If there was ever one thing that stood out about James Toney, it would have to be the fact that he isn’t afraid of any situation and nearly always finds a way to back up his big talk. I believe Toney isn’t the type of fighter who goes around boasting to serve his own agenda; I feel it is simply his nature. Be it his upbringing or the way boxing has changed his life, James Toney has no fear and truly believes in himself.

          I first met James nearly fifteen years ago as he was getting ready to challenge Michael Nunn for the IBF Middleweight title. James was in Las Vegas, training at the Top Rank gym, and he and I hit it off instantly. James knew my brother Roger and knew of the fighting Mayweathers, so he simply put two and two together when I introduced myself. We joked around a bit and talked about things back home in Michigan, which is where we were born and raised. James is not only a funny guy, he is actually very genuine. Because of his brash nature some people have labeled him as a bad boy but that’s simply not the case. He’s an honest person, he just happens to be very outspoken.

          One thing that stood out about James was the fact that he truly believed in himself. He told me without hesitation that he was going to knock out Michael Nunn, who at the time was one of the game’s top champions. I realized that this man had no shortage of self-confidence, and sure enough, on May 10th, 1991 James would score his first world title with a come from behind knockout over Nunn. James was trailing on all scorecards and some say it was a lucky punch that he landed in the 11^th round, but if you look closely you can actually see that James picked him apart in that fight. He found his comfort zone and simply inched closer and closer to Michael until he hit him with a beautiful shot. It was a great win for him and the start of a very promising career as a champion.

          Toney’s career has been memorable, despite some setbacks along the way. He’s had his down moments, such as the whitewash decision loss to Roy Jones and the upset losses to Montell Griffin, but as his career reached it’s twilight he has been able to move up in weight and perform at the top level along the way. His back and forth war with Vassiliy Jirov was a tough battle and one of 2003’s best fights. James had to really dig deep and he showed he still had the skill and heart to out gut a strong, relentless champion. As he has moved up to heavyweight he has made up for his lack of height and size with pure boxing skills and his overall slickness.

          James Toney challenge to Hasim Rahman for the WBC Heavyweight Championship this Saturday night in Atlantic City, marks yet another meaningful fight in his career. I feel that James will come out on top but it is a dangerous fight, since Rahman has showed that if anything else, he can punch like a top heavyweight. This is a fight that can further add to Toney’s legacy and he’s approaching it like he has done his whole life, with no intimidation and a true belief in himself. That’s simply how James Toney is and how he’ll always be. 

Questions can be emailed to Jeff Mayweather

3-18-2006

 

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