James Toney vs Iran Barkley incredible display of boxing

I just rewatched this fight because someone put a good quality version on youtube, and was I ever blown away by Toney's boxing. Sometimes now that I'm used to the old fat Toney, I forget how good he was in his prime. I know Iran isn't exactly Mr. Sweet Science but I think prime Toney is a rought night for anyone in the history of the middleweight division. The combination of outside and inside fighting, the jabbing, the counters, the body work, the selected power punching... I know most have seen this but it's worth giving it a rewatch. The Sweet Science displayed like very few in the history of the sport can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkVqwgmlAQo

I was genuinely scared for Toney because Barkley was menacing, rough and ugly.

Iran had just beaten Holmes and was very scary. Toney was not intimidated and did not worry at all. Toney said that was the hardest left hook he was hit outside of the heavyweight division and he was hurt but could not show it to Barkley . That was James at his best, another good one is Toney against Charles Williams and a brutal ending.

I remember feeling sorry for Iran Barkley when I watched this fight (in about 2007). He just got counterpunched to bits. Superb boxing.

I watch Toney's fights amongst others as a way to unwind of a weekday evening and he is always fun to watch. Even fat Toney could be great to watch too, I was watching the McGuinn fight just the other day and Toney was excellent. Brilliant combinations, hitting hard in both hands, lovely uppercuts, just beautiful to watch, and of course evading things all over the place. If only the Toney of then had stayed in shape, properly beat Rahman and then outboxed the Klits. I really believe he could have done it, I really do. These HW's don't have any of that skillset.

Barkley took a brutal beating but style wise he suited Toney.

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Originally Posted by Master

Barkley took a brutal beating but style wise he suited Toney.

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Made to order. As was Nigel Benn, who would have taken a frightful beating from Toney.

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Originally Posted by Hulk

Made to order. As was Nigel Benn, who would have taken a frightful beating from Toney.

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Toney would have murdered him.

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Originally Posted by Hulk

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Originally Posted by Master

Barkley took a brutal beating but style wise he suited Toney.

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Made to order. As was Nigel Benn, who would have taken a frightful beating from Toney.

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Eubanks would have been more interesting.

My friend was ringside for that fight. He got to talking with Mike McCallum and told McCallum that he had also been ringside for the McCallum/Curry fight. At that point, my friend's friend/business partner (this man had fought Zora Folley in addition to training my friend during his pro career) said "Yeah but he wanted you to lose. He bet on Curry."

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

My friend was ringside for that fight. He got to talking with Mike McCallum and told McCallum that he had also been ringside for the McCallum/Curry fight. At that point, my friend's friend/business partner (this man had fought Zora Folley in addition to training my friend during his pro career) said "Yeah but he wanted you to lose. He bet on Curry."

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McCallum was a brilliant fighter I thought he beat Toney. That KO of Curry was once in a lifetime punch, he never did that again. He usually broke them up with body shots and finished them with head shots.

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Originally Posted by Beanflicker

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Originally Posted by Hulk

Made to order. As was Nigel Benn, who would have taken a frightful beating from Toney.

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Toney would have murdered him.

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Thinking about it again, the version that fought McClellan which moved his head and was more experienced at at his peak could have given Toney some scares.