-Photo Credit: D M Warr/DKP-

 
     On Saturday night, Samuel Peter did something that had not been done in over a decade. Peter convincingly and soundly defeated James Toney. To find the last time that Toney got defeated this easily you would have to go back to his middleweight days when he lost to Roy Jones. If you have seen Toney over the past couple of years, then you know that his middleweight days were a long time ago. After "Lights Out" Toney's fall to 0-2-1 in his last three fights, the question arises. Is Samuel Peter this good, or is the end nearing for one of the most technically sound fighters of our time? Let's analyze for a moment.

    In Toney's last three fights, or since his suspension for alleged steroid use, Toney has not quite looked the same. Go back to the first fight since his suspension, when  Toney took on Hasim Rahman for the now vacant WBA title that Toney was stripped of.

    Toney comes in for the fight greatly out of shape and is lucky to even earn a draw, as  most felt he had lost. He then takes on one of the biggest and most dangerous heavyweights in Samuel Peter, in a eliminator. In a close fight, marred by roughhousing, Toney loses a tight decision. Now fast forward to this past Saturday night in Florida. If there was ever a time Toney looked ready this was it. Toney, hungry to avenge his disputed loss, comes in good shape for James Toney's standards.

     But, what happens? Toney looks flat and gets worked over by the bigger and seemingly faster Peter. Toney even gets dropped by a jab in the second round. James,  who usually shows good head movement, couldn't get out of the way of any of Peter's haymakers. His usual solid defensive skills looked eroded, and though his chin was as strong as ever and he showed flashes of his old self, the bottom line was that at the end of this fight there was no controversy. Toney rambled after the fight, feeling he was more effective. But, anyone who watched the fight couldn't have given Toney more than maybe 2 or 3 rounds. Did Father Time finally catch up with Toney? It sure looked like it.

    I don't mean to take anything away from Samuel Peter. I mean, how many guys can say that they have two wins over a future Hall of Famer like James Toney. Peter looked solid, as well as improved since the first fight, and he definitely showed that he's a force in the heavyweight division. Kudos to the Nigerian Nightmare.

    With that being said, James Toney must step back and re evaluate some things. At his age, nearing 40, will he feel like climbing up the ladder once again? Toney stated that he wants to keep fighting, and he would still be a competitive fight for any heavyweight, but are his days of beating top heavyweights over? We will have to wait and see. For years when Toney made the move up to heavyweight, many countered that the giant heavyweights would give Toney fits. Samuel Peter definitely fits in the giant heavyweight category, so maybe that's all it was. But, look at the current heavyweight champs, they're all giants.

     The bottom line is this, James Toney has definitely taken some big steps backwards, and we must wait and see does he have the drive to continue fighting and climbing back up the proverbial heavyweight ladder. 'Lights Out' can still pose a challenge to anybody, still has a strong chin. But, can he compete with these monsters, at the level we are used to seeing him compete? After Saturday night, it sure doesn't look like it...