GL: Can you give us some thoughts on the big Peter-Toney rematch scheduled to take place on Showtime Championship Boxing this Saturday night? "What I'm really looking forward to is seeing James in the condition that we probably haven't seen him since the Jirov and Holyfield fights. That's really the excitement and anticipation I'm looking forward to."
 
GL: James is using Billy Blanks to help get ready for this fight what kind of difference do you expect that to make as it relates to his conditioning?
 
Dan Goossen: "Certain things come to mind and they hit you out of the blue and take you back to what really got James to where he was when we first got together.  Remember when James was still winning his fights during that "Twilight Zone" period of 8 to nine years, although he was in horrendous shape during that time? The main thing we agreed to when we initially got together was that he had to be in tip top shape and show the boxing world that there was a lot more for James Toney to accomplish. He did exactly that for his first fight with us against Jason Robinson and then with Vassiliy Jirov, when he weighed 190 pounds for both fights, which no one ever believed he would or could do.  He proceeded to win Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year and all of the accolades that come with great and entertaining victories.  All of this carried over to the Holyfield fight where he came in a tiptop shape of 217 pounds. Unfortunately, after the Holyfield victory, all of our concentration went away from the conditioning of James to the rehabilitation of James, when he suffered the Achilles injury leading into the McCline bout.  Many people said this injury was going to be the end to Toney's career. Immediately after overcoming this injury, in his next fight against Booker, he suffered the biceps and triceps tears that again many thought brought an end to his stellar career.  People said he was injury prone because of his age and weight.  But James being James, refused to give up and worked harder than ever to overcome these terrible, terrible injuries. It seemed like those next two years our mindset was rehabilitation and not conditioning. James has been a remarkable story from the day we signed him. Having the victory over Jirov.  Going up to the heavyweight division with a knockout of one of he greatest heavyweights of all-time in Holyfield.  Overcoming his injuries and beating Ruiz for the title, subsequently having it taken away; the draw with Rahman; and then the controversial loss to Peter.  With the Ruiz, Rahman and Peter fights, despite the visual out-of-shape look of James, everyone was astonished of what he was able to do inside the ring under those circumstances. And now coming back this week, probably in the best shape of his career, just adds another interesting twist to the James Toney book.  James is always doing something dramatic, something that a story so wild, even Hollywood couldn't dream it up. If he would have gotten the decisions in the Rahman and Peter bouts, the story wouldn't be as big as it will be after he beats Sam Peter on Saturday night.
 
"I know James has been very determined to get in great shape for this event. As much as I've always made it known to James and the boxing press, he couldn't have done what he did if he weren't in boxing shape...but Rahman himself said it best when he said after their fight on HBO, "thank goodness he wasn't in the best of shape." Peter, who escaped with a victory in September, knows James wasn't at his best for that fight. Here's the way I look at this upcoming fight.  With James being in the kind of shape he's in now, think about what he would have done to Rahman and to Peter on September 2. It wouldn't have been close!  Now, being in the shape he's in, James will stop Samuel Peter.  James is in great boxing shape, but more importantly, Billy Blanks has him in tremendous cardio and weight shape, which will reflect the type of heavyweight we always knew was there and we're all going to see the difference on Saturday night.  I'm so excited about this fight. James has not had one meal at Sisley Italian restaurant down here where the Chicken Parmesan was flying onto his plate four days a week. With his attention to detail now, he's been eating the right foods and drinking the right liquids.  The other day James walked into the office eating lima beans. James Toney eating lima beans? I knew Peter was in trouble when I saw that.  Billy's flushed out his system and has him drinking plenty of water.  I swear I saw James drinking from the hose the other day. The rest of the menu is fish and chicken and of course lima beans.  Toney eating the right foods, drinking the right liquids and not smoking?  Amazing. Throw in all of the various exercises he's doing from agility exercises to weights to the medicine ball, to every conceivable balancing and cardio exercise, including floor exercises and you get the desired result, being in great shape. His focus has been completely on his condition for this fight. I have absolutely no doubt that James will be victorious on Saturday night and will be sitting on top of the heavyweight division as the main man."
 
GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?
 
DG: "You know that anytime you see Greg Leon ringside it's a big event and when James Toney is in the ring it's even bigger. Throw both of them together, as you will see Saturday night, you've got the man who's going to carry the heavyweight division on his shoulders and I'm not talking about Greg Leon.

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