James Toney vs Chris Eubank: How come it never ever happened?

[Rule-Britannia]

How come a fight between James Toney and Eubank never ever happened when Toney wanted it so bad?
I was only a kid when the 2 of them were in theirprime but I rememeber my uncle talking about Nunn and Toney, when all I ever got to see was Eubank and Benn etc on UK tv as I never had satelite telivision.

[Alexis Vastine]

Eubank said himself that he liked being a big fish in a small pond. To a boxing purist, that's him fessing up that he was indeed a fraud. To me he was justr famous for being a clown. A british and Commonwealth Champion with a WBO belt!

[Franko]

Eubank said himself that he liked being a big fish in a small pond. To a boxing purist, that's him fessing up that he was indeed a fraud. To me he was justr famous for being a clown. A british and Commonwealth Champion with a WBO belt!

I think you're being a little unfair. Eubank did clown around, but there was no doubting his talent, but there is also no doubting that he changed as a fighter after the second Michael Watson fight. He lost the important 'killer' instinct in my opinion. However, he still performed superbly in some (certainly not all) his fights after the second Watson fight, most notably in the two fights against Carl Thompson in the latter stages of his career... Although he lost those two fights he still came out of them with immense credit which was in stark contrast to the way the british punters treated him earlier in his career.
However, Eubank never made a secret of the fact that he was in the fight game to make money so in that respect fights with either James Toney or Roy Jones Jnr would have made sound financial sense, but the fact of the matter is that Toney and Jones Jnr were better than Eubank and Benn. That said, i would have rated Eubank's chances more than Benn's in a fight with either Jones Jnr or Toney (despite Benn's wins in the states against Dewitt and Barkley), but the British fighter i would class as having the best chance at the time would have been Michael Watson. Strangely, Both Eubank and Benn were afforded more exposure and praise than Watson back then, even after Watson had schooled Benn, and was unlucky with the decision in the first Eubank fight. An even stranger fact (in my opinion) is the recognition that Steve Collins is given for getting wins against both Benn and Eubank when it was clear that they were both far past their best. Collins, if any, is the fighter you should be rating as British or Commonwealth level.

[phallus]

I think you're being a little unfair. Eubank did clown around, but there was no doubting his talent, but there is also no doubting that he changed as a fighter after the second Michael Watson fight. He lost the important 'killer' instinct in my opinion. However, he still performed superbly in some (certainly not all) his fights after the second Watson fight, most notably in the two fights against Carl Thompson in the latter stages of his career... Although he lost those two fights he still came out of them with immense credit which was in stark contrast to the way the british punters treated him earlier in his career.
However, Eubank never made a secret of the fact that he was in the fight game to make money so in that respect fights with either James Toney or Roy Jones Jnr would have made sound financial sense, but the fact of the matter is that Toney and Jones Jnr were better than Eubank and Benn. That said, i would have rated Eubank's chances more than Benn's in a fight with either Jones Jnr or Toney (despite Benn's wins in the states against Dewitt and Barkley), but the British fighter i would class as having the best chance at the time would have been Michael Watson. Strangely, Both Eubank and Benn were afforded more exposure and praise than Watson back then, even after Watson had schooled Benn, and was unlucky with the decision in the first Eubank fight. An even stranger fact (in my opinion) is the recognition that Steve Collins is given for getting wins against both Benn and Eubank when it was clear that they were both far past their best. Collins, if any, is the fighter you should be rating as British or Commonwealth level.

steve collins was a classy bloke, after he beat benn he said " that wasn't the real nigel benn ". very respectful in admitting he beat a shot nigel benn.

[Franko]

steve collins was a classy bloke, after he beat benn he said " that wasn't the real nigel benn ". very respectful in admitting he beat a shot nigel benn.

I never said that Collins wasn't a classy bloke, and i never said that he didn't realise that both Benn & Eubank were past their best, but the fact is that there are still plenty who give him too much credit for the wins he got against Benn & Eubank.

[Davros?]

Eubank said himself that he liked being a big fish in a small pond. To a boxing purist, that's him fessing up that he was indeed a fraud. To me he was justr famous for being a clown. A british and Commonwealth Champion with a WBO belt!

didnt Eubank say after his fight with Benn wasnt shown in america that he would never deal with american networks again, dont know how true that is though.

[Alexis Vastine]

Whatever he said and didn't do, the fact is he wasn't good enough to hang in their with the Americans and he pretty much admitted it when he made the big fish in little pond comment. Someone said he wasn't the same after Watson fight and there is no doubt in his talent. That is pure bull****. Eubank never wwas never going to be good enough to beat Toney or Roy Jones and that is a fact. People in the little pond are deluded into thinking he would have.