James Toney Rollin wit the punches

[pain=gain]

How does a guy the size of james toney (my 2nd favorite fighter of all time) last to the final rounds of a fight against a guy with the physique of holyfield and then knock his *** out. I mean i know how because he's elusive, and he has also taken alot of punches over his career. but how does a guy that size move his head and shoulders so well. could spending endless hours on a slip bag do the trick?


I love my slip bag....that should be my username.......

[raf727]

hes real economic with his movements, he doesn't waste anything, a true old school fighter

[pain=gain]

hes real economic with his movements, he doesn't waste anything, a true old school fighter

when you say economic, do you mean he's mastered being able to move without burning a lot of energy?

[raf727]

yea, his footwork as well as his upper body. it takes a special kind of fighter to be able to stand in the pocket and trade with dudes from mw to hw, bear in mind also toney has an ATG chin and real quick hands, you have to watch the progression of james toney's style from his whole career.

[Ray Corso]

To be precise is to slip a punch by the smallest amount of space and to equally be in position to counter. When you work on any defense you need to be thinking of your countering so that when it presents itself you can "pull the trigger". Defensive moves are a big part of boxing but sometimes goes unappreciated by some judges. If you can counter when you work your defensive skills your building a reputation as a complete boxer.
Mr. Toney is one of the best examples at working hard to make the opponent miss and then rework the same situation and add punches. Sorta of setting a trap! Remember before you can do all of those techniques it begins with foot work! When you mention foot work people think of Sugarman or Ali or a Ray Leonard but thats NOT foot work. Stepping into position to slip and punch is foot work, getting in position is foot work stepping around to get an angle so your out of harms way and in your punching lanes. Theres alot to learn when it comes to slipping punches, to be honest I used to teach blocking techniques first but the slips were not far behind and thats when you add the steps in a teaching session. Lots to learn. Ray

[pain=gain]

Thank you Ray. great info that i will focus on in my defense drills (slip bag and rope). RAF how does one become that kind of fighter thats confident enough to stand in the pocket and trade? alot of guys are in and out. but im a swarmer. tyson style. the only way i feel comfortable fighting is moving forward and lookin to put em down. i feel slow and vulnerable if im caught fighting backwards. thats why tyson and toney are my top 2 favorites, because they were so good at slipping punches, and being in the pocket. Any tips? Ray? i have nice power ( when the time comes ill compete at around 210-220) but im trying to synchronize it all into my style.

[Ray Corso]

Work hard on getting angles once your inside if you remember Mike early in his career he would step over when he forced his opponents to the ropes or into a corner. The idea is to position yourself away from your opponents punching lanes and be able to catch your opponent in a "profile" look. He was taught to step over to the right then drop a short right hand if its there or go up the middle with a left uppercut/hook type shot then drop the right hand in. Most guys are gonna slump a little when body punches are landed so you know the head target will be lowered. I use to refer to this as a under/over combo and could use this off of the jab to the head or body with an oponent that isn't on his toes and moving. I can tell you that Cus worked Mike very hard to learn to put his steps together weither double jabbing or stepping over you can't be slow footed and if you need inprovement start quick stepping. Set the rope up post to post across the ring and get your feet moving with your head and upper body movement throwing shots as your stepping. You know the drill and its a good one to work every other day till it improves. Make sure you use this in your spar sessions even if you have to set it up at first with your spar partner not everything comes naturally so if you need to break anything down to practice it do it! Give yourself a chance to grasp a technique so it can be learned then practice it at speed. Lots to learn, lots. Ray.

[Juof]

I love toney rockin told me that bill miller taught him the shoulder roll so i looked for info on bill all i could find was a video of toney talking about visiting bill in hospital, and how that they never got on with each other to begin with also that bill made him watch alot of ezzard charles tapes.