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In steve kim's column, he mentions his fight isn't being televised:
Is it Still 'Lights Out' for Toney?
Steve Kim 10/09/2009
It doesn't matter to James Toney that his contest this Saturday night at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, versus Mathew Greer is on the non-televised portion of the ShoBox telecast that features Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler from opposite ends of the world.
How the mighty have fallen, right?
It's another sign that Toney, one of the most skilled practitioners of 'the sweet science' of this past generation, is now just a guy filling out a card. A supporting player who takes his lumps before the bright lights come on. Another example of a boxer whose best days are behind them. He's done. Finished. It's over. Stick a fork in him.
Toney hears those statements loud and clear. But instead of being angry, the usually boisterous Toney, actually takes it in stride. In fact, he's downright good-natured about it.
" Ha, ha, I'm laughing at them," Toney says of his detractors, who have buried him." That's all I do is laugh because they don't know what they're talking about. Everybody saying I'm short, fat and washed up. I can't move out the way of punches. OK, so be it. Come fight me. If it was like that, why don't you guys come and fight me, Klitschko's? Let me be in there with them."
Toney may have lost some of his quickness and reflexes but he's lost nothing as it relates to talking junk. Nobody has does it better to this day. Think of Gary Payton with boxing gloves. Dolomite with the ability to slip-and-counter. He can make the rappers of the 80's sound modest by comparison.
But still, it's hard to get that image out of your mind, his struggle against Fres Oquendo in December. A fight that many observers had him losing. Regardless, it was an ugly affair.
" I saw the first five rounds of it and after that I turned it off," admitted Toney, who slipped by Oquendo with a split decision." Because I knew- well, he still didn't beat me- it wasn't a James Toney-type of performance. He still didn't do nothing to beat me, he was so damn scared before the fight."
At times, Oquendo can move around the ring faster than Usain Bolt. This fight was a stylistic disaster from the very beginning.
" He ran faster," said Toney." Then when he threw me out the ring and I hurt my shoulder. Look, I was constantly getting hit in the back of the head and the referee was for him. Ya' know what I'm sayin'?" To the credit of Lou Moret, he did deduct a point from Oquendo for his indiscretions in the eighth round." I'm a soldier, I don't blame it on nothing. You get all these other fighters blaming it on head-butts and all that, I don't even complain because I'm a gladiator. That's what I do. I'm a warrior. In my mind, I'm still the best fighter in the world, period.
" 82 pro fights and ain't never been knocked out, never have, never will. I've won multiple world championships in six different divisions. Nobody ain't done what I've done and never will because they ain't got the balls."
We haven't seen Toney since his outing with Oquendo.
" I've been quiet, working on something major, ya' know what I'm sayin'?" explained Toney, of his relatively low profile the past ten months." I've just been taking my time, getting my body in great shape, getting back to how I was when I fought Rydell Booker and Evander Holyfield. So now I'm back, injury free. I've get a few nooks and crannies here and there but everybody got that."
There was a time when James Toney was his own worst enemy. His binge eating was the stuff of legend and he could smoke cigars as if he were a chimney. And in recent years his career as a heavyweight has been series of opportunities which were squandered.
" Look, those days are over. After the second Sam Peter fight, even though everyone knew I beat him the first time very decisively and somehow they say I lost. Everyone knows that was a political move. The second time he ran from me the whole damn time because he was scared of me. It's a damn shame, a guy comes up from 157 pounds all the way up to 200 pounds and everybody scared of me. Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
At age 41, Toney knows that he's running out of time. When asked what is the biggest change he's made in his lifestyle, he answers," I'm in the gym all the time, now. In the gym all day, all night." He promised that he will be at the same weight- or below- as when he weighed-in at 217-pounds for Holyfield back in 2003.
His goal is very simple. To be the heavyweight champion of the world and rid the division of the Klitschko brothers, who he believes are an embarrassment to the sport.
" That's crazy," he says, incredulously," I credit that to HBO, I credit that to all the so-called boxing experts who write about them like they the greatest thing since sliced cheese and that's not so. They not fighting nobody. They're basically robots. It's crazy, I don't think nothin' of them and like I said, it's basically my fault. I had a chance to get 'em but y'know the fight with Sam Peter didn't come out too good. I beat John Ruiz and all of a sudden I tested positive for steroids. That's crazy, I would've had 'em both.
" But hey, I'm gonna get 'em. They're the reason why I say their day is coming. And when I get 'em, I gonna hurt 'em real bad."
K2 VS. USA
So does Toney give either Chris Arreola( who faces Vitali on September 26Th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for his WBC title) or Eddie Chambers, who will face Wladimir( for his IBF belt, sometime in 2010) any chance?
" Zero. I give them zero" was his initial reply, before adding," Well, ya' know what, I'm gonna take that back. Chris Arreola got a better chance than Eddie Chambers because he's got a punchers chance. If Chris Arreola jumps on him within the first three rounds, like he did against Jameel McCline, then he got a chance to blow him out of there. If it goes past three, four rounds, Chris in for a lot of trouble. And the reason why I say that is the only thing Klitschko is going to do is jab, stick-and-move, jab. He can't do nothin' else. All Chris has to do is jump on him, keep that guy backing up because he can not fight going backward.
" And both can't stand pressure. As they get pressure, they will faint."
FATHER KNOWS BEST
I remember watching a young 'Lights Out' in the early '90's when he was campaigning as a middleweight and super middleweight and I recall a fight on ESPN or two where he would be holding his young infant daughter in the ring after another victory.
Well, that was a long time ago.
" I got two daughters in high school," pointed out Toney, who says he takes them to school each day in-between his training sessions." It makes me feel pretty young, though."
Seriously, can you imagine being the young man dating one of his daughters or picking them up for the prom and being greeted at the door by Mr. Toney?
" What you talking 'bout, man?" said Toney, not even entertaining such thoughts." That ain't happening."
Not even the prom?
" She goes to the prom, she's going with me and grandpa."
OK, but what if somebody wants to cut in and dance? Or maybe ask them to slow dance when Keith Sweat comes on, you know, like 'Make it Last Forever'?
" Oh, hell no, that's not going to happen."
LATE WEEK FLURRIES
Contrary to popular belief, Chris Arreola looks to be in good shape- and I don't mean round. At his media day on Wednesday he looked fit and much lighter on his feet. He does not look like the Mexican Michelin Man or the Goodyear Blimp....Heavyweight Malik Scott told me that same day at the Ten Goose Gym that he will be facing Tony Thompson on October 22ND....Joe Goossen is now training Edison Miranda....There are two press conferences in Los Angeles next Monday. One will be for Mayweather-Marquez and the other will be for Pacquiao-Cotto. I was told HBO asked Bob Arum to back his up a few hours.....Are the Buffalo Bills running the 'no-huddle offense' or the 'no-offense offense'?.....
Is it Still 'Lights Out' for Toney?
Steve Kim 10/09/2009
It doesn't matter to James Toney that his contest this Saturday night at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, versus Mathew Greer is on the non-televised portion of the ShoBox telecast that features Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler from opposite ends of the world.
How the mighty have fallen, right?
It's another sign that Toney, one of the most skilled practitioners of 'the sweet science' of this past generation, is now just a guy filling out a card. A supporting player who takes his lumps before the bright lights come on. Another example of a boxer whose best days are behind them. He's done. Finished. It's over. Stick a fork in him.
Toney hears those statements loud and clear. But instead of being angry, the usually boisterous Toney, actually takes it in stride. In fact, he's downright good-natured about it.
" Ha, ha, I'm laughing at them," Toney says of his detractors, who have buried him." That's all I do is laugh because they don't know what they're talking about. Everybody saying I'm short, fat and washed up. I can't move out the way of punches. OK, so be it. Come fight me. If it was like that, why don't you guys come and fight me, Klitschko's? Let me be in there with them."
Toney may have lost some of his quickness and reflexes but he's lost nothing as it relates to talking junk. Nobody has does it better to this day. Think of Gary Payton with boxing gloves. Dolomite with the ability to slip-and-counter. He can make the rappers of the 80's sound modest by comparison.
But still, it's hard to get that image out of your mind, his struggle against Fres Oquendo in December. A fight that many observers had him losing. Regardless, it was an ugly affair.
" I saw the first five rounds of it and after that I turned it off," admitted Toney, who slipped by Oquendo with a split decision." Because I knew- well, he still didn't beat me- it wasn't a James Toney-type of performance. He still didn't do nothing to beat me, he was so damn scared before the fight."
At times, Oquendo can move around the ring faster than Usain Bolt. This fight was a stylistic disaster from the very beginning.
" He ran faster," said Toney." Then when he threw me out the ring and I hurt my shoulder. Look, I was constantly getting hit in the back of the head and the referee was for him. Ya' know what I'm sayin'?" To the credit of Lou Moret, he did deduct a point from Oquendo for his indiscretions in the eighth round." I'm a soldier, I don't blame it on nothing. You get all these other fighters blaming it on head-butts and all that, I don't even complain because I'm a gladiator. That's what I do. I'm a warrior. In my mind, I'm still the best fighter in the world, period.
" 82 pro fights and ain't never been knocked out, never have, never will. I've won multiple world championships in six different divisions. Nobody ain't done what I've done and never will because they ain't got the balls."
We haven't seen Toney since his outing with Oquendo.
" I've been quiet, working on something major, ya' know what I'm sayin'?" explained Toney, of his relatively low profile the past ten months." I've just been taking my time, getting my body in great shape, getting back to how I was when I fought Rydell Booker and Evander Holyfield. So now I'm back, injury free. I've get a few nooks and crannies here and there but everybody got that."
There was a time when James Toney was his own worst enemy. His binge eating was the stuff of legend and he could smoke cigars as if he were a chimney. And in recent years his career as a heavyweight has been series of opportunities which were squandered.
" Look, those days are over. After the second Sam Peter fight, even though everyone knew I beat him the first time very decisively and somehow they say I lost. Everyone knows that was a political move. The second time he ran from me the whole damn time because he was scared of me. It's a damn shame, a guy comes up from 157 pounds all the way up to 200 pounds and everybody scared of me. Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
At age 41, Toney knows that he's running out of time. When asked what is the biggest change he's made in his lifestyle, he answers," I'm in the gym all the time, now. In the gym all day, all night." He promised that he will be at the same weight- or below- as when he weighed-in at 217-pounds for Holyfield back in 2003.
His goal is very simple. To be the heavyweight champion of the world and rid the division of the Klitschko brothers, who he believes are an embarrassment to the sport.
" That's crazy," he says, incredulously," I credit that to HBO, I credit that to all the so-called boxing experts who write about them like they the greatest thing since sliced cheese and that's not so. They not fighting nobody. They're basically robots. It's crazy, I don't think nothin' of them and like I said, it's basically my fault. I had a chance to get 'em but y'know the fight with Sam Peter didn't come out too good. I beat John Ruiz and all of a sudden I tested positive for steroids. That's crazy, I would've had 'em both.
" But hey, I'm gonna get 'em. They're the reason why I say their day is coming. And when I get 'em, I gonna hurt 'em real bad."
K2 VS. USA
So does Toney give either Chris Arreola( who faces Vitali on September 26Th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for his WBC title) or Eddie Chambers, who will face Wladimir( for his IBF belt, sometime in 2010) any chance?
" Zero. I give them zero" was his initial reply, before adding," Well, ya' know what, I'm gonna take that back. Chris Arreola got a better chance than Eddie Chambers because he's got a punchers chance. If Chris Arreola jumps on him within the first three rounds, like he did against Jameel McCline, then he got a chance to blow him out of there. If it goes past three, four rounds, Chris in for a lot of trouble. And the reason why I say that is the only thing Klitschko is going to do is jab, stick-and-move, jab. He can't do nothin' else. All Chris has to do is jump on him, keep that guy backing up because he can not fight going backward.
" And both can't stand pressure. As they get pressure, they will faint."
FATHER KNOWS BEST
I remember watching a young 'Lights Out' in the early '90's when he was campaigning as a middleweight and super middleweight and I recall a fight on ESPN or two where he would be holding his young infant daughter in the ring after another victory.
Well, that was a long time ago.
" I got two daughters in high school," pointed out Toney, who says he takes them to school each day in-between his training sessions." It makes me feel pretty young, though."
Seriously, can you imagine being the young man dating one of his daughters or picking them up for the prom and being greeted at the door by Mr. Toney?
" What you talking 'bout, man?" said Toney, not even entertaining such thoughts." That ain't happening."
Not even the prom?
" She goes to the prom, she's going with me and grandpa."
OK, but what if somebody wants to cut in and dance? Or maybe ask them to slow dance when Keith Sweat comes on, you know, like 'Make it Last Forever'?
" Oh, hell no, that's not going to happen."
LATE WEEK FLURRIES
Contrary to popular belief, Chris Arreola looks to be in good shape- and I don't mean round. At his media day on Wednesday he looked fit and much lighter on his feet. He does not look like the Mexican Michelin Man or the Goodyear Blimp....Heavyweight Malik Scott told me that same day at the Ten Goose Gym that he will be facing Tony Thompson on October 22ND....Joe Goossen is now training Edison Miranda....There are two press conferences in Los Angeles next Monday. One will be for Mayweather-Marquez and the other will be for Pacquiao-Cotto. I was told HBO asked Bob Arum to back his up a few hours.....Are the Buffalo Bills running the 'no-huddle offense' or the 'no-offense offense'?.....
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