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youve got to be kidding me? there are so many things wrong in this post its not even funny. toney cant pop a zit at heavyweight and has no chance of stopping thompson who has a good defense and above average chin. hell,,,toney wasnt even a big puncher at super middleweight let alone heavyweight. wake up dude he cant stop the worst of the heavyweights let alone the top20
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James Toney Ducked Wladimir Klitschko
Why won't Toney fight Klitschko?
By Ben Cohen: It was reported recently that heavyweight James Toney rejected an offer of $1.5million to fight WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The Michigan born fighter who started his career at 160lbs, has steadily eaten his way up to 237lbs, beating up many world-class fighters along the way. He has shown absolutely no fear of any of the heavyweights, and has proved his worth at 200lb plus to all those who doubted him.
So why then, has Toney decided not to fight Klitschko in what would certainly be the biggest and most competitive heavyweight fight in years?
It is not as if 'Lights Out' has shown any reservations in fighting the big men of boxing. Officially making his mark in the heavyweight division with a 9th round TKO of veteran Evander Holyfield in 2003, Toney has since been involved with two Heavyweight championship bouts.
In 2005, Toney took on John Ruiz for the WBA belt, and clearly out boxed the ponderous 'Quiet Man', taking a unanimous decision. However, Toney was found to have banned substances in his system (the residuals of medication he was taking for an injury he claimed later), and was stripped of the title.
Toney came back with another good points victory over Dominick Guinn, and was then given another title shot against WBC champion Hasim Rahman in early 2006.
Weighing an enormous 237lbs, Toney boxed well, but was outworked by a fitter Rahman for many of the rounds in the fight. The bout was declared a draw, and Toney again, went home without the belt he has sought so desperately since turning professional in 1988.
Toney has again been offered a shot at the Heavyweight title, this time Klitschko. Uncharacteristically he has backed out saying the money was not good enough.
In the past, Toney has referred to Klitschko as "garbage", calling him a "bum with no chin" and saying he could beat him "with ease".
Klitschko has had an uneasy few years, getting knocked out twice, and looking far from stellar in several of his outings. However, he has recently bounced back with a huge victory over former rival Chris Byrd. The Ukranian bludgeoned Bryd in five extremely one sided rounds, displaying some excellent defensive work and phenomenal punching power.
Could it be that upon viewing the fight with Byrd, Toney does not fancy his chances against the 6ft 5 Klitschko?
Not so, says trainer Freddy Roach.
"Well I wouldn't fight Wladimir Klitschko for 1.5 million dollars", Roach told Secondsout flatly.
"That's not enough money to fight a guy like that for the world championship. For the right price he will fight the right guy. I know he is the mandatory for the winner of the Rahman fight, and maybe he'll get better paid for that," he said of Toney's proposed world title rematch.
And to be fair, this is a good point from camp Toney. Klitschko is probably the most dangerous heavyweight out there, and after all of Toney's training expenses, he would only walk away with a few hundred thousand. For the biggest fight of his life, that is not nearly enough motivation for a man of Toney's age and stature in the game.
And what of the weight? Coming in almost 80lbs over his former middleweight self, Toney has hardly looked serious about fighting someone of the skill and power of Klitschko. He may have been able to get away with it with the John Ruiz's and Hasim Rahman's of boxing, but Wladimir Klitshcko is definitely in a different league.
Will Roach put his foot down about Toney's weight if he was to fight Klitschko for the title?
"The thing is, I don't think I'm going to have to put my foot down", replied Roach quickly.
"I think that James realises that he needs to be in better shape, and if he doesn't realise then he never will. James is his own man, and I've had some talks with him, and he realises he needs to be in better shape. If that can't motivate him, then I don't think anything can. If that doesn't motivate James Toney then he's not going to be heavyweight champion of the world. He is 10-15 lbs away from that title, he knows that and he'll make the adjustments. I'm sure of it."
Having stated that he would come down to under 220lbs if he were to fight Klitschko, does Roach believe that Toney is actually physically capable of making decent weight?
"Its just like when he fought Jirov", he said referring to Toney's magnificent performance all the way down at 190lbs in 2003.
"He knows he can do it."
And if he can't, it would not be wise for him to get in the ring with someone as good as Klitschko.Comment
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James Toney looked awful in his last fight.Comment
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James doesnt need to be any where near a boxing ring anymore. He's punchy and it's ****ing sad. 80 fights and countless sparring sessions have James Toney, one of the loudest personalities of the past 20 years, left slurring and stumbling over his words.
As a fan, I dont need to see that anymore. And the sad part is he looked in better shape in that interview than he did for all of his title fights.Comment
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Rahman quit cos he knew Toney was gonna stop him. That right hand Toney got Rahman with wobbled him bad and bombs late in the third really had Rahman struggling.
Toney had a 10x worst cut against Littles and KO'd him bad. Gatti continued to fight against Ward with blood streaming down his face. I really wished Toney came in peak shape for first Rahman fight cos he would have stopped him. Rahman also needed to win last two rounds of first fight to snatch a draw.
Toney's never ducked anyone. That's a fact! He's been in with the best fighters in the world and never been stopped or even looked badly hurt. Peter didn't do nothing with Toney running his mouth saying he was gonna KO Toney.Last edited by Brunswick Assassin; 09-27-2008, 08:10 PM.Comment
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Look at his record beez! Toney's had more KOs(43) than what some Heavyweights have had fights. Don't forget that after the Holyfield fight Toney busted his achilles when he was really on a roll and had Mc Cline lined up.
And these so called Top 20 Heavies whom are big punchers can't even KO, let alone drop a former 160lber...Comment
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