---- During his first years as a heavyweight, James Toney was actually considered a top contender. He even reached the Top3 in 2005. Although his reputation should've been forever tarnished after testing positive for substances in the Ruiz fight, it wasn't. Some months later, when Vitali Klitschko was considered the Champ, there were several talks of a Vitali-Toney fight. There was a minority that thought Toney could outbox Vitali. That was in October 2005, in the middle of the Rahman-Vitali fight episode. Then the chance finally came for Toney. In early 2006, he fought Hasim Rahman for the WBC belt that Vitali left. Toney was outworked by The Rock. The result was a draw, but most thought Rahman should've won. Considered to be in his heavyweight prime, in his next fights Toney fought Sam Peter and was clearly defeated. In theory, Toney was the boxer and Peter was the slugger, but in the actual fight it was the opposite: I remember Peter outboxing a sluggish Toney. After the second Peter fight, the Toney hype decreased. He fought a No Contest against Rahman, and then defeated a past prime Fres Oquendo, but things weren't the same. Toney was fat and old. The Holyfield fight gave Toney a lot of hype, but his horrible training habits paid him back. In 2005 and early 2006, when he could've capitalized, he failed with the Ruiz and Rahman fights. Then his decadence was exposed by Peter.
1. Rahman used illegal kidney shots all night to "beat" Toney, he smothered him up on the ropes and hit him to the kidneys and behind the back. 2. Toney clearly beat Peter in their first outing, and clearly lost in their second outing. 3. He's a cheat, tested positive twice.
Toney won the WBA HW title and that's that. He is an old school guy and he didnt use steroids like that. It was given to him by a doctor for injury which is the same thing Vitali Klitschko used them for. Rahman was dirty in the fight with Toney as well. Toney went to the hospital and had bruised kidneys. But think of that chin! Toney survived Rahman and 2 fights with Prime Sam Peter!
Good thread. As a young guy I didn't watch boxing back then so this gives me further boxing knowledge.
And how about all the other times he's been caught for illegal substances? Sure he had a great excuse those times as well.
FALSE. You obviously are remembering the 2nd fight as mixing it with the first. The vast majority of people had Toney winning the first fight, cleaner punching by far. The 2nd fight he was schooled. Also you may want to mention his injury pre-Mccline fight that caused him to be out for a year and he was never in shape again :deal
He schooled Holy, Ruiz, and Guinn. Should've won the first Peter fight and was gonna beat Rahman in the rematch. Not a bad run, better than his official record suggests.
Toney did ok at HW. He got robbed blind in the 1st Peter fight. That was the last good fight he had left in him. Too bad, cuz even a shot Toney woulda beaten Maskaev for his belt. I thought he lost to Rahman in the 1st fight tho.
