James Toney Quote

"Bill Miller, he was a great old man, he sat me down and showed me tapes of old fighters," Toney recalled. "Ezzard Charles, Albert 'Chalky' Wright. Battling Siki. People like that. Jersey Joe Walcott. Archie Moore. He would say, 'This is how you learn. This is the correct way of fighting.' So I would sit there and watch tapes over and over again, and try those things in the gym, and I would get murdered. But I kept coming back, kept coming back, kept working, kept learning my trade. And then one day it was like each of those fighter's spirits entered my body and made me fight like that."

“I developed my style by watching tapes of old fighters. I watched Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott constantly, and Tommy Hearns , Marvin Hagler . I learned a lot from watching these guys and studying. Some of it just comes naturally. “ -James Toney

great quote. toney is an expert and one of the true all-time greats in terms of craft. he has to be because he is a joke in terms of conditioning. the fact that he could survive 12 round fights in that sort of shape is a true testament to his mastery of the game.

as far as watching videos goes, there is something to be said for its worth. every major sport incorporates film sessions in there training, most notably american football and basketball. even the high school teams spend as much time in the film room as they do on the field some times. it seems to be neglected a lot in boxing. most fighters i talk to dont know much about contemporary or legendary fighters. i talked to an amatuer fighter the other day who didnt know who diego corrales was. saddening.

either way, there is something to be said for natural quality though. everyone has natural instincts and inclinations, it is about making the most of what you get from nature. watching videos wont make a great fighter, finding their "thing" and maximizing its value will. and thats what toney did, watching tapes gave him a pathway for which to maximize his skill. great quote from a great fighter.

Cc :) ;)

Love James Toney.. Doesnt matter whether hes talking trash or not :laugh:

Always something interesting to say

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tito_BHB

Cc :) ;)

Love James Toney.. Doesnt matter whether hes talking trash or not :laugh:

Always something interesting to say

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Have to agree. I dont mind his shit talking too much as he is one of the few fighters I truly believe would step in the ring with anyone.

ye i read this somewhere else. he always said he was self taught. obviously he must have learnt the basics first, the basic punching techniques, the basic defense and footwork. then it is very possible to learn this style. however when i watch walcott, moore, and charles. and even robinson, not one of em fight like toney. the one fighter that did was nicolino locche. check his fightsout on youtube.

i wonder how much of the boxing toney knows today was actually taught by others like bill miller?

Despite his state of condition these days he used to be a big time gym rat. I don't think he was the quickest learner, he said when he tried those moves and he'd get murdered, but he kept coming back and he kept getting better. Obviously it was more than learning techniques, he had those natural qualities before and improved it enough that as a inflated middleweight he could school natural heavies.

I've seen a couple of Locche's fights, his fights with Cervantes and Takeshi along with the Youtube clips. He could stand on a hankerchief and you still woudn't be able to land a jab on him with a machine gun. These qualities can be improved, but if they're not their to begin with, then there is no use in cultivating something that isn't there.