"First of all, I wasn't necessarily talking so much to James. I don't want to even talk to a guy who chickened out and ran to the UFC instead of fighting me. He want to talk about he don't want to fight me for $25,000. Man, $25,000 ain't nothing to sneeze at first of all. And don't make it about the money. You beat me and you're on your way to bigger paydays, you understand that? You're on your way to bigger paydays, so don't try to pretend like, 'Oh, it's because of the money.' You done fought for $25,000 or less before. Now, all of a sudden, you're too good to fight for $25,000. If you scared, say you scared and go to church… Let's put on some fights and have everybody talking about the heavyweight division," stated heavyweight contender Tony Thompson in response to recent comments made by James "Lights Out" Toney. The war of words is heating up in what's turning out to be the most action the heavyweight division has seen in quite some time. You don't want to miss what else Thompson had to say as he puts Toney, Oquendo, Arreola and every other heavyweight on notice. Check it out!

PC: How is everything going Tony?

TT: Everything is everything, baby. I'm easy like Sunday morning.

PC: The last time we saw you in action, you stopped Chazz Witherspoon, but that was back in December. Why haven't you been back in the ring man?

TT: Lack of opponents. I need somebody that's willing to step in the goddamn ring and not worry about the money so much and is willing to take a credible heavyweight fight.

PC: I understand you read my interview with James Toney. I'm sure you would like a chance to respond. So what did you think of his comments?

TT: First of all, I wasn't necessarily talking so much to James. I don't want to even talk to a guy who chickened out and ran to the UFC instead of fighting me. He want to talk about he don't want to fight me for $25,000. Man, $25,000 ain't nothing to sneeze at first of all. And don't make it about the money. You beat me and you're on your way to bigger paydays, you understand that? You're on your way to bigger paydays, so don't try to pretend like, "Oh, it's because of the money." You done fought for $25,000 or less before. Now, all of a sudden, you're too good to fight for $25,000. If you scared, say you scared and go to church.

PC: You guys had an offer to fight at one point, right?

TT: Yes we did. After I lost to Wladimir, I was supposed to fight James, but my team wouldn't let me fight him. It wasn't me, I will fight anybody, but I was already on one leg for the fight against Wladimir and I was coming off of two knee surgeries, so they wouldn't take the fight for me. I was willing to fight even on one leg.

PC: I thought you had an offer more recently with him on ESPN?

TT: We might have had another offer, but like I said, he talking about $25,000 ain't enough money. I ain't even going to get $25,000 and I still was going to kick his ass, so he talking about $25; give me the $25 and I will kick his ass twice.

PC: James feels as if it's too late for you to try to change from being a nice guy. He compared to a gay person trying to go straight.

TT: Listen man, everybody knows me as a nice dude because I am a good dude. I take pride in being a good dude. I'm not no gangsta. Gangsta's don't live long, first of all. I know I'm not no gangsta, but that don't mean I can't fight my ass off. You look at my track record; I can fight. Just because I'm a nice guy doesn't mean I'm Buddy Love in the ring. The ring and real life is two different things. I don't have to be a so-called gangsta on the outside just to be a tough guy in the ring. I know what I can do in the ring and he knows what I can do in the ring. I don't have to go around cussing and talking about people's ethnic background. I want to fight in the ring and not on the internet.

PC: You didn't only name Toney, but Arreola and Oquendo as well. Do you feel all of these guys are avoiding you?

TT: They definitely avoiding me because they know this is an automatic loss on this side. First of all, it's a tough fight to fight me and forget the fact that I'm left-handed, I understand that, but these guys are doing a discredit to the heavyweight division. This is why nobody is talking about the heavyweight division. It's not like they aren't good heavyweights out there, but they won't fight each other. Everybody want to fight the local mailman and look good until they get a shot at the title and then they not ready to fight the heavyweight champion of the world because you ain't fought nobody coming up. You look at when I started off, I was always the underdog in my fights. I never ducked anyone in the ring. I fought everybody that was supposed to be tough. That's how you are supposed to come up fighting, not trying to have your manager or promoter guide you to the belt. You fight your way to the belt. 

PC: I agree with that and I think guys like you and James should be the test for the Arreola's and Kevin Johnson's of the world to see if they are truly ready. They hadn't fought anyone that would prepare them for a Klitschko type of fight.

TT: Exactly, exactly, and when he got in there with the champion, he was shellshocked. He wasn't…Arreola likes to compare his loss to my loss. Please! You got stopped in 9 by a guy that hadn't fought in 4 to 5 years. I went in there with the heavyweight champion of the world on one leg and was competitive. Everybody says the only rounds that Wladimir lost in the past 5 or 6 years was to me. What's that tell you? If I had 2 good legs, I would have beat Wladimir easy! Everybody know that; my team know it, I know and Wladimir probably knows it. He just caught me at the right time. And Arreola trying to compare his loss to mine…that's why his people won't let him fight me. They know they got a cash cow because he's a Latino heavyweight and if they put him in the ring with me, I will expose him.

PC: What was the response when you reached out to Fres Oquendo's people?

TT: They got all types of excuses for not wanting to fight. I don't know; I leave that type of stuff up to my managers. All I know is my manager called him and told him we can make the fight and they turned it down. Who the hell is Fres Oquendo to turn down a fight? He should be knocking down doors to fight anybody.

PC: How frustrating is it to take the fight with Witherspoon on short notice, you go and do your thing and now, you can't get a fight?

TT: It's very frustrating because I need to continue fighting to improve. Everybody knows I started late and that I don't have a great amateur pedigree to fall back on, so I learn by fighting. And also, this is how I take care of my family. I can't take care of my family if I'm not fighting, so all of these heavyweights that are sitting back waiting for the Fairy Godmother of boxing to appear, they need to get up off their ass, work hard in the gym and let's fight each other. Let's put on some fights and have everybody talking about the heavyweight division.

PC: I appreciate you reaching out to me and conducting this interview. I wish you the best of luck in landing a fight. Is there anything you want to say in closing?

TT: I'm ready to be champion in 2010. I have had all of the surgeries I need to be healthy and I'm ready to whoop any top contender's ass, man. It don't matter who it is. Reach out to us and FightHype and I will fight you in your hometown; hell, I will fight you in a bowling alley. If they want to fight me, contact PMG Management at (202) 783-7833. If ya'll want to fight, just call that number or get at FightHype.com and we will go from there. I will take the short end of the money. We can fight winner takes all. I don't care. If you whoop my ass, you can have my money.

PC: We gonna put it out there: Tony Thompson willing to take short money or no money and fight in anyone's backyard right here on FightHype and through PMG Boxing.

TT: You got it! Percy, thank you brother.