by David P. Greisman (photo by Richie Maldonado)
James Toney is insistent: the weight doesn’t matter – neither his weight when he steps into the ring this Saturday against Hasim Rahman, nor the weight that people are giving in speculating the results of the fight, based partially on his poundage.
James Toney is confident – he wouldn’t be an elite pugilist otherwise, nor would he be James Toney, the trash-talking multi-division titlist who tends to back up what his mouth spouts out, all the while providing the kind of quotes that only Bernard Hopkins or Antonio Tarver could similarly utter.
And the insistence and confidence come from his relevance, the reasons why, at 37 and more than 17 years into his professional career, his name is mentioned on the short list of exceptionally skilled, entertaining fighters.
“My legacy [is] already there,” Toney told reporters on a teleconference call last week. “I’ve done [something] that only a few people have been able to do.”
Toney had been referring to being one of only three middleweight champs in history to win the heavyweight world title, joining Bob Fitzsimmons and Roy Jones Jr. Never mind that his unanimous decision over John Ruiz to pick up the WBA strap last April became a no contest when Toney tested positive for a banned substance. For over twelve rounds, steroids or not, he had schooled Ruiz, a feat that many had been unable to do – not Kirk Johnson, Fres Oquendo or Andrew Golota, and not even Hasim Rahman.
After spending the early nineties winning titles at middleweight and super middleweight – far below the 205 pounds he carried while playing high school football – Toney forwent the water and lettuce diet that had barely sustained him in the week preceding his fights, opting to ventured to higher divisions closer to his comfort level.
By the turn of the century, Toney was competing as a cruiserweight, a campaign that culminated in a fantastic fight against Vassiliy Jirov in 2003. Toney had been waiting for a fight that would prove he was back, and next he would put on the weight to prove that he was the best.
Evander Holyfield was the first sacrifice – one heckuva name to add to one’s ledger, and the body punch knockdown that caused the corner of “The Real Deal” to throw in the towel was truly impressive.
Toney had been a fit 217 pounds for Holyfield, although his team wanted him closer to 200 pounds, according to Showtime’s television commentators.
But after reportedly being ripped while preparing for Jameel McCline before suffering an injury in training camp, his weight would keep rising over his next three appearances – 227 for Rydell Booker, 233 for Ruiz and 235 for Dominick Guinn.
If, prior to the Holyfield fight, there were questions about Toney’s conditioning, what would people think now when, during the conference call, “Lights Out” stepped atop a scale and the digits read 251, with the fight less than two weeks away.
Well, Toney would point to his performances at heavyweight, and at his varying weights, and quote Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis: “Just win, baby.”
For although his girth is rising, so, too, is his win total. It is the sleight of James Toney that, while reporters imply that he is out of shape, he proves otherwise and writes them off as out of touch.
“If I’m always being fat and out of shape, why [am I] beating all these top heavyweights?” Toney asked reporters. “I’m fighting better. I’m feeling a lot better. I’m in my natural strength. …It doesn’t matter. I know how to fight.”
Yet his trainer, Freddie Roach, believes that the size of Rahman – of his height, his weight and his punching power – is partially the reason for the size of Toney.
“He wants to be bigger … because he’s fighting big strong guys and feels he needs to weigh in,” Roach said. “I like him lighter. James, so far, has always been right, so I’m not going to argue with him.”
It’s a sign of trust between veteran trainer and veteran fighter, especially in a division where guys like Rahman, Danny Williams and Kirk Johnson have ballooned in weight and seen their performances fall flat, much flatter than the curvature of their stomachs.
But as James Toney’s tirades have alleged over the years, those guys are “bums,” and he is much different and far better.
“It doesn’t matter what weight I come in at,” he said. “I’m proving you all wrong again.”
The 10 Count
1. While it may not be necessary to give James Toney’s weight heavy consideration, the same cannot be said for the poundage of Hasim Rahman. Until Rahman knocked out Kali Meehan in Nov. 2004, he hadn’t been less than 240 pounds since ballooning to 259 and settling for a draw in his March 2003 rematch with David Tua.
But with the constant delays in last year’s match with Vitali Klitschko – which never occurred due to Klitschko’s frequent injuries and subsequent retirement – Rahman has been in and out of training camp, and is expected to arrive in good shape despite his relative fight night inactivity.
There was actually more of a concern that Rahman could overtrain, but he and his camp have sought to prevent that. That is a good thing for fans, as with Rahman supposedly arriving in shape, as well as Toney’s reputation for delivering, this Saturday’s card, “free” on HBO, is a treat (on paper) in a time when an even match-up with recognizable names is seemingly just cause for a pay-per-view.
2. Speaking of just cause, or a lack thereof, I hope that the mentions of Mike Tyson on the Hasim Rahman teleconference call were just jokes. Rahman said that he is “looking for bigger and better things now.” A Tyson fight may be bigger for Rahman’s wallet, but it is not better for the sport.
3. Samuel Peter is staying busy, fighting in April against Julius Long, a journeyman whose only possible claim to fame would be his being seven feet tall. With all four titleholders occupied in the meantime with other foes, Peter is locked out of the title picture until another opportunity arises. Perhaps, in facing an opponent of such height, Peter is planning either for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko – should Klitschko defeat IBF beltholder Chris Byrd in April – or WBA titlist Nicolay Valuev.
4. Watching the NCAA tournament brackets announced on “Selection Sunday” is kind of like watching the American Idol results shows. Lots of procrastination and commercial breaks, plenty of suspense, much less meaning than the actual competition, but nonetheless essential viewing for any more-than-casual fans.
5. Kevin McBride, the famously hypnotized “contender, not a pretender” that stood up long enough to beat Mike Tyson last year, may actually be moving closer to contending. After Tyson quit on his stool, McBride’s name was mentioned as a possible opponent for John Ruiz, but talk never solidified past speculation. Now, though, should he get by the exemplary TBA on April 1, Dan Rafael reports that Don King wants to set McBride up with the aforementioned Valuev. Great. Two tall, plodding fighters walk into a ring, fighting for what is considered a heavyweight championship. No wonder boxing is so often the cause of punchlines.
6. Felix Sturm won a title belt over the weekend, outpointing Maselino Masoe to take the “regular” WBA middleweight trinket. Good, that will partially make up for the title that Sturm lost in that controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya two years ago. But it won’t compensate him in the manner that he would have been had he accepted the offer to fight Jermain Taylor.
7. There is good news and bad news for Nate Campbell. First, the good: after resurrecting his flagging career by knocking out Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov, Campbell has earned an April bout against the undefeated Isaac Hlatshwayo, a title eliminator for the IBF lightweight belt. Now the bad news: should Campbell win, his title shot will likely not be until far down the line. The current beltholder, Jesus Chavez, is recovering from injuries suffered in training, and when he returns, it is likely that he will face Marco Antonio Barrera first in a fight that had been highly anticipated.
8. Speaking of Barrera, I tire of the constant haggling over who his next opponent will be in place of Jesus Chavez. But if it is Rocky Juarez, as multiple sites have speculated, then good, although I worry that, after winning controversially over Zahir Raheem and losing to late replacement Humberto Soto, another loss – even to a top-notch champion like Barrera – is not what Juarez needs at the moment. And with Barrera looking forward to facing Chavez or a megafight rematch with Manny Pacquiao, an interim upset would be, to understate it, inopportune.
9. Similarly, if Ricky Hatton doesn’t find an opponent soon for his May 13 bout, then his big American invasion will be lacking the anticipation necessary to create buzz for an eventual (and hopeful) showdown with Floyd Mayweather.
10. The next few months are actually turning out to be full of good fights. But lost in the clutter, it seems, is June’s bout that will decide the fate of the middleweight division (again), Jermain Taylor against Winky Wright. It’s great that this fight, like Rahman-Toney, is on “free” HBO, but perhaps if it was on pay-per-view for some exorbitant price, more people would be talking about it than Ricardo Mayorga-Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Tarver-Bernard Hopkins.
