James Toney was a phenomenal inside fighter. One of the best ever. If you stood in front of him and fought him, he would break you down by slipping and countering. When Toney had issues, it wasn't because the other guy was better, it was because he was lazy (training and during the fight), and/or the guy was able to capitalize on James' slower feet by moving and out hustling him.

James' chin, defense, anticipation, mental toughness,band calmness in the pocket were beautiful to watch during his prime. Guys like Whitaker, Hop, and Floyd were equally good defensively, but none enjoyed standing in the pocket and breaking the other man like Toney did. Those three, along with Roy, used their legs to create distance and set up angles, where James' was content (even preferred) to sit inside for the knockout.

As impressive as James was against Jirov (a great fight!!), I feel that his performances vs Prince Charles Williams, Iran Barkley, Evander Holyfield, and the first Sam Peter fight were equally impressive. Honestly, one of my favorite fights of James' was when he came in fat and out of shape and still was able to fight every other round and beat John Ruiz. He stayed on the inside against the most notorious mauler/grappler the heavyweight division has ever seen and punished Ruiz, showing everyone that skill is more important than size in a fight.