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No matter what happens let me just say that it still stands in my eyes that James Toney should be remembered as something close to a boxing great when you consider the entire body of work he put down over his long career. In his prime, on his absolute best nights, he was really something to see and even now, past his prime, he is fighting with tried and true heavyweights and he is right there with them and, if anything, has shown to be the much better man in terms of overall skills.
At this point in his career James Toney is still a heavyweight with the potential to do something at that weight and, as it stands now, he is a guy who could even get another heavyweight title fight in the next year or so.
To think James, now a very competent heavyweight, was a middleweight champion a full decade and a half ago is pretty impressive. In my eyes I see him as one of the great counter punchers and defensive specialists in the world today and, as a matter of fact, in terms of his style and what he does and how he does it I don't think there is anyone else in the world in the class of an on-point and in shape, motivated James Toney.
Let me put it this way. James defeated defending world champions Michael Nunn, Iran Barkley, Vassiliy Jirov and John Ruiz. (He defeated Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in a sterling performance after I started writing this chapter. The decision was eventually nullified when James tested positive for a banned substance but it doesn't change the fact that he beat a real heavyweight. If he did take steroids that was wrong but, still, steroids don't give you skills and it was skills more than any brawn or strength that appeared to give him his short lived victory that night). He pinned the first defeats on unbeaten fighters like Nunn, Jirov, and Tim Littles. He stopped Prince Charles Williams with one awesome punch in the 12th and final round of their fight and broke Barkley down over nine rounds for a systematic working over that was essentially a clinic on counter punching and inside fighting. He also scored a twelve round decision over future two-division champ Reggie Johnson right after he beat Nunn for the title and later on in his career he totally dominated and dismantled (albeit a way past his prime) Evander Holyfield and also defeated young heavyweight prospect Dominic Guinn. All in all he won legitimate world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight and as a result of all that I believe that James "Lights Out" Toney will one day be sitting in the Hall of Fame.
(If longevity is a factor then James Toney is qualified there, too. Put it this way: In late 1994 he lost that wide decision to Roy Jones in the fight that really set RJ on his way to superstardom. James went on into a funk of sorts after that fight and lost twice in razor thin decisions to Montell Griffin. He eventually found his way back to form, though, and won another legitimate world title (from Jirov) almost a full decade later and just recently he defeated heavyweight prospect Dominick Guinn (on October 1, 2005) by a wide and clear decision. He also, of course, actually won a version of the heavyweight title when he beat Ruiz. Boxing and life in general sometimes has a funny way of doing things. The decision win on TV over Guinn came on the very same night, probably within an hour of each other, when Roy Jones was looking like an old fighter and losing a clear decision to Antonio Tarver. What a difference eleven years makes, huh? Here it is more than a full decade after Roy made his name off of James Toney and Roy is thought by many to be finished as a legitimate world title threat now while James, on the other hand, has just come off of what may be the most interesting and lucrative period of his career with fights against the likes of Holyfield, Rachman, Ruiz and Peter (twice).
To wrap it all up in one final overview I will put it to you like this: In my opinion, if you have a young kid or a young pro and you want him to learn how to really fight, to really box, and learn to pick his shots, roll with punches, stay unusually relaxed, to pull victory out when things look dim (like he did with Nunn, Littles and Jirov) and counter punch with precision then just have him sit right down and study some prime James Toney fights because at their best it's all Professional Boxing101.
At this point in his career James Toney is still a heavyweight with the potential to do something at that weight and, as it stands now, he is a guy who could even get another heavyweight title fight in the next year or so.
To think James, now a very competent heavyweight, was a middleweight champion a full decade and a half ago is pretty impressive. In my eyes I see him as one of the great counter punchers and defensive specialists in the world today and, as a matter of fact, in terms of his style and what he does and how he does it I don't think there is anyone else in the world in the class of an on-point and in shape, motivated James Toney.
Let me put it this way. James defeated defending world champions Michael Nunn, Iran Barkley, Vassiliy Jirov and John Ruiz. (He defeated Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in a sterling performance after I started writing this chapter. The decision was eventually nullified when James tested positive for a banned substance but it doesn't change the fact that he beat a real heavyweight. If he did take steroids that was wrong but, still, steroids don't give you skills and it was skills more than any brawn or strength that appeared to give him his short lived victory that night). He pinned the first defeats on unbeaten fighters like Nunn, Jirov, and Tim Littles. He stopped Prince Charles Williams with one awesome punch in the 12th and final round of their fight and broke Barkley down over nine rounds for a systematic working over that was essentially a clinic on counter punching and inside fighting. He also scored a twelve round decision over future two-division champ Reggie Johnson right after he beat Nunn for the title and later on in his career he totally dominated and dismantled (albeit a way past his prime) Evander Holyfield and also defeated young heavyweight prospect Dominic Guinn. All in all he won legitimate world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight and as a result of all that I believe that James "Lights Out" Toney will one day be sitting in the Hall of Fame.
(If longevity is a factor then James Toney is qualified there, too. Put it this way: In late 1994 he lost that wide decision to Roy Jones in the fight that really set RJ on his way to superstardom. James went on into a funk of sorts after that fight and lost twice in razor thin decisions to Montell Griffin. He eventually found his way back to form, though, and won another legitimate world title (from Jirov) almost a full decade later and just recently he defeated heavyweight prospect Dominick Guinn (on October 1, 2005) by a wide and clear decision. He also, of course, actually won a version of the heavyweight title when he beat Ruiz. Boxing and life in general sometimes has a funny way of doing things. The decision win on TV over Guinn came on the very same night, probably within an hour of each other, when Roy Jones was looking like an old fighter and losing a clear decision to Antonio Tarver. What a difference eleven years makes, huh? Here it is more than a full decade after Roy made his name off of James Toney and Roy is thought by many to be finished as a legitimate world title threat now while James, on the other hand, has just come off of what may be the most interesting and lucrative period of his career with fights against the likes of Holyfield, Rachman, Ruiz and Peter (twice).
To wrap it all up in one final overview I will put it to you like this: In my opinion, if you have a young kid or a young pro and you want him to learn how to really fight, to really box, and learn to pick his shots, roll with punches, stay unusually relaxed, to pull victory out when things look dim (like he did with Nunn, Littles and Jirov) and counter punch with precision then just have him sit right down and study some prime James Toney fights because at their best it's all Professional Boxing101.
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