How do you guys think James Toney would've done as a cruiserweight in this year super series. Do you give Toney a chance to beat guys like Gassiev, Usyk, Dorticos etc and win the series.
Skill wise he elite but he never had the power. All these top CWs are big big puchers. Toney might able to shoulder roll to a 12 round UD but he would have to fight hard.
I think this cruiserweight tournament is showing how high of a level the current crop is operating at. You have the top 3 in Briedis, Usyk, and Gassiev, then you have the next level down in Glowacki, Dorticos, lebedev(current), and then a level below that in Kudryshov, Wlod(current), etc. The second level here are confirmed world level fighters but the fact that there exist a level above who are winning very convincingly against world level fighters speaks volumes of the quality of this crop. It basically means you'd be very biased to say that there's any CW fighters in history that could 100% beat these guys.
I 2nd that. If we are talking hypothetically and toney is in great shape he beats them all. Prob. Dominates all of them except usyk.
The problem with Toney is that he ran hot and cold. An in shape, motivated Toney not only competes with, but is capable of beating, the ATGs. Sublime, old school skillls with an iron chin and warrior’s heart-he was awesome. But I would NEVER but money on him; he might show up fat and listless. However, something to keep in mind is the fact that when he was on he could make guys look ridiculous; the modern cruisers who look so good and well conditioned against each other might start looking pretty amateurish when they’re swinging but hitting air and getting hit with nasty counters, or when the do land something good they realize it has absolutely zero effect. Mayweather was a master at this. Demoralizing otherwise great opponents on paper was his specialty. Floyd and James fought soooo relaxed it was if they were on Xanax and quaaludes.
Toney is my guy but his last run at cruiser weight he looked like a mummy in the ring. It was fought in slow motion or something. This content is protected Gassiev made Lebedev pull out those veteran tactics by the late rounds. This content is protected Lebedev and Toney were fighting like two senior citizens so I would pick Toney only if we could get the 168 version in the tournament.
He also had elite skills. Coupled with an iron chin and you got one tough man standing a cross from you. None of those guys make easy work of Tony.