Goossen Comments on Joppy and Thompson!

In an interview with Boxingtalk.com, Goossen-Tutor Promotions President Dan Goossen, talked about the up-to-date movements of two Beltway Boxers he has under contract -- former WBA Middleweight champion William Joppy and the WBO's number one heavyweight contender Tony "The Tiger" Thompson.

Here is what Goossen told reporter Greg Leon:


GL: You recently signed William Joppy, when will he be making his GTP debut?

DG: "Joppy was added to the St. Lucia event (Friday, November 16), just making it bigger and better for the fans in St. Lucia, since it will be an off-TV bout. As I mentioned earlier, we really believe that in the super middleweight division there's plenty of opportunities for a 3-time world champion. From Middleweight to Lightheavyweight, big things are happening. With a good mix of world champions and the young, fast rising stars of tomorrow such as Andre Ward, William Joppy fits perfectly to jump right into the equation. He's got a lot of fight left in him. I expect this to be a new lease on his boxing life, giving him the ability to make one last stand trying to become a four time world champion. We're really happy to be working with William and our old friend, JD Brown."

GL: What's the story with the Tony Thompson's mandatory?

DG: "(Wladimir) Klitschko and (Sultan) Ibragimov are of course trying to put the unification bout together. If that doesn't happen, we have a commitment from Ibragimov's promoter that they will fight Tony next. To me, it would be a much smarter move for Ibragimov to fight Tony Thompson first because obviously if he beats Thompson, his negotiating leverage goes up tremendously with Klitschko. Ibragimov not having beaten anyone the ilk of Thompson gives Klitschko all the negotiating shots. Sultan needs that one defining fight against a respected challenger to show that he has to be considered at the same level of Klitschko, and Tony can give that to him if Sultan was successful. The money from what I understand is not a great deal for Ibragimov's end, especially to fight someone as dangerous as Klitschko. You beat Thompson, and all of a sudden you have an even playing field with Klitschko on the negotiating table. We'll just have to wait and see where it all goes."

GL: Wouldn't it be better for Tony to wait for the winner?

DG: "The sooner we fight for the heavyweight championship of the world, the better it is for everyone. Tony Thompson is ready to show the world who he is."