What else could Toney have done vs RJJ?

He could have taken his training camp more seriously instead of cruising out with Dr. Dre and Snoop after his training sessions. James knows that the body needs proper training as well as the proper rest to rebuild.

I got that straight from Bill Miller, he essentially called James an idiot for what he was doing during the camp for that fight.

 

I consider it a schooling McCallum was befuddled all night long and got outboxed in near enough every round it was not even remotely close.

It's probably one of the most impressive convincing wins over a fighter considered great who was in their prime.

It was a boxing lesson pure and simple.

 

Not a damn thing. Roy outclassed Toney with ease.

 

i just watched it, the jabs clearly won the match but the fight was pretty even.

 

I recall Emanual Steward saying he thought Toney had an eating disorder. But I prefer what the comedian Robin Harris said ,," that brother has a weight problem,,,,,can't wait to eat"..

 

I totally disagree and I doubt many would agree with you but let's leave it at that.

 

Toney wasn't living like a fighter should. He was eating whatever he wanted, he wasn't sleeping properly, and Toney was getting older, so it became harder to train off the excess weight he kept piling on between fights. Talent can only offset bad habits so much. Also, it isn't about just getting to the weight, but how you get to it.

Here is a piece with Toney and Jones talking about their weights after the fight.

"I felt sluggish from the weight loss," said Toney, who was up to a reported 200 pounds before beginning training.

Toney had weighed in at 167 pounds the day before the fight, with Jones at 168. By fight time, however, the Nevada State Athletic Commission weighed the two fighters again and Toney was 182 pounds to 178 for Jones.

"I came from 180 to 168 and that was tough," Jones said. "I knew he'd have to struggle to come down from 200."
https://imgur.com/HWvPxiT

Here is a piece from 1996 with the Top Rank Matchmaker talking about James Toney making a change to get a Roy Jones rematch at 175, which never happened, since Toney was never able to become disciplined outside the ring.

By Then, it may be too late, although Top Rank Matchmaker Bruce Trampler says he believes things will be different this time, for one reason: James Toney wants it to be different.

"At one time, I felt he was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world," Trampler said. "He was a throwback who would fight anybody. He had a fighter's mentality."

"Unfortunately, he had the appetite of a nonfighter."

"James ate himself out of a couple of titles. He's a self-confessed food-aholic. But fighting at 175 was his idea. It indicates to me that he's trying to get a grip on himself."

To make that grip a bit stronger, Toney's friend and Top Rank operative Todd DuBoef has monitored Toney's weight with frequent visits to the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas. DeBoef says Toney is a slimmed-down version of the guy who last came to Foxwoods.

"He weighed around 185 when he came in to train, and two days ago he was at 178," duBoef said reassuringly from his office in Las Vegas. "I was told he was 175 (recently). You have to understand his motivation. He wants Roy Jones, and he knows he won't get him if he can't get to 175 and stay there."

"This time he's doing it the right way. He's not just wearing all those rubber suits and trying to steam it off. He's eating better and he's training harder. He wants to do this."
https://imgur.com/RADlmI3

 

Toney's discipline problems reminds me somewhat of Roberto Duran. Ray Arcel said he had to keep Duran busy or he'd run wild. . Arcel did a great job too, Roberto fought 6 times in 72,,8 times in 73 , 8 times in 74 and 7 times in 75. When he started fighting less
he no longer could make 135 or even 140. Freddie Brown told a story of Roberto getting a dessert on a plane and Brown said he couldn't have it because he was too heavy , Duran flung the tray into the air. Brown said the only reason Duran fought above 147 was he didn't want to train and lose the weight. Toney the year of 94 fought in Jan, March, May and July with 3 ko's and a UD. Then he ballooned to 200 pounds from July to sometime in October before fighting Roy in November. That is astonishing for a professional fighter. At the time I was a close watcher of Toney and I thought he'd give Roy a great fight and I picked him to win. Took about 2 or 3 rounds to see he wasn't all there. Actually it's amazing he could have been that physically diminished and drained and still go the distance with Roy. I still think if Toney had fought him in say September before he had a chance to balloon up he could have won, maybe not but it's possible.

 

With Duran you can sort of understand his lust for excess food etc. He grew up literally fighting to eat. I don't think James had it that extreme. Maybe once in awhile he pulled up to the drive through and Burger King was closed.
Two ultra talented boxers from that era Bowe and Toney let food take them down.

 

If Toney would have been in shape for their 1994 showdown, he would have still lost a decision, albeit a more competitive one (8-4 type). In the latter rounds, he has a chance to land his Sunday punch (like he did against Nunn) but it is unlikely to happen due to Jones reflexes.

 

Nothing. Jones way to fast and Toney always had pretty low punch output.

 

James would have had to alter his style.
He would have had to turn himself into Roberto Duran against Ray Leonard. All over Jones and make Jones uncomfortable as hell.

 

Yeah he weighed 168 on July 31, so the last day of the month, for Prince Charles. So we’re talking 2 1/2 months before he fought Roy Jr … and RJJ vs. Toney was announced by Bob Arum on Sept. 1, so obviously had been negotiated before James got into the ring with Prince Charles Williams on July 31.

For a guy to sign the biggest fight of his career — for not only his title but the mythical P4P claim — and be on weight 2 1/2 months before the date of that fight and know it’s coming (so it’s not like he took off a month, got fat and then signed it after gaining a bunch of weight … it’s beyond unprofessional. It’s absurd.

It shows why Roy was the superior fighter … because he had superior dedication. He was driven to win while Toney was driven to the drive-through and driving to buffets and bakeries.

I watched a few scattered rounds and pieces of rounds of this fight last night to refresh my memory and Roy has the Philly shell thing completely diagnosed. He uses the same tactic repeatedly and never allows Toney to get off because he’s never in front of him when in ring — slides over to Toney’s left, throws his right hand over James’ shoulder and then because of the angle now has Tony with his feet set side by side for the left hook so James often tumbles backwards or has to bend his knees to catch is balance rather than try to throw back.

Lather-rinse-repeat. Over and over.

Yep, would have been nice for Tony to be a different person and stayed in shape between two fights just a couple months apart, but a lot of boxing is mental — maybe he knew he couldn’t beat RJJ and wanted to give himself an excuse.