Lets talk about James Toney.

[SouthPawHitman]

Where do you rank him all time? What are your general thoughts on him?

[Beercules]

One of my favorites.


I got milk baby! YO!

Don King kiss my ass!

Jim Gray whats happenin'?

[-PBP-]

Hard to imagine 100 fighters better than James Toney so I guess he can be somewhere in there.

He was an exceptional inside fighter with good speed and combinations, especially in his prime. I thought he lost to McCallum twice but I gave him 1 of the 2 Griffin fights and I thought he beat Samuel Peter. He has had an exceptional, hall of fame career but he could have been much greater if he had the discipline.

[gmc_rfc_06]

One of my absolute favourite fighters.

Best pocket counter puncher there has ever been. He was right there in punching range and rolling shots, blocking with his arms/shoulders and coming back with precise counters with his entire body weight behind them...having an ATG chin helped too.

He got lazy and sometimes seemed to lack interest, but at his best he's one of the most technically gifted fighters the sport has seen.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

I always liked watching Toney fight. His defense got to be great over the years. His comeback win over Nunn was just epic. I really thought he would beat Jones, but I think he was too dehydrated. His fight with Jirov was great from first bell to last, although a case could be made that Jirov won. And like any decent fighter, Toney dominated John Ruiz. Too bad he failed the drug test later.

Toney was great on many levels- especially defense and inside fighting. He could also talk a great game. However, I have a few criticisms.

The main one is that he never met a sandwich he did not like. He ballooned up too much between fights and had to drain himself to make weight which resulted in lazy, sloppy performances which cost him a lot when it comes to legacy. Will he make it to the IBOF? Most likely. But would I favor him over Monzon? No. Hagler? Maybe. Robinson? No. Julian Jackson? Yes. Archie Moore? No, but I would love to see it. Matthew Saad Muhammed? Probably yes. Thomas Hearns? Maybe. Very close. Chris Eubank? Yes. Nigel Benn? Yes. Gerald McClellan? Close.

I think in the end, Toney deserves plenty of praise for many memorable moments. Plus he did have well over seventy fights which is rare these days. If he had only had more discipline...

[TommyToughNuts]

Let's not and say we did. Besides, he's one of the most overrated fighters in history.

[gmc_rfc_06]

I always liked watching Toney fight. His defense got to be great over the years. His comeback win over Nunn was just epic. I really thought he would beat Jones, but I think he was too dehydrated. His fight with Jirov was great from first bell to last, although a case could be made that Jirov won. And like any decent fighter, Toney dominated John Ruiz. Too bad he failed the drug test later.

Toney was great on many levels- especially defense and inside fighting. He could also talk a great game. However, I have a few criticisms.

The main one is that he never met a sandwich he did not like. He ballooned up too much between fights and had to drain himself to make weight which resulted in lazy, sloppy performances which cost him a lot when it comes to legacy. Will he make it to the IBOF? Most likely. But would I favor him over Monzon? No. Hagler? Maybe. Robinson? No. Julian Jackson? Yes. Archie Moore? No, but I would love to see it. Matthew Saad Muhammed? Probably yes. Thomas Hearns? Maybe. Very close. Chris Eubank? Yes. Nigel Benn? Yes. Gerald McClellan? Close.

I think in the end, Toney deserves plenty of praise for many memorable moments. Plus he did have well over seventy fights which is rare these days. If he had only had more discipline...

Not even close IMO.

That was an absolute masterclass from Toney, he countered Jirov to death. The commentators made it sound far closer than it was.

117-111 Toney, 116-112 at the closest.

[-PBP-]

Not even close IMO.

That was an absolute masterclass from Toney, he countered Kiribati to death. The commentators made it sound far closer than it was.

117-111 Toney, 116-112 at the closest.

This. Lederman was on crack that night.

[IronDanHamza]

Boarderline ATG.

[Weltschmerz]

Any boxing fan should appreciate Toney to some extent one way or another. An old school fighter, a great one too. To me he is an all time great. Having said that, he should have retired long ago and never fought as a heavyweight.