James Toney: A Critical Analysis

I think we have to say he had an ATG career. Of the guys mentioned in this post you cannot really make an arguement for any of them beating him. He beat guys who would have beaten the guys mentioned and did like McCallum who defeated Jackson and Collinns handily.

 

Him against Jackson would be the first and only time in Jackson's career that JJ's power would not have to be made a serious consideration by the opponent. Toney's head is harder than an anvil. Heavyweights couldn't KO him, so I don't think Jackson's middleweight superpower would be an intimidating factor at all.

 

It doesn't really affect his legacy because he has two names on his resume that are better than any of those fighters you mentioned Michael Nunn and Mike McCallum.

Obviously it would have affected his resume if he did fight them and beat them, we would place him higher in the ATG lists but that's whatever.


Oh yeah Bernard Hopkins is better than Nunn and McCallum but that fight just couldn't have been made...it didn't make sense at any time during Toney's career for that fight to happen.

 

toney would have beaten hopkins at mw

 

they getting frisky?

 

There are few more stupid things that than giving a fighter wins that he never earned. It's true that Toney beat superior fighters (well, that would be Nunn, since I don't think he beat McCallum in any of their first two fights), but he also struggled with inferior fighters. So, of course, he could have registered a loss or two if he'd actually faced these guys.

Stylistically most of them do seem to fit him well, though, with Eubank and especially Hopkins being the notable exceptions. I think Hopkins ring smarts, workrate and tenacity would see him beat Toney more times than not, despite Toney being the more skilled of the two.

EDIT: Wouldn't be schocked either to see Collins staging an upset if Toney had one of his not that infrequent off nights.

 

He fought the best of the best in his unbeaten 3 year championship run. Nunn, McCallum and Kalambay were the top 3 MWs when he was challenging for a title. None of the below were the top guys in the same division as him bar a couple and I'll explain

They both became MW champs at the same time. In his 2 years as Linear MW champ twice fought McCallum (who had beat Jackson) and Reggie Johnson. All just as big challenges as Jackson if not more so

Toney moved upto MW in '93 when McClellan won his belt off Jackson. McClellan didn't move to SMW title until '95 when Toney had lost and left to LHW, so they never crossed paths

BUT FOOTAGE IS ON YOUTUBE OF THEM SPARRING AND TONEY GETTING THE BETTER OF IT

Toney called them both out. But both Benn and Eubank had lucrative deals in the UK. Eubank took the path of least resistance, while maximising his paydays. Benn kept losing and I don't think his people fancied a Toney clash.

BHOPs didn't fight for a MW title until '93 when he lost to Jones, Toney fought the winner. As mentioned Toney and Hopkins were talking about fighting at cruser after Jirov fight I think it was.

He fought McCallum and Reggie Johnson who'd both beat Collins instead

Because the best in the divisions he fought at during that period were Nunn, McCallum, Kalambay and Jones Jr in no particularly order. McClellan/Jackson/Benn/Eubank/Collins were never near no1 in those divisions. Hopkins hadn't yet picked up any significant wins.

By the way if you watch the Griffin fights you may give him a win or 2, they're close affairs.

 

He should have fought old Kalambay instead of Dell'Aquila, but the italian had the better backing and was somehow maneauvered into an undeserving mandatory shot if i remember rightly.

 

btw Nunn wasn't considered a monster at the time he lost to Toney.

the fight was a huge upset because Toney was so unknown to many and seemingly picked as a hometown sacrifice for Nunn, but Michael had already ruined his reputation(garnered against Parker, knox, Tate, Roldan, Kalambay) with his performances against Barkley, Starling and Curry by then.

He'd already been written off as a potential great by plenty of fans and boxing media figures and was in massive need of some good performances to rekindle interest.Sure he still had some contingents trying to hype him, but more were questioning his worth in comparison to Jackson, McCallum etc

Not many people cared when he lost to Toney and were unsurprised when he moved up got a gift against Cordoba and rarely fought well again.There was little cry for a rematch against James, which is almost unheard of when a highly regarded "possible great" champion loses a highly competitive excellent fight to an unheralded contender

 

Lora the fact is that Michael Nunn was a champion at the peak of his career a dominant middleweight champion fast, skillful southpaw who people thought unbeatable and Toney stopped him in his hometown.

 

When was this? I'd favour Kalambay over Toney up until at least '91. Toney might always win an unfair decision, though, as he did in the rematch against McCallum (just had to get that one in ).

 

James Toney is always an uncouth douche, I was so delighted when Randy Couture mopped the floor with him.