Interview with Dan Goossen on Klitschko-Thompson, Williams-Quintana and Andre Ward
 The Welter Report By Gabriel Montoya (April 10, 2008) Doghouse Boxing
On his way through the ugly 5 o’clock traffic, Dan Goossen decided to make good use of the stand still and dropped me a call. “What goin’ on?” he asked.
“Just writing like crazy,” I responded. “How’s the [proposed] Thompson/Klitschko fight coming along?”
“We’re very close to the last facets of the deal being completed,” he answered. “It will be in Germany on July 12.”
“Cool. How about the Williams/Quintana fight? Is that off because of Quintana holding out for more money?”
“No. No. The fight will happen. June 7 will be the rematch when everything is said and done. Regardless [of Quintana complaining about the proposed salary] what he has to realize is that we overcame a major obstacle in the first fight in getting the fight televised on HBO, who didn’t want the fight. We pushed for him and got him the opportunity. Now he has to prove he can do it again.”
The conversation turns to rising 168lb star Andre Ward. I apologize to Dan for not being able to make it up to San Jose for Ward’s last fight against Rubin Williams. I’m a boxing writer on a limited travel budget. As much I would like to, I can’t be at them all. Ward’s win was an impressive seventh round stoppage in which he once again appeared to have improved on his game.
“Andre has stepped up to the progression of a bonafide contender. He’s a very
determined and dedicated fighter. These are hard to find. Then throw in his ability and you have an even rarer fighter. We have just hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of his potential. There is so much untapped. We’ll soon see it blossom.
“[Rubin Williams],” he continues, “will expose you if you’re not a real fighter. Andre took control of that fight from the first bell and never let go of it. If Andre had fought like Alan Green did against Williams, it would have been a snoozefest. Let’s face it, the Lacy/Williams fight was a back and forth affair for seven rounds. Against Andre, he couldn’t land. The announcers kept talking about how Williams wasn’t doing anything but I credit Andre for that. Every time he tried to do something, Andre would hit him with a tremendous jab or a two or three-punch combination. Not giving Andre credit for that is like a pitcher striking a batter out and the announcers saying it was because the batter missed the ball. When you pitch a shutout in boxing, you have taken control.”
Goossen would go on to tell me that Ward’s next fight will be against Jerson Ravelo. “I think you’ll find money in your budget to go to this one,” he jokes. “We’re looking at June 13 in the Cayman Islands.”
“Umm... yeah,” I say. “I think I’ll figure a way to go to that one.”
“[Ravelo] is a former Olympian,” Goossen tells me. “Green stopped him in eight rounds in a competitive fight. Ravelo believes he can beat Andre. He has youth on his side and dreams of being a world champion. It should be a great fight. It’s another step up for Andre. We are looking for a world title shot by the end of this year or the beginning of the next. Andre’s growth is our focus. We are headed in the direction of a world championship.”
The conversation turns to things periphery to boxing and eventually, the traffic lets up enough that Goossen actually begins to move.
“Talk to you later,” said Goossen as he began to move towards home.
Comments/disputes/questions?e-mail
Gabriel at: Coyotefeather@gmail.com
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