Ward vs James toney (Barkley fight)

Too close, I think Toney is more skilled but Ward is so crafty, he can make it his fight and he fights better in clinches.

 

Ya'll trippin. Ain't no Oakland fighter gonna beat an ATG Michigan fighter. Especially one like James. That's just a fact.

 

Toney his defo top 10 all time on skills.

 

Ward turns him all night. Just like the Jones fight and Ward doesn't stand still for him to throw counters. Punch and move and punch while moving his feet. He makes James move those feet for 3 minutes a round to do anything, and turns it into a footwork fight. not a trade and counter fight and stand there with a sloppy defense like Barkley. It's a Tiberi type fight with pepper the guy and never try for a ko. Pile up points. Ward is too smart to cooperate with the style to suit the Toney strengths.

Lopsided decison win for Ward and bet the over, which would have been 11.5 rounds.

 

Lights out. Easy work.

 

No. It would be lightsout for Ward

 

That is quite the noobish comment. The James Toney that fought Iran Barkley is probably ATG #1. It's just too bad that he didn't keep it up.

 

It's sad that people on a hardcore boxing site even pose this question.

 

This would be a tremendous technical fight. I pick James Toney. As highly as I rate Ward, and I do rate him very highly, Toney at his absolute best was something else.

Disagree with people saying Ward could do what Roy Jones did because I don't think Ward has the footspeed to fight that way with James. He'd have to keep on the outside more than usual because he'd know that in the pocket is not where you want to be but Toney would be able to close Ward down more easily than Jones. Very close fight because of the styles, and if Toney prepared in any way sloppily for this one then he'd lose.

 

He'll turn him. Toney's skills are from the waist up, not the waist down. From the waist down, the guy is way below subpar. A guy like Ward won't be looking to throwing big shots against a guy like Toney and won't be throwing hoping to ko the guy punches. It'd pick and peck. That's the way to get Toney on a decision and that's when his workrate is ineffective.

Barkley was a picture perfect opponent for a guy like Toney. A wide open face first brawler looking to trade. That's why guy's like Tiberi and Johnson were tough on James--he had to work his bottom half to land and they didn't give him anything. He was forced to work & that's a different ballgame.

I am convinced that Ward would never fight stupid in there and take risks. It'd be a distance fight and more posing and non-activity than anything else. But there would be zero trading right hands and the polar opposite of a chacon-Limon fight.