Boxing Round By Round: James Toney – Dominick Guinn

Click for larger image © Tom Casino/Showtime

Last night in Reno, Nevada James Toney asserted his authority on a Showtime broadcast over the younger, bigger and stronger Dominick Guinn in a convincing display of skill and confidence to take a well deserved unanimous decision. Toney came into the bout bearing the remarkable record of 68-4-2-1nd (43) and had packed a full 235lbs on his 5 foot 10 inch frame, in stark contrast to the rangy, long armed 6 foot 2 inch Guinn, 25-2-1 (18), who also is seven years younger than the former middleweight.

Round one: the tone of the bout is set when the fighters refuse referee Jay Andy’s command to touch gloves during the staredown. After the bell sounds it’s easy to see that the overriding caution that sucked the life right out of the Byrd – Williamson bout won’t be a problem in this fight. Toney is bouncing around the ring with a nimbleness that defies both his rather square appearance and the fact that he’s 37 years old. The fighters take turns missing before Guinn plants a lead left hook that looks like it bothers Toney a bit. The veteran goes to Guinn’s body and then retreats to the ropes. As Guinn gets close and misses, Toney lands a counter right, the punch that he’ll score with repeatedly throughout the evening. Guinn attacks Toney’s midsection before pushing the older man around the ring. The two trade body shots before Guinn misses with a right and that earns him two Toney counter left hooks. Guinn stings Toney with a nice right and blocks one in return from the shorter opponent before belting Toney with a counter hook. An exchange occurs before both men miss at the bell.

10-10.

In the first, it was evident that Toney had yet to come to grips with the size and strength of the natural heavyweight Guinn but the former three weight world champion is displaying a marked advantage in quickness and his famous defensive skills are in full force, causing Guinn to miss the great majority of his efforts.

Round two: Guinn sticks Toney with a jab and Toney misses with a left uppercut. A good exchange follows at the center of the ring before Toney nails Guinn with a flush shot that has no effect on “The Southern Disaster”. Guinn finds a home for a nice left hook but Toney blocks the two that follow it. Guinn backs up his rival on the ropes and the two trade short left hooks before Toney lifts Guinn’s head twice with uppercuts. Guinn responds with a right but Toney cranks in a double left hook. Toney sends in a clubbing right but earns a hook from Guinn. Toney rattles off a good combination before setting in for a series of clubbing single shots. Guinn tries to stem the tide but eats a hard right counter that causes him to back off from his dangerous opponent. Toney follows him and a good trade of combinations occurs before they both land stiff left hooks before the focus of each goes to the body. The round closes with a left hook from Guinn.

Toney 10-9

Guinn had made the tactical error of spending the better part of the second round in tight quarters with Toney. Equipped with short arms and an uncanny sense of timing and punch selection, Toney has a tremendous advantage over Guinn when the two contend along the ropes. The taller man would naturally have the edge when maintaining distance but the sheer difficulty in hitting the defensively skilled Toney at range draws Guinn in close where he is being picked to pieces, one countering shot at a time.

Round three: In the center of the ring Guinn finds success with two hard countering combinations before spearing Toney with two serious jabs. After they trade jabs, Toney unloads a sweet overhand right and Guinn stumbles just a bit. On the ropes, Guinn bangs in a left but catches a brisk counter right hook. It seems the stocky veteran has Guinn’s style cataloged perfectly as he launches into an offensive that begins with a quick combination inside followed by two bracing left hooks, all capped off with a sizzling right hand. Guinn recovers with a left hook but is slammed in return by two rights. They swap right hands on the ropes before Toney lets loose a big right followed by a meaty left hook.

Toney 10-9

Once again, Guinn has elected to follow Toney to the ropes and is now getting hammered repeatedly by the resourceful and confident former champion. Guinn looks as if he’s beginning to lose the confidence he started the bout with, as he can’t sort Toney’s masterfully awkward style.

Round four: The action starts back up with a Guinn right hand before Toney closes distance and nails the target with a right. Toney pops Guinn with an uppercut before he eats a counter right hand in return. Toney fires off a whistling right before settling in on the ropes. Guinn unwisely follows him into the trap and the two trade right hands. Guinn backs off and Toney reluctantly follows the Arkansas native to the center of the ring but soon they are back along the ropes. Not surprisingly Toney displays his advantage there with a textbook body to head combination that has the crowd chanting “Toney! Toney! Toney!” A left by the fan favorite lands but draws a sturdy Guinn counter right before Toney again dials in a sharp body to head sequence. The bell rings after the two combatants trade rights.

Toney 10-9

Round five: the fifth starts with both men in the center of the ring and a rather bouncy Toney is firing off flashy jabs that rise from his waist to come up under Guinn’s guard. Guinn enjoys the space and tags Toney with a combo but that earns him two rights from the smaller man. Guinn keeps going on the strength of a booming left hook, followed by two good rights and a left to Toney’s body. Toney stops the success with a rattling right hand and soon after belts Guinn with a couple of right hand counters. A nice exchange follows before the bell sounds.

Guinn 10-9

The less experienced man takes the round by being busier and not playing Toney’s game of close quarters fighting.

Round six: in the center of the ring Toney is again popping Guinn with the rising jab but the lanky heavyweight has one of his better moments of the bout on the strength of a walloping double left hook. As Toney retreats to the ropes, Guinn keeps the party going with two decent shots but is immediately clipped by a right then a left. Toney is in his element as he rips off a superb head to body fusillade while Guinn digs a left to Toney’s ample midsection. Toney continues his mastery on the ropes with a right – left uppercut combination that sneaks through. Guinn lays on Toney but the seasoned boxer somehow finds the room to home in two overhand rights on the looming younger man’s head. Toney cracks Guinn with a lightning right – left hook sequence before getting pasted with a pounding left hook that has Toney bleeding from the mouth. Undaunted, Toney blasts Guinn with a nice uppercut but ends the round looking a bit winded.

10-10

Round seven: Toney advances behind a trip left jab that leads to a good exchange of right hands. Guinn unleashes a successful double left hook on the inside that visibly effects Toney. Suddenly more serious, Toney peels off a right hand followed by a double left hook and capped off with two hurtful uppercuts. Guinn shakes it off and plants a left – right combination but attracts a Toney right. They trade single blows before Toney pastes Guinn with a peach of a right hand followed by a classic one – two. Guinn tries to play catch-up but finds nothing but air with an arcing right. Toney expertly crafts a series of scoring rights before the bell sounds.

Toney 10-9

Round eight: Guinn pumps a right into Toney but fields a jarring right uppercut for his efforts. Toney displays his talent with the unusual combination of a right hand – left uppercut that comes out of nowhere but Guinn shows he’s not impressed by strafing the opponent to the head and body. Toney stops Guinn in his tracks with a searing right hand and does it again, then again as the crowd goes wild. Toney jams a left to the body and Guinn tries to stop the flow with a sharp left hook but suddenly Toney fires off a three punch salvo that all land. Guinn leans on Toney before they go to the center of the ring, just in time for Toney to uncork a beautiful combination. Toney pips Guinn with a right to the ribs, eats a left hook before cuffing his target with two rights.

Toney 10-9

Guinn is by now playing into Toney’s plans by staying on the inside whether the action takes places on or off the ropes. Sizable tactical error of Guinn’s part as it allows Toney to exercise his considerable craft in full.

Round nine: the action is immediately halted, as Toney’s glove requires taping but resumes with a mid-ring exchange. Guinn finds the mark with a left hook but is shaken by an on the money Toney right hand and the taller man is seeking to clinch for the first time in the contest. Showing the acumen that has won him sixty eight fights, Toney mounts a drive that includes a right to the body, a left – right combination before finishing with a spearing right to the body that hurts Guinn. The younger man now warily keeps his distance from his prowling perpetrator but soon Toney is lighting into Guinn again in the form of a right to the body and then the head. The action slows a bit as they both jab but ramps up again when Guinn telegraphs a big right which Toney ducks and counters with a mammoth right of his own. Guinn does manage to crease Toney with a left hook before the round comes to a close.

Toney 10-9

All the punishment dished out by Toney is starting to wear down Guinn who betrayed signs of being hurt for the first time in the bout during the ninth.

Round ten: Toney is after Guinn and chops in a right to the body followed by two shots to the head that has Guinn holding on. Guinn isn’t punching on the inside and he’s soaking up the punishment. Toney works behind his jab before Guinn retakes a bit of ground with a good bodyshot but gets put back in his place by schoolmaster Toney who admonishes the pupil with a right then an uppercut before a sizzling left hook slams home. Understandably, Guinn is now looking tentative and backing off the mean spirited little buzzsaw in the purple trunks. Toney tries to end the evening early with a windmilling blow that misses but Guinn catches a breather when referee Nady notices the beleaguered boxer’s glove needs retaping. The contest resumes where it left off with Toney hammering Guinn with the ever-present right hand before sinking a right deep into the beltline. Toney continues the shelling with a left hook before detonating a right hand that has Guinn now unabashedly looking to avoid exchanges with the old master.

Toney 10-9

Round eleven: Guinn’s trial by fire continues but the 30 year old shows a lot of heart by the refusing to give in or run despite the overwhelming force he’s confronted with in the form of James Toney. Guinn answers a Toney right to the body with a withering right hand that bounces off the bald head of his rival but it’s too little, too late. Toney again pitches a right to the body and Guinn misses with his return fire. Toney invites Guinn to come inside and the taller man administers a left hook that qualifies him to receive two Toney rights in return. Guinn tries to retaliate but misses the one – two and draws a prickly counter to add to his collection of slightly used James Toney right hands before adding another to the trophy cabinet. Guinn finally ducks a Toney right hand but takes delivery of a booming bodyshot instead. Guinn returns the favor before getting painted with a whole series of Toney rights.

Toney 10-9

Round twelve: Referee Nady makes the two touch gloves before letting them trade leather. Guinn shows he’s not done yet with an uppercut followed by a short right. Guinn zeroes in a left hook but once again sees the Toney right hand express roll into town. The transplanted Californian issues five shots to the head and body before Guinn can plug the leak with a right of his own. But, it’s off to the races again for Toney as he pulls off two rights to the body followed by two to the head before another plunges into Guinn’s side and lastly one more to the head. The two boxers trade rights before Guinn assails Toney with a good one to the chops and the bell rings to end the fight. One of the better examples of two way action then takes place, lasting at least five seconds after the bell sounds before Nady jumps between the fighters.

Toney 10-9

It was an awesome display of pure skill by James Toney but he was helped along by the choice of Dominick Guinn to slug it out in the trenches.

The official scorecards are read. 117-111, 119-109 (2x) all for Toney.

SaddoBoxing scored the bout 119-111 for Toney.