By Scoop Malinowski

WBC Heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman spoke about his first title defense James Toney, what Vitali Klitschko said to him in Mexico and a few more notable things at yesterday’s jam-packed press conference at Tavern On The Green in New York City.

By all indications, Rahman vs. Toney looks like it will be a super fight calibre event in March in Atlantic City. Two very motivated, talented and unique warriors with contrasting styles and personalities, ready to lay it all on the line for the WBC Heavyweight title. Just about everybody in boxing was at this press conference and all of us were captivated by the occasion. This fascinating fight definitely has created a buzz in the air, with most of the experts I spoke with favoring Toney to prevail.

Scoop: You are very confident for this fight with James Toney, like no doubt you will beat Toney. Why are you so sure?

Hasim Rahman: “Because I got a real fighter in front of me and somebody that I won’t take for granted. Somebody that I know I gotta go put in the work. And I feel like if I had more fighters like James in front of me you know I’d be an undefeated fighter right now. He’s somebody that make me put in the work in where I don’t take a shortcut here or shortcut there or I take it for granted. This is gonna be nothing but hard work for me. And I know if I put in the work I can beat anybody.”

Scoop: Did you gain some kind of mental boost after Klitschko walked away from the $8 million not to fight you? Did that help you in any way?

Hasim Rahman: “It ain’t got nothing to do with Klitschko pulling out. I felt like I got myself in tremendous shape and I feel like I’m still in good shape from that fight. So I’ve learned - there’s some new things that I’m doing and I felt like I would have been able to be successful against Klitschko. And I believe that I got another formidable task in front of me and I feel like I’m gonna be successful against James Toney. I mean, if he can beat this Rahman that’s gonna show up, he deserves to be the man.”

Scoop: Any concern about being another Ken Norton, when after Ken Norton got the title he lost it in his first title defense to Larry Holmes? (Note: Leon Spinks was stripped in 1978 of WBC title for opting to give Ali the rematch instead of defending against Norton - and so the WBC belt was awarded to Norton who had defeated Jimmy Young in an earlier elimination bout.)

Hasim Rahman: “No, not at all. I won’t lose this fight so, James Toney can’t beat me [laughs]. We can fight ten times out of ten, he won’t win. I’m gonna win this fight. And then we can go on with the James Toney, there’ll be enough of that James Toney talk. So he can go and fight somebody else and win a title. But he can’t get this green WBC belt, that belongs to me.”

Scoop: Were you surprised James Toney was very polite and shook your hand today after the photo pose and face-to-face?

Hasim Rahman: “No, not at all. Normally when we’re face to face, that’s how James is. It’s when he get to these websites that all the trash-talking and all that kind of stuff begins. But I mean, I don’t necessarily need to take it there. And he don’t necessarily need to take it there. We can just be men and respectful and if that’s how he want to deal with it, we can deal with it that way. If he want to take it somewhere else, we can do that too. I have no problem. But I’m always reacting to something he does.”

Scoop: In Mexico last month Klitschko was there too as you were awarded the WBC Heavyweight championship. Did he pay you any kind of respect? Come over and say something to you?

Hasim Rahman: “Yeah, definitely. He said congratulations, wished me luck and just whatever prototypical stuff. I can’t remember word-for-word verbatim what he said but it wasn’t any animosity, so.”