Toney was and still is a good enough defensive fighter to avoid embarrassment, but he has never had the offensive skill to ever be a threat to any top heavyweight, even in this weak era.
toney was a past his prime guy with over 60 fights when he started fighting heavyweight and still didnt do that bad. he kicked one of the champions ass at the time ruiz and beat him by a wide margin...more than i can say for an an "in his prime" guy like david haye fighting ruiz who was a washed up piece of poop 5 YEARS after Toney...a fat middleweight beat him up. you obviusly hate toney....but what he has done in the ring stands for itself...hes a throwback...take away his mouth and his last few years of his career ...no one compares to him out of his generation.... hes a hall of famer...all day long...get over it :deal
James Toney as a HW is no more than a regional American HW fighter. He beat an old Holyfield who was losing to guys of the calibre of C Byrd & L Donald. He beat Ruiz, but the fight was deemed a NC due to Toney testing for illegal substances, and he lost twice to S Peter. Toney could only scrape a draw with Rahman. Toney wouldnt ever have been able to beat or compete in the top European class
^ the truth is hard to ignore. Even with a good showing over Ruiz ... isn't HW the "dark" point of Toney's career? after all it is the weight where he was busted 2x for roids. And for his supporters who always talk up his talent + ability where does Toney rank in all time greatness?
out of topic, but the man in your avatar said that James was the best out of all the MW champs to come after him (Hagler). Including B-Hop. That has no impact on Toneys HW run.. but just to let you know.
He was one of the best heavyweights at one time but he really wasnt a true heavyweight small and lacked real HW power, his defensive skills and slick boxing however allowed him to get away with that against most. I dont think he would have fared to well though against a Quality big heavy like Lewis,K bros, Bowe etc those type of heavys. Or against a small but powerful and fast heavy like Tyson would have went thru him. Ruiz,and semil skilled Sam peter were perfect opponents for him as well as an Old Holyfield and Rahman.
the toney that beat holyfield, was a pretty damn good fighter, and could of done some great thing's at heavy. the toney in the rest of his heavyweight venture, was an undisciplined, lazy fat waste of space. toney could of been so much more.. but hey, that's just james for you.
:yep:yep:yep Toney's mouth has been writing checks his ass can't cash for a long time now. He lost to Fres Oquendo and got a total gift. He is punch-drunk and delusional and needs to retire, NOW.
When he fought Holyfield at 217 he was good but he quickly faded with added on weight and age caught up with him.
I rate him as a B class hw. He could of done alot more if he actually came into the ring in shape, which was never really his intention, because the reason he moved to hw was so that he didnt have to make weight anymore. off topic:Its a shame he juiced for the Ruiz fight, that harms his legacy imo