The Truth on Roy Jones VS James Toney

It seems like its Roy Jones history day so why not revist his biggest fight? "At this time, most boxing magazines and writers had regarded Toney as the best pound per pound fighter in the world. He had become one of the most feared and intimidating fighters as well. James Toney had become somewhat of a throwback to the old time great fighters, as he fought often and was willing to take on the best regardless of weight class. At his best, Toney’s style was almost flawless. He was a smooth boxer/puncher who could adapt to any style. He could easily fight from the distance or on an inside battle. He was one of the best defensive specialists in the sport, in that he could slip and avoid punches in a way that resembled a young Roberto Duran. Toney seemed to have it all, power, speed, a solid chin, an outstanding defense and an aura that commanded respect. But his battle with weight had once again begun to take its toll. He would balloon to over 200 lbs between fights, which made it apparent that his days at the Super Middleweight limit were coming to an end. In fact Toney’s sights were now set on the Heavyweight division. However, after the Williams fight it was announced that Toney would next defend his title with a big money fight against Roy Jones. Toney accepted the fight, believing that he would be able to make the 168lbs. limit one last time. The fight was set for November 18, 1994. Toney went into training camp for the Jones match a mere 6 weeks prior to the fight, weighing 214 lbs. By the day of the weigh-in Toney had stepped on the scale weighing a weak looking 167 lbs. He had lost 47 lbs in just 6 weeks. Toney was severely dehydrated and his camp knew it. After the weigh-in, Toney was hooked up to an I.V. in order to replace his body with fluids and he was kept on it all night until the next day of the fight. On fight day, just before entering the ring, Toney had weighed himself in the dressing room. It was reported that he weighed 186 lbs, which meant that he had gained an incredible 19 pounds in less than 24 hours. As Toney climbed into the ring and removed his robe, he revealed a soft looking body which lacked muscle tone. It became apparent that this was not the same fighter. In spite of the fact that Toney was so grossly out of shape, Jones still seemed content to fight a safe cautious fight. The result was a boring 12 round decision win for Jones. This became Toney’s first loss after 46 pro fights. After the fight, Toney admitted that he had been weakened by making the weight and stated that he would move up to the Light Heavyweight division." http://lightsout10.tripod.com/toney_biography.htm