James Toney is a born fighter attuited wise. Anytime anywhere- very cagey guy who learned a lot from the past his trainer did an excellent job with James he won titles from MW all the way to HW. Now while some put his venture up there down to laziness it was premediated and he claimed he was going to HW for a long time which is why I think the steroids came into the picture the bulk just went a "little" too fat. There was a time when his training was according to sources was as basic as it got come in do 12 rounds of sparring go home 7 days a week. fat? yes but those skills he had did not appear like a rabbit out of a hat like most "Naturals" James trained harder then anyone- studied as often as the best to get those skills there is no magic. I can't point the finger and say he learned from X and Y ect but the bones of a lot of his techniques can be traced to a lot of old school guys.
James Toney is one of my favorite people in boxing. Both in the ring and on the mic the guy is an absolute gem. Best **** talker of the modern era.
Toney is the boxing equivalent of a living national treasure. You can't get bored with the man inside the ring or even outside it; as others pointed out he is quite the character with a colorful mouth. He can sell a fight all by himself. I wouldn't be shocked if he could get people to pay to see him simply train and talk trash. And the reason for that is, in spite of his occasional lack of discipline when it comes to health and weight, he truly embodied the sweet science. He could slug, swarm, counter, or be cagey. Sometimes all at once within the same round. It was very difficult to prepare for an opponent like that. And despite his relatively shorter height and reach, seemed to be able to adapt to nearly all opponents of all sizes and styles. The fact he was never knocked out in more than 70 battles is a testament to his responsible defense and skill. Quite unlike some guys nowadays who you have to damn near yank their teeth out just to fight twice a year.