In any event let me just say that it still stands in my eyes that James Toney should be remembered as something close to a boxing great when you consider the entire body of work he put down over his long career. In his prime, on his absolute best nights, he was really something to see and even now, past his prime, he is fighting with tried and true heavyweights and he is right there with them and, if anything, has shown to be the much better man in terms of overall skills. This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected This content is protected
You just told it like it is, Ice! Excellent post! You're the man! Toney is severely underrated here on this forum. The iceman knows what he's talking about, he's a former very good pro, he knows boxing better than anybody else here.
2 time fat cheater, which people for some reason ignored. He should never be allowed to box after being busted twice.atsch
James skillwise is one of the best fighters in the last 30 years bar none. Whats even more amazing is that he pretty much got into boxing "LATE" by most guys conventional standards. (late teens). It's too bad his appetite for training didn't equal his appetite for the plate because the dude is simply amazing. Even as a lard azz, in the first PETER fight the way he was able to control him with merely his jab was unreal. He's one of the best defensive fighters I've seen without the use of excessive slipping. The way he rolls punches is unreal. It's actually good he fight heavyweight at this stage and I'll tell you why. In his old age he has been more hitable than he has been in the past. Someone who has a lot of activity, energy could pretty much beat him the way his conditioning has been the last 5 years. Considering most of the heavyweights don't throw anymore than two punches at a time, James can still compete. But his early body of work is like WOW!!! That Michael Nunn fight alone and Ice didn't mention his fights Mike McCallum, WOW!!.
I have always acknowledged Toney's mastery of the sport. He is almost on his own level, when it comes to pure masterful boxing skill. I think he is amazing to watch, even at heavy.
I think James' skill-set is underrated, but I believe the testing positive for illegal substances and coming in way overweight into multiple fights hurt his reputation or made some people question his ethics and dedication. I don't think it should hurt his legacy IMO, as his I don't take his heavyweight run too serious, and besides, i dont think there is any illegal substances, including BigMacs, that can show you how to counter like Toney.
Absolutely BORN TO BOX. He picked up every nuance in the game and worked them perfectly. If he could have been more consistant with his weight and conditioning he would be a monster. Great guy to watch and learn from! Nice post!