James Toney vs Andre Ward at 168

Okay? You asked what skills McCallum had that were superior to Ward's. I named one. Big deal. You didn't ask who was bigger lol. McCallum's career peaked in 1990 and 1991. Can't exactly call him faded.

Imagine thinking I'm a Ward hater because I dared to say McCallum could pressure better. Delusional. So insecure you thought it was a diss when I even said it was just a reason Ward would win more easily.

You owe me an apology.

 

Tough to call as Ward didnt face a top SMW boxer mover

Ward clearly has the greater SMW resume and I would be tempted to pick for Ward, but Ward never showed interest in facing boxer movers ie he didnt seem interested in Bute, didnt fight Andre Dirrell, didnt face Degale, Groves etc, who were boxer movers.
Many fighters who used the holding/mauling style seem to struggle with boxer movers their own size like Hopkins in his fights with Taylor, Calzaghe, Jones, Pascal.
Like Hatton in his fights with Magee, Mayweather
Like Ruiz in his fights with Holyfield and Haye

So going back to Ward and he didnt seem interested in facing boxer movers and the boxer mover that I can think of who he faced who wasnt looking weak at the weight (Boone), looked like he could have beaten him.

Ward is a top SMW and I pick him to beat Toney but it is no confident pick but based on Ward having the greater resume at the weight

 

You got this one backwards. Mauling dancers has been the rule since Sammy Angott and Sandy Saddler ****ed up Willie Pep. Since Harry Greb got a win over Gene Tunney. Since Jack Johnson ran shop. Since Armstrong bullied Ross. See: Salido vs Loma.

Hopkins arguably beat Taylor, Pascal, and Calzaghe when he was 40+. Gave Jones the closest fight of his prime besides Griffin. Jones was the one muscling Hopkins around in the clinch that fight anyway. If you can't outbox somebody in the amateur sense, you grab them. You get rough.

 

However you viewed the Hopkins fights, they were all problem fights for him as were the others I noted for the other fighters and Ward didnt face the top SMW boxer movers

 

Ward was the top SMW boxer mover lol. And the top wrestler.

Pascal is a boxer mover? You see him fight Kovalev? Only thing moving was his neck after Kov turned him into a pez dispenser.

You broad strategic assessment is incorrect. James Toney isn't a boxer mover either. He's an inside fighter.

 

Toney was more stationary when older and heavier but more of a mover at MW and SMW

 

We both know what Toney liked doing and where his comfort zone was. Flat feet, shoulder roll, counter. Repeat ad naseum. He only did other stuff when he had to.

 

No doubt Toney liked doing that. He was a boxer, but was more of a mover when at MW and SMW to what he was at CW, where he was heavier

 

I mean, he ate his way to CW/HW. He literally couldn't have moved for 12 rounds lol. Just because he got worse at something doesn't mean it ever defined him as a fighter.

 

Toney by a country mile any day of the week!
He wouldn't let ward come on with his holding, butting nonsense. He would punish & demoralise Ward from round 1...easy

 

he wasn't always fat but he has always had more ringcraft than ward could wish for ...

 

Mike was a better technician than Ward.

He was a beautiful boxer.

Great skills.

 

Ward just edges it.

 

He almost beat Toney while outweighed and past prime. Ward would do better.

 

Mike was still an elite fighter at 35.

We don’t know how Andre would have fared against Mike.

Andre could have beaten James, but it’s silly to to suggest that he’d have beaten him with ease.