Do you think anyone in a lower weight class could have gotten him? I can't think of anyone, unless you want to include guys like Marciano or Dempsy who would be cruiser weights today. Even then I'd say Toney has a good chance of taking them to a decision.
Nobody in history below heavyweight stops Toney, it's just not going to happen. As well as being exceptionally well-schooled and talented, the guy had an absolutely cast iron jaw to match anyone who's ever boxed professionally. A select few heavyweights, say '87 Tyson or '73 Foreman would have a shot, but not to the extent i'd be putting huge money on it.
Honestly I don't even think I'd favour the likes of Foreman, Liston, Lewis, Tyson or Louis to do it. Like Hopkins, I think someone that savvy can go into survival mode and lose a lopsided points decision.
Toney has no size advantage nor much of a reach advantage over Tyson. I cant see him physically manhandling Tyson like Evander did. Toneys style was made for Tysons. Id be surprised if this went more than 6 rounds. Also, for once Toney would be facing someone with handspeed equal to or greater than his own. The only guy Toney fought who was faster than him was Jones, who took him to school. Tyson would be dropping serious leather on Toney right from the outset. Tubbs was a similar fighter to Toney,he was trying to be cute and fight Tyson on the inside. Something which made Sugar Ray say "I don't think its a good idea standing in front of Tyson and exchanging punches". Tubbs won the first round vs Tyson but the short sharp body shots and uppercuts were taking their toll and by round two, he was totally spent. And like Toney, Tubbs had never been stopped up until that point. Toney gets his handed to him on a plate.
You've lost your goddamn mind if you think Toney goes the distance with prime Foreman, Lewis, and Tyson. I don't care how savvy Toney was, those guys would simply walk through him and destroy him. Toney has no firepower to keep them off with, therefore they'd simply go through him.
Then out of my mind I am. Even shot to **** against Dennis Levedev taking 12 rounds of none stop power punches he lasted the distance. He was made of something else.