By Dave Sholler

It’s fitting that heavyweight James Toney’s nickname is “Lights Out.” After losing Sept. 2 to power puncher Samuel Peter and fighting to a draw with Hasim Rahman March 18, the 233-pound Toney showed that light is not even in his dietary vocabulary. No light salad dressing, no light potato chips. Heck, light beer may not even fit in to Toney’s nutrition pyramid.

In light of his last two sub-par performances, Toney, a former middle and cruiserweight, was out of shape and far from his potential, even at 38 years old. The man once revered for his ability to roll punches and make opponents look silly, now himself looks ridiculous. Against his last two opponents, Toney should have easily won both fights. He had better defense and counter punches than Rahman and was more ring savvy than Peter.

Yet Toney – a man who had not lost a fight since 1997– is 0-1-1 in his last two fights and has seemingly ate his way out of world title contention. What’s even scarier is that he lost nearly 30 pounds for his fight with Peter and still looked plump.

A man who stands just 5’10 and plans on contending for a world title can’t come into a fight with a Santa Claus-like belly. Not in a day and age when conditioning is at a premium and nutritionists are considered a staple of any boxing camp. It doesn’t matter how many rounds you spar, you simply cannot replace proper dieting and cardiovascular training.

While he may have sparred a billion rounds with regular Joes before his last two fights, a man who is nearly four decades old cannot downplay the value of being in tip-top condition, especially when facing a 26-year old bull like Peter.

Toney needs to focus more on running his legs than running his mouth. Moreover, he needs to skip rope, not skip training.

This isn’t a pick-on-the-fat-guy piece. This is the pick-on-the-guy who is truly better than any other heavyweight today and one who only beats himself. A man who has dominated fighters such as Evander Holyfield cannot come out sluggish and let the judges decide the fight. Toney needs to pick his spots, lump up his opponents, and let his gloves decide the bout.

What makes his recent performances so disappointing is the fact that Toney has good people in his corner. Trainer Freddie Roach is a world-class professional. His promoter Dan Goossen knows the ropes, too. But no matter how hard they push Toney to be at his best, the former world champion has to do it himself and he knows it. That’s why he was so angry in the post-fight conference.

It wasn’t because he felt robbed; it was presumably because he felt he took training lightly and didn’t do what he is capable of.

James Toney may be nearing his 40th birthday. He may have had two awful fights. But before we turn the lights out on his career, let’s see what he can do when he flicks the light switch on in the gym.

Dave Sholler can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM in Atlantic City throughout the week from 4-7 p.m. To reach Sholler, email shollerholla4@hotmail.com .