Originally Posted by
The_Mac10
I wasn't trying to convince you that Barkley was some glowering name on Toney's record. My point was how James' looked.
Toneys allround ability was never more on display than in that fight. Combination punching, speed, power, workrate, stamina, chin. Everything was firing. Remember, we're talking prime-for-prime here, so I would say it is that version of James who goes in against Joe in this mythical match-up. Therefore your points about Toney struggling at middleweight, and in his fight with Michael Nunn (which, on paper, Toney should have lost, as Nunn was a superb veteran and James was making a huge leap up in quality) are made redundant, so spare us.
True, Benn mugged Barkley. I've not watched that one in a while, but I recall the stoppage being a bit premature. Either way, Toney didn't go in to destroy Iran in a round, he went in to show the world he was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world - and after such a magnificent display, few argued.
Why, let me ask, do you think Nunn 'slowed down'? Because of TONEY. Because of the Ann Arbour mans constant pressure, determination and hunting him down. Toney's gameplan was to take it late. Between rounds if you recall Toney was telling Bill Miller "He's tiring, he's breathing like a freight train, I'm going to take him out" and he made good on it. Besides, Nunn is a different fighter from Calzaghe. And the argument is ridiculous anyway, because as I said that was Toney's first fight at world title level, he was green, and up against a superstar-in-the-making. Plus it was at a weight he often struggled at. We're talking PRIME, super-middleweight James here, boss.
Calzaghe's style is such that he comes forward - he throws hundreds of punching, he walks in, he backs off, he surveys, he comes ploughing in again. He has terrific handspeed and sharpness. But Toney very very rarely gets hit with two shots in a row - he is a master craftsman. And don't doubt his chin.
Over twelve rounds, considering Toneys build-in clock where he often does his best work late (though in all truthness, the Toney who fought Iran would beat Calzaghe at any time in the round) and considering Calzaghe's balls-to-the-wall approach he's playing into James' hands. When have you ever seen a fighter come forward vs. Toney and win? Jones pot-shotted him, Griffin caught him at two of his worst stages (and I still had James winning the first fight) and 'boxed' - aggressive fighters simply don't beat James. You wont get many better aggressive fighters than Jirov, and incidently McCallum, who although a brilliant boxer, did take the role as aggressor for much of their fights, and it suited Toney down to a tee.
Be a counter-punching fest.
Toney UD
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