Potential Purse bid on February 9

Representatives of WBA heavyweight champ John "The Quietman" Ruiz have informed Boxingtalk.com that according to a letter they received from the WBA today, James "Lights-Out" Toney has been named Ruiz's mandatory challenger. A couple of weeks ago, Toney's trainer Freddie Roach first informed Boxingtalk that Toney-Ruiz was in the works. Ever the politician, Toney's promoter Dan Goossen told Boxingtalk.com, "That's one of the fights we're working on, along with a few others." Ruiz's promoter Don King was unavailable for immediate comment. We'll continue to keep you updated so stay tuned to our front page for all of the latest. Remember Where You Heard It First! 6:00 PM ET 

Update: Realizing that Ruiz owed a mandatory defense, Team Ruiz had inquired about the WBA’s mandatory contender, and its official ruling for Toney was dated January 20, 2005. Ruiz’ promoter, Don King Productions, was ordered by the WBA to commence negotiations with Toney’s promoter, Goosen Tutor, in order to reach an agreement to stage the bout. If an agreement is not reached within 20 days of the order (February 9, 2005), Ruiz-Toney will go to purse bid and all bonafide promoters will be notified of the process.