TONEY v HOLYFIELD: JAMES 'LIGHTS OUT' TONEY BACK IN THE LIMELIGHT By Stephen Jones

October 1988 and Jackie Kallen, one of the pioneers of women introducing power into the frame of big time boxing would take a young 19 year old problem kid from the unforgiving streets of Michigan and into the even more unforgiving waters of professional prize fighting.

The stern poker faced youth would debut in a modest four round 160 lbs. bout with one Stephen Lee, a fight which would last a mere 6 minutes. James Toney was now a middleweight boxer with some stability and aims in his life, which might steer him away from the nasty temptations of his unsavory past. Drugs and Guns where part of the landscape when James was approaching manhood and it would take some work for both Miss Kallen and Mr. Toney to leave the ghetto kid behind and bring a championship athlete into a brave new environment. Fifteen years later and we have the product of a long journey that I am sure both would agree was well worth while.

James would slowly become established as an awkward boxer with tenacious power, power that would earn him his moniker, 'Lights Out.' James 'Lights Out' Toney would remain unbeaten for three years with a single draw in 1990 against rough journeyman Sanderline Williams, a draw he would avenge three months later. 1991 would hand the now headline catching undefeated Middleweight his first break into championship prominence with a chance to challenge for the IBF 160 lbs. belt against its very capable champion Michael Nunn.

After a gallant eleven rounds of chasing shadows Toney would steal the title with a stunning knockout in the penultimate session of a fight he was losing convincingly; despite being briefly dropped James would defend successfully against Reggie Johnson. That same year he would allow Mike McCallum to pinch a draw, a decision he was so disgusted with he avenged the following year in what would be his final defence of a title he successfully defended 6 times, (one of which was a controversial points victory over lightly regarded Dave Tiberi, (115-111, 115-112, 111-117, a fight that most everyone in attendance would hand on heart say belonged to the gallant challenger), such is boxing.

1993 was to be James Toney's Super-Middleweight year, he would beat Iran Barkley for the division's IBF title, then fight seven more times that year, yet defend that title only once... against punching postman Tony Thornton almost 10 years ago to the day of the scheduled upcoming Holyfield bout. Two more defences would follow, a 4th round TKO over Tim Littles, and a spectacular last round KO of former light heavyweight champion Prince Charles Williams in what I personally value as his finest hour.

This would provide the still unbeaten two weight champion with his first super fight, and in the largest event of his career to date he would lose to the amazingly talented Roy Jones Junior in a heavily publicized grudge match that turned James 'Lights Out' Toney into a universally recognized household name. In 6 years James would become re knowned for three things... Good, Bad and UGLY... being a solid champion boxer, having a volcanic, controversial personality, and the habit of spouting horribly outspoken comments on often Live TV.

On one particular telecast JT would be part of an overseas link via satellite to spice up Nigel Benn's rematch with Chris Eubank. During the preview he was invited to talk directly to both men in a studio link up concerning a possible future unification bout against the winner. Considering his past track record of verbal sewage this, in hindsight, was not the brightest of ideas. James would not disappoint, and I quote: "Eubank, I would beat you, Nigel and both yo Mammas," etc, etc... you can imagine the rest... a bout with either man however never came to fruition.

Trouble would follow James and he carefully nurtured himself a gangsta reputation, many would view him in a similar mold of a super middleweight Mike Tyson, but this sculpted image could not be more further from the truth. A very affable and amusing man who could turn from a scowl to a grin in a milli second, one amusing memory I recall was during the run towards his bout with Roy Jones. James was signing fight posters for children in a Las Vegas casino... as kids handed James their posters he would carefully take each one and put a giant X across Roy's image, sign the poster with loving care and adding a beautiful final touch, the word BITCH above his opponent's likeness, how typically Toney." James was not however crazy; he was crazy like a fox, a very bright man, he would co-manage fellow professional fighter Lonnie Beasley and later take over his own business affairs and become self managed. Toney split from Kallen following the Jones loss amidst rumours of alleged gun and kidnap threats, the fairy tale Bonnie and Clyde style relationship would cease.

By 1995 James was toying with the idea of moving up yet again, this time to light heavyweight, with bad mixed results! Bout 1 would see a loss to Montell Griffin, a year and 11 bouts later Toney would have to swallow loss number 3 , to Montell Griffin yet again, a man James to this day has never settled the score with.

February 1997 Toney took his first baby steps up to Cruiserweight and engaged in a third fight with Mike McCallum where both men were visually overweight, victorious none the less, James battled the bulge 3 months later in one final shot at light heavyweight. He would attempt to challenge for the lightly regarded IBO light heavy title against Drake Thadzi, but failure at the scales ensured that the belt would only become available for the Malawi man, furthering the misery Toney would drop a majority decision to Thadzi bringing him a 4th loss on an otherwise remarkable curriculum vitae.

This loss was what would convince James that his future lay at the heavier Cruiserweight division. James would not box competitively for two years. In 1999 James would return with his fight face on, fully furnished as a conditioned 190 lbs. fighter, mentally and physically equipped to contend competitively with established quality cruiserweights. Eleven fights later and 45 bouts since he first won a world championship against Mike Nunn at 160 lbs. James Toney would face arguably the best cruiserweight in the world, the reigning IBF title holder Vassily Jirov...

Twelve hard rounds later he would knock the dominated champ off his feet on his way to a 350-328 points tally to achieve the unreachable goal of becoming a champion once again at age 34.

So is that the climax to a very remarkable story??? Who knows... October of 2003 James 'Lights Out' Toney will take a step into a very sketchy minefield when he surfaces once more, this time at Heavyweight against one of the toughest forces in that division, the two time Tyson killing heavyweight warrior elite, Evander Holyfield in a bizarre twist to Toney's odyssey of Multi weight skips. The real deal may not be the remarkable force that he once was but he should have enough in the tank to see off the Ann Arbor native... but one never knows.

If nothing else, this amazing trip through the James Toney twilight zone may make you wonder if the man behind such an unmatchable anthology could once again prove his demons wrong, touch the untouchable, and become one of the very small margin of humans to take such a valuable scalp... You decide, 72 fights, 66 wins, 4 losses, 2 draws, 42 KO's. Could James be the man to finally douse the lights of the real deal?