Boxer James Toney Talks Newfound Motivation & His Plans For The Heavyweight Division

The Klitschko sisters part cracked me up, lol. Sexist but still funny that he's ripping them like that. James Toney doesn't mind talking, that's for sure. -WB

Boxer James Toney Talks Newfound Motivation & His Plans For The Heavyweight Division

James Toney has 20-plus years as a professional boxer and has fought in several weight divisions throughout. He began his career at Super Middleweight (where he became champion) and eventually moved all the way up the ladder to Heavyweight. While he's always displayed a sharp skill set and potential for greatness, Toney hasn't always showed the determination a great fighter should.

Numerous times throughout his career, the media has criticized his training ethics, due to the shape he's been in for fights. This, coupled with recent less-than-spectacular performances and testing dirty for illegal drugs, has hindered Toney's career. It's never too late to turn things around, and even at 41, Toney agrees.

During his most recent bout against journeyman Matthew Greer earlier this month, Toney showed up a new man. Not only did he look sharp in the ring, but he weighed in at 211 pounds, a number he hasn't seen in a very long time.

With his eye on heavyweight greatness and earning more gold to wrap around his waist, BallerStatus.com met up with met up with James Toney after a recent morning workout at the 360 Health Club, his gym in Reseda, California, where he talked about how he plans to turn his career around, who he has his sights set on, and what's wrong with the heavyweight division today.

BallerStatus.com: I understand you're back in the gym training hard on a daily basis. Where did that spark come from?

James Toney: My fight in September 2007, it was alright. I won the fight, but it wasn't spectacular. Since then, I had to go back to the drawing board, get myself in great shape. It's been nine months of straight up hell, I'm ready to go to work. Can't wait, that weight division is missing me, the fans are missing me. It's time for me to go out there and put that work in.

BallerStatus.com: Have you changed up anything or has something changed with you?

James Toney: I went back to old school James, who was a Super Middleweight. That's who I went back to. Everybody fighting these big guys. These big guys can't take pressure. You know how you put pressure on pipes? Pipes bust. That's what I'mma do to this guy. I'm gonna put the pressure to him, and then, he gonna bust.

BallerStatus.com: Over the past few years, you've been through some controversy -- the losses to Samuel Peters and the suspensions. Do those kinds of things discourage you at all? Does it change your outlook?

James Toney: The two fights with Samuel Peters were bullsh**. Everybody knew the first time I beat him. I destroyed him. Somehow, the judges were drunk. They gave him the decision. Second time, we fought again. I thought I beat him again, but hey ... he ran, he ran, he ran, and he got the decision.

www.ballerstatus.com/2009/09/23/james-toney-talks-newfound-motivation-his-plans-for-the-heavyweight-division/

I just hope he follows through with it, and doesn't peter out. I haven't seen him in action in a while, I love it when ESPN Classic replays the fights.

I haven't been on top of boxing for awhile though, I use to be a big fan of it during the late 80's and all of the 90's.

Never good.

:)

so even if they didn't he'd make an exception for me. Probably. Then again, I don't think I even got one vote.

Classic. I love it!

He demolished Evander Holyfield back in 2003, when he weighed in at 217, the same weight at which he recently fought Greer (my stats say it was 217, not 211). He was technically brilliant in that fight and I love to see how this guy establishes a great defense with an economy of movement. I thought he narrowly won the first fight with Peter. But he took a lot of punishment in that fight and in the second fight.

I think Toney is done and should definitely retire. His speech is slurred and it seems to be like he's suffered some brain damage. "Lights Out" (one of the great nicknames in the sport) has always been very colorful and funny. But I wouldn't want to see him take any more punishment. He has nothing more to prove or to gain at his age and I think he should look to invest his money wisely and find something else.

I think he actually weighed 217.5, a half-pound more than against Evander.

There comes a time when a fighter is simply too old, no matter what they weigh. One sign of it is when they begin to talk about how they could have won the fights they lost, if only they knew then what they know now. Toney is doing just that, when he talks about how he could have been undefeated today, had he just trained properly. Now, that might well be true, but it is equally true that you can't go back in time, and you simply cannot recapture the past. Many an athlete has made a fool of himself learning that the hard way. In the sport of boxing, there are added risks of long-term impairment. James is already showing symptoms.

Sure there are a few rare exceptions of fighters in combat sports who can still do it when they are older, but you aren't meant to fight when you're older. Body doesn't take the training the same way, you lost reflexes, don't recover from punches as well etc etc. I liked reading the article, it was entertaining, but you're right, he does show signs of some impairment and the risk of serious brain trauma is too great.

that is too often overlooked: training takes a hell of a toll on a fighter. Preparation for combat sports isn't like the preparation for any other sport. For those who only watch the competition, and are not familiar with what goes into it, it would be difficult to fully appreciate.

People get hit a heck of a lot in the gym. A headgear protects you from cuts, and may slightly lessen the impact of a punch. But training, properly done, is a form of torture. Obviously, I do not mean "torture" in the sense of what the Bush administration made official policy. But it requires a person to face their greatest opponent, themselves.

An old fighter can only train like a person with a sore left hand. They have to avoid doing the full extent of preparation they woul otherwise do, or they would not make it into the ring. They have to hope their tired old bones hold up on that big night.

As gifted as a defensive fighter as Toney was/is, he should retire. He could transition into one of the best trainers out there. But it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

even a young healthy guy will go and compete a little banged up. There is almost no such thing as being 100 percent. For example, I never wrestled without something nagging, like maybe a twisted ankle etc. I did blow out my knee and shoulder in another sport, so even without counting that, I hurt a disc in my neck, had a chronically dislocating pinky etc and I was only like 18-19 years old. The point is that even for a young man if you go out and train hard and compete hard it is tough on your body. When you get older you don't recover as fast, your training camps have to be shorter. You just can't do the things that you once could. I'm 34, personally, I would like to compete in some submission grappling or maybe even MMA, but I know my body would be hard pressed to handle really serious hard training, let alone taking punches to the head or getting roughed up by wrestling around with a tough training partner all the time. Like you said, you just have to hope that your tired old bones hold up through training and on to the competition. Hardly anybody can still do it at the age Toney is at.

I was wondering about that. Toney is a great defensive fighter, plus he's a very relaxed fighter. I haven't caught his last few fights, but I was curious if he's lost any of those skills. A James Toney lacking the reflexes to avoid punches like he's always be able to do is a recipe for disaster. Especially agains big powerful guys, people who are naturally much much bigger than he is.