion coming off a six-month suspension for steroids.
Chambers (30-0, 16 KOs) and Russia’s Povetkin (14-0, 11 KOs) are the Nos. 1- and 2-ranked contenders to Wladimir Klitschko’s world title belt. The winner is to earn a shot at that particular title, but there is no guarantee that Klitschko will still be the champion because he will engage fellow champion Sultan Ibragimov in a title unification fight Feb. 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Either way, Goossen said Saturday’s fight is meaningful for a variety of reasons.
“Well, it is without a doubt the most important fight in his career,” Goossen said of Chambers, 25. “It’s the same with Povetkin, his most important fight. And a very important fight for the heavyweight division for the young heavyweights. These are the guys that have been touted as the top young heavyweights and the ones that the industry is going to look to see if they can carry the future of the heavyweight division on their shoulders.”
There of course has always been speculation about Chambers’ size, or lack thereof. He is 6-foot-1, but just 215 pounds. In a day when there are more large heavyweights than there were 30 years ago, some have wondered if Chambers is simply too small. But don’t tell that to Chambers’ trainer, Buddy McGirt. He was sitting at Goossen’s table Tuesday, and he was quick to take the phone from Goossen.
“I think he’s got all the tools,” said McGirt, one of today’s top trainers. “Listen, they said Evander Holyfield wasn’t big enough and look what he did. Remember, it’s not the size of the man in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the man.”
Goossen took back the phone.
“I wish I would have used that damn line,” he said.
Seriously, though, Goossen is pumped for this fight, which is being televised by HBO “I believe the American public’s going to get a great taste of him (Chambers) on Saturday night on the abilities he has and he’s going to make a smash out here in Europe fighting the super heavyweight gold medalist from our last Olympics,” Goossen said. “And with a victory, it will be a well-earned one. (Chambers’) last fight was on Showtime, and I’m glad that HBO stepped up to this because it’s important for the fans. As you can see boxing in 2007 was tremendous – great numbers, great ratings.
“And to have an opportunity for these young heavyweights to be on there, it’s a plus for the fans because these are the kids who have been touted the last two years as the up and coming young heavyweights along with Cristobal Arreola, along with a few other heavyweights out there.”
Switching gears to Williams, he is scheduled to make the first defense of his welterweight title Feb. 9 against Carlos Quintana at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Calif. Goossen said neither he nor his fighter are looking past Quintana, but Goossen admitted that he is looking for bigger and better things for Williams. And in Goossen’s mind, there is one fight out there that absolutely has to be made – Williams against fellow welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Cotto and his promoter, Bob Arum, have been calling out both Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. But the way Goossen sees it, Cotto needs to take care of some other business first.
“We’re going to go out there and put together a high-profile fight after this,” Goossen said. “I think the only guy that really has to step up is Cotto because Cotto hasn’t earned the right – in my eyes – to fight a Floyd Mayweather (or) Oscar De La Hoya yet. You gotta be the preeminent welterweight in the world other than Floyd Mayweather to get that right. And I believe the only way to earn that right is Williams and Cotto fighting. So that’s the fight I’m going to look to do in the summer.”
Since it appears that De La Hoya and Mayweather are going to fight a rematch, it could be the chance of Cotto-Williams happening is improved.
Goossen went so far as to say that the other welterweight champions – Cotto, Mayweather and Kermit Cintron – are not just avoiding Williams but are afraid of him and everything that he brings to the table. In a nutshell, Goossen labeled Williams, 26, a tough-as-nails 6-foot-2, left-handed welterweight with a heavyweight’s reach who stays very busy. Williams (33-0, 24 KOs) proved he is a tough nut to crack when he took Antonio Margarito’s belt in July at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Cotto, by the way, is only 5-7. According to Goossen, his reach is 14 inches shorter than Williams’. However, Box-Rec lists Williams reach at 82 inches with Cotto’s at 67, a 15-inch differential.
Finally, Toney’s name was brought into our conversation with Goossen. Last year Toney got into trouble for the second time for testing positive for steroids. In 2005 he challenged John Ruiz for his world heavyweight championship and won a unanimous decision over one of the worst heavyweight champions in history. But Toney was quickly stripped of the belt and the fight was ruled no-contest when he tested positive for steroids. Then last year, Toney tested positive for steroids after winning a split decision over Danny Batchelder in San Jose, Calif.; Batchelder also tested positive.
Toney was suspended for six months by the California State Athletic Commission, and he came off suspension in November. But Toney, a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, is now 39 and his time in the ring appears to be running out.
“We’re going to look to get him back out there in February, March,” Goossen said.
“We’ve got an offer from Europe to go out there; it’s pretty attractive. We’re looking to do something. We’ve got one or two options here in the U.S. and I’m going to sit down with James when I get back from Germany and discuss it with him.”
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