James Toney vs. Bernard Hopkins @ 190 in 2003

[Thread Stealer]

This fight was supposed to happen after Toney-Jirov and Hopkins-Hakkar, but it got scraped, probably because Hopkins was unhappy with how much $$ Don King was going to take (i.e. steal) from his purse.

Hopkins is obviously extremely smart and would've devised a game plan to nullify Toney's best strength (counterpunching). Surely, Hopkins wouldn't play into Toney's hands, he'd most likely use the ring a lot more. It'd be an awful difficult task to move up from 160 to 190, and against another very skilled and experienced fighter in Toney. Hell, it's hard to move up like that against a merely decent fighter, let alone a future HOFer.



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[Thread Stealer]

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GOOSSEN TUTOR PROMOTIONS MEDIA INFO

Bernard Fernandez | Hopkins, Toney debate whose neighborhood was tougher
Now that the James Toney-Bernard Hopkins fight has been made, the rhetoric between the street-wise champions figures to fly as much as the punches eventually will. (The fight will be on HBO pay-per-view on Aug. 9, probably at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay.) Sure, sure, Toney (66-4-2, 42 KOs), the IBF cruiserweight champ, and Hopkins (42-2-1, 31 KOs), the undisputed middleweight titlist who will pack on more than a few pounds in order to challenge Toney, now have lifestyles of the rich and famous. But their roots are firmly sunk into the inner-city concrete from which they sprang, and they already are engaging in a classic case of verbal one-upmanship.

Today's debate topic: My old 'hood is tougher than yours. The opening statement shall be made by Mr. Hopkins, 38, now of Newark, Del. He is the proud driver of a gleaming Bentley, but his formative years were spent in the Badlands of North Philadelphia. Mr. Hopkins once served 5 years in Graterford Prison for strong-arm robbery, and his home life was so impoverished he recalls brushing roaches off bread before he ate it. "James Toney makes out like he's this big gangsta,'' Hopkins said. "Where I came from, we laugh at guys like him. He's a wannabe. I was in Graterford, where there were guys who'd want to kill you if you looked at them wrong. James Toney wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes inside those walls. "And he makes out like he's from Detroit. Come on, the man came up in Ann Arbor.

The only Big House they got there is the Michigan football stadium. "When he was the IBF middleweight champion and I was the No. 1 contender in 1993, Toney moved up to super middleweight to fight [then-IBF 168-pound champ] Iran Barkley, who was older, slower and less skilled than me. He ran from me then and he really don't want no part of me now. I've been owing him this butt-whippin' for a long time. Jackie Kallen [Toney's manager then] even told me once, 'We don't need you because James is lazy, and you're not.' '' Thank you, Mr. Hopkins. Now taking his turn at the podium is Mr. Toney, 34, who once threatened to kill the aforementioned Ms. Kallen for some perceived transgression. Although Mr. Toney now resides in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and drives a Lincoln Navigator, he was born in a poor section of Grand Rapids, Mich., spent 7 years, as Mr. Hopkins noted, in Ann Arbor - Mr. Toney insists there are, indeed, mean streets there - and honed his craft in Detroit. "Let Bernard Hopkins brag about having been in prison,'' he said. "Tell him we ain't fighting in a jail cell, we ain't fighting in the street.

We're going to be in the ring, and that's my turf. I own it like I'm gonna own him. I'm gonna give him a butt-kicking like he won't believe. "He beat Felix Trinidad. So what? I ain't Trinidad. I'm me. He ain't never been in with nobody like me. And what's this stuff about him putting down Ann Arbor? Tell him to go there and I'll show him how tough it is, and he isn't. "One more thing: I trained in Detroit. To be a real fighter, you have to go to Detroit. That's the bottom line. Ain't nobody tough ever come out of Philly, and that includes Joe Frazier. He's really from South Carolina.''

[Leonit]

Hopkins by stoppage should not be an option

[Popkins]

Toney by decision. Even though I believe B-Hop is a "greater" fighter than James, he would always lose to an in-shape Toney in the ring. JT would make Hopkins look mechanical, stylistically it's just not a good fight for Bernard... and I honestly believe Bernard has always knew this.

[HEADBANGER]

this is a very tough one to call because both fighters are so flawed.

peak toney was getting smashed to bits off the likes of sanderline williams, and dave tiberi, and having life and death split decison struggles with the likes of sosa and johnson, before gettin his ass kicked twice by midget griffin and thadzi

hopkins had been butchered by clinton mitchell, mercado and been smashed twice by jermain taylor. hell, hopkins was even jumping out of the ring like a complete ***** against robert allan.

its a tough fight to call though, toney would be juiced up to **** for this fight so that presents real problems for proven racist hopkins. however, hopkins could neutralise this by his repetitive headbutting and continual feigning of low blows, whilst crying like a ***** to the ref.

close fight, i'd go for toneys juicing to be too much for bernard with a 115-113 decision.

[Arcane]

2003 time......are people aware of how much sterioids Phoney was on back then , this guy has been busted for juicing not once but TWICE everything he's done above SMW is highly suspect.

[MaliBua]

Originally Posted by HEADBANGER

this is a very tough one to call because both fighters are so flawed.

peak toney was getting smashed to bits off the likes of sanderline williams, and dave tiberi, and having life and death split decison struggles with the likes of sosa and johnson, before gettin his ass kicked twice by midget griffin and thadzi

hopkins had been butchered by clinton mitchell, mercado and been smashed twice by jermain taylor. hell, hopkins was even jumping out of the ring like a complete ***** against robert allan.

its a tough fight to call though, toney would be juiced up to **** for this fight so that presents real problems for proven racist hopkins. however, hopkins could neutralise this by his repetitive headbutting and continual feigning of low blows, whilst crying like a ***** to the ref.

close fight, i'd go for toneys juicing to be too much for bernard with a 115-113 decision.

This was so bad it was good... Hilarious

Are you kidding?

[HEADBANGER]

Originally Posted by MaliBua

This was so bad it was good... Hilarious

Are you kidding?

why which bit do you think i'm kidding about? its all undisputable fact.

[the cobra]

If he added the weight properly, Hopkins wins. Just so much more versatile. Too tricky, too quick and skilled on the outside.

[Imperial1]

Toney by ud ..

[klion22]

Well, i think Hopkins in 2003 should've been fighting at 168 and i think had he put on the weight on right, he would come in the ring at about 180. I think that would be enough for Hopkins to compete well.

I think Hopkin's movement and footwork would win him a decision. Toney struggles against slick fighters.

[SweetHome_Bama]

Out of the Big Black 3, I have Hopkins ranked a clear #3.