16.01.04 – Often compared to Mike Tyson for his devastating power inside the ring, and unpredictability outside of it, the excitement surrounding James Toney as the next great heavyweight is evident as he prepares for his IBF/WBO heavyweight title elimination bout against WBO No. 4/IBF No. 6 contender Jameel McCline at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004. With tickets for Toney-McCline – “Does Size Matter?” available for only one week, sales for the highly anticipated heavyweight clash have already topped the $700,000 mark.
“James Toney is on his way to becoming the top heavyweight in the world,” said Promoter Dan Goossen. “Current ticket sales are a reflection of the appetite to see the viciousness of James’ destructive nature in the ring as he moves down the path to heavyweight history.”
Toney (67-4-2, 43 KOs), of Los Angeles, by way of Grand Rapids, Mich., is coming off of an eye-opening, ninth-round TKO over legendary four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield on Oct. 4, 2003, from Las Vegas. The confident, fast-talking Toney sent “The Real Deal” to the canvas in the ninth round. He continued to land punches with both hands until Holyfield’s trainer, Don Turner, had seen enough and told referee Jay Nady to stop the bout at 1:22. A winner of 13 consecutive fights, Toney was well ahead on points at the finish. The IBF cruiserweight title Toney won with a 12-round decision over Vassiliy Jirov on April 26, 2003, was not at stake. After holding previous world titles at 160 and 168 pounds, the victory over Jirov represented the 35-year-old Toney’s first world title triumph in nearly nine years.
The winner of the bout between the 5-foot-10-inch, 220-pound Toney and 6-foot-7-inch, 260-pound McCline will become the mandatory No. 1 challenger for both IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd and the winner of Wladimir Klitschko-Lamon Brewster (WBO).
“I see this fight against McCline like that scene in the “Rocky’’ movie where he is hitting that slab of meat,” said Toney. “That is what I will be doing against McCline. Hitting and treating him like a piece of meet. People think it is going to be difficult, but it is going to be an easy fight. I do not want to take anything away from McCline, but he has never faced anybody like me. This is a stepping stone fight for me on my way to winning the heavyweight world title.”
Priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $45, tickets for Toney-McCline are currently available at the Mandalay Bay Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. To order tickets by phone, call (702) 632-7580, or toll free (877) 632-7400.
Goossen Tutor Promotions, in association with CMXsports.com and Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, will present Toney-McCline.