Roy Jones, Jr. (55-8, 40 KOs) considers James Toney the toughest man he ever fought, but Jones is still going strong in his boxing career while Toney?s declined as a heavyweight in recent years. Jones, at 42-years-of-age, is still making strides in the Sweet Science more than 17 years after handing James Toney his first career defeat. Jones won their November of 1994 IBF Super Middleweight Title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas by unanimous decision.
Jones insists, ?Actually, I was the second guy to beat him. The first guy didn?t get credit for it.? He goes on to describe Toney as a throwback type of fighter. ?He had all the old school maneuvers down pat,? he recalled. ?So everybody thought he was the next best thing in boxing.? Roy knew he was faster and had a much better style, and he proved it by overpowering and out pointing Toney over the course of their twelve round fight.
Jones always utilized a tremendously unique and dynamic hands down style. He used excessive upper body movement and felt no need to use his gloves to cover his face most of the time. Opponents are baited in to try and hit him, and he swivels his hips, bends over backwards, and maneuvers out of trouble while landing a few punches on the way out to a safe distance again. Speed kills when it comes to the style of Jones. It?s a style that young prospects now attempt to mimic, but nobody could ever duplicate. Even Jones found age and circumstance required him to adapt the techniques that helped him dominate in his younger years.
