Technique: Toney vs Floyd

Both guys use the shoulder roll style very effectively. However, it looks to me like prime James Toney was more effective in countering from the shoulder roll and has better combinations.

Watching the Hatton fight, I can't help but imagine if Toney was a 140 lb motivated fighter, he would have sliced up Hatton much more effectively than Floyd.

 

I think your right.....as it goes styles make fights and I think a prime Toney is a stylistic nightmare for Hatton (both at 140!)

 

Toney fought out of the shoulder roll, but Floyd can do many things defensively.

 

Yeah, defence has always been Floyd's thing. Very hard to get into that shell.

 

Toney mastered the counter right out of the shoulder roll. At times that's about all he used to win fights as that's all he needed to use...like against Ruiz.
Mayweather is perhaps a little more versatile but Toney was happy to sit on the ropes or just stand his ground and go to work. Can you ever remember Toney backtracking?

 

I think that Toney's shoulder roll, and particularly his counter shots out of it, are superior to Floyds. But Floyd has other tricks up his sleeve.

 

Mayweather has the footwork to go with the shoulder roll.

 

Exactly. You can't stand toe-to-toe with everybody and win everytime, especially as your moving up through the weights. It's not that Toney always stood his ground because he had more balls than PBF IMO, but moreso because he didn't have the legs to create space and KEEP it.

 

I think Mayweather is more versatile defensively than Toney was. But out of the shoulder roll, Toney has a better right hand counter.

 

Mayweather. His defense is more varied, and at 130-140 his skills and technique were just better.

 

I think Toney had good footwork; he just preferred to counterpunch more than move. If you watch his fight against Iran, he would stick and move as well as stay in the pocket and counterpunch.

Of course, Floyd is better at sticking and moving but comparing shoulder roll styles, Toney seems to be a much better counter puncher and puts his setup combinations beautifully, while Floyd tends to punch whatever's open.

 

agreed

 

Problem with Toney is he is a lazy fighter. In his prime, motivated he could do it all though. But yer...he's won a lot of fighters just laying back with the should roll and countering.

 

Mayweather utilizes it much better. Toney even in his prime use to get hit a lot more the PBF does. You would never seen PBF get tagged as much as Toney did for example in the Barkley fight or the Tiberi fight.

 

Toney-Mayweather would've been a hell of a purists' fight, if they'd been in compatible eras at compatible weights.