Los Angeles – The biggest news radiating from the daily boxing new circuit does not center around Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, or Shane Mosley. Instead James Toney and his signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship dominated the news wire.
Toney, 41 years of age, a former middleweight, super middleweight, and cruiserweight boxing title holder, jumped shipped to mixed martial arts after failing to secure a bout in the heavyweight division.
In an interview on The Boxing Truth Radio, Toney voiced his displeasure with boxing promoter Dan Goossen’s inability or unwillingness to land Lights Out a boxing match and his thoughts on possibly competing within the ranks of UFC.
Boxing may have discarded Toney, and with good reason. Though never knocked silly in the ring, in recent years Toney was just another out ff shape heavyweight unable to rouse public interest in his declining career.
I will remember Toney as the man who first put the pizazz in Hollywood’s Wild Card Gym, run by trainer Freddie Roach.
Though current pound for pound champion and Roach student, Manny Pacquiao, has galvanized Wild Card as an iconic boxing gym, Toney was the first fighter to bring national attention to the location.
Before Pacquiao, Toney was patrolling the Wild Card with his electric and eccentric personality. I remember many a reporter presenting their notes on a classic Toney sparring session while competing as a cruiser weight and during his early days at heavyweight.
Can those who witnessed it, ever forget then emerging trainer Freddie Roach telling Toney to put Vassily Jirov “on his ass” before the 12th round of their classic battle and James delivering a knockdown to secure the victory?
In the early 2000s, Toney was Wild Card’s star and Pacquiao just another fighter in the gym’s background.
Times have now changed, with Toney fighting to hang onto his career in the UFC and Pacquiao pushing into the realm of all-time great.
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The most recent episode of The Boxing Truth Radio can featured Roger Mayweather, Vivian Harris, Michael Marley, and Antonio Escalante and can be heard by clicking this link.
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