I wanna say Toney by points,but I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to box/outmaneuver Tiger since he's an inside/rope counterpuncher, Tiger likes the guys who fought on those area.
A Toney who’s on it is able to outbox Tiger. Tiger is way less versatile, Toney would figure out Tiger’s rhythm and time it, feints, going up and down with the jab, punching off of the jab, not being predictable, it’d allow him to be that step ahead of Tiger.
I don't like Tiger vs boxers but I'm not convinced that Toney is the sort of boxer that does well against him. Tiger is hella strong to try and stand in front of and counterpunch. I'm going to go with either Toney makes him look foolish and does a mastercless on him or that Toney starts well but crumbles under the pressure and power down the stretch. It's one thing to have a guy like Tiberi beat on you and quite another to have Tiger doing the cooking.
Against Tiberi in 91 alone he fought Reggie Johnson, Michael Nunn, Mike McCallum and Merqui Sosa I think he was tired, between these guys he fought a few "stay busy opponent's" and I think Tiberi is one of those guy's that he thought he'd run through a "Stay busy" fighter so his management could keep his weight down and... was a bit of a banana peel it's the sorta thing a lot of old timers had on there resume IMO and I don't hold it against him much, I also don't think "pressure" is the way to go with Toney... Jirov, Barkley and Williams also tried to grind him down and see him tire, didn't work out that way I also think Tiger would be physically over matched... Toney was a naturally dense 190lber or so, a football player a guy who worked like a dog to stay at 160lbs-168lbs
James by decision. Tiger was a tough guy but James did well against opponents that came right at him.
If Toney's on his absolute A-game, then I'd favor him to outbox Tiger. If he brings his B game, Tiger works him over.
Tiger was outfought in the trenches against Griffith in spots, so I could therefore see how Toney might also be able to fight that way and win. Toney wasn’t a mover so no Way he outslicks him here. Honestly, either guy could take this decision.
It's a good match, a ripper really. Both somewhat suit the other in that they are not movers. They might even split a series, all decisions - take your pick on the winner.
James always had trouble making the Middleweight limit and this greatly affected his performances at that weight. Tiberi being the prime example. At this weight James was less than stellar, even though he knocked Nunn the funk out. I've never seen Tiger fight, but at middleweight, I'd give him a great shot at defeating a weight drained Toney. Think of Tiberi.
I agree - even during some of his better MW performances, he struggled to maintain a consistent output. Also, his focus on leaning to his right to evade opponents' right hands sometimes left him vulnerable to hooks, & that was Tiger's best weapon. Maybe the biggest factor could be exactly when during Tiger's MW tenure this fight would be taking place. Tiger's footwork & ring IQ improved as his career progressed, & his win over Giardello in their 4th fight was his most complete career performance IMO. I think Tiger on that night beats Toney, but I'm not sure about earlier in his MW tenure.
