What if...Toney-Jones II?

By Janne Romppainen

08.10 - For starters let me say that James “The Lights Out” Toney deserves a great applaud for what he has done lately. After years of wandering aimlessly around he has taken a control over his career and fought his way back to the top instead of merely talking and demanding for big purses. That is how it is done! Toney has made use of his notable skills and deserved his props by taking chances bravely and overcoming the tests. That is something that many fighters should take note of.

Toney’s masterful performance and a convincing knockout victory over the ex-heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield left him to the centre of the big picture. The audience wants to see him in action soon again, many contenders are willing to try to gain reputation by defeating him. The options are multiple, it all depends on what Toney himself decides. He can go back to the cruiserweight division to defend his IBF title. A rematch against Vasily Jirov, a unification bout against the French bomber Jean-Marc Mormeck or a clash with the promising contender Wayne Braithwaite all would be good options. He has a lot to give for the heavyweight division too though. Outside the men that are probably physically too large for a former middleweight, namely Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko brothers, there are many top contenders for him to fight. A mega-bout against Mike Tyson or a world title clash against the IBF boss Chris Byrd would both be highly interesting and also winnable bouts for Toney.

However the most intriguing, anticipated and the most emotional fight for him would be a clash against the WBA title holder, an old, bitter rival Roy Jones Jr. Ever since Jones easily defeated Toney on points back in 1994, Toney has craved for a rematch. He has been claiming that he wasn’t at his best on that night, that he hadn’t trained properly and in the rematch he would turn the tables. There has been periods in the past years when Toney’s demands have been taken as merely empty boasting. After his recent revival the fight would be more interesting than perhaps ever before. A lot has happened since the first fight, both fighters have changed a lot from those days. But how would it turn out this time? Would it be a repeat or a revenge?

The first fight was a very anticipated one, many thought it would be a classic. Toney was a top pound-for-pounder back then and Jones was a rising potential so everything should have been set for a great fight. Instead, the match turned out to be almost a walk in a park for Jones. His speed befuddled Toney, who at times seemed totally disinterested for even trying to win. Jones was never in trouble as he cruised on to win roughly ten rounds out of twelve and took Toney’s place as one of the best fighters in the world.

To do better this time, Toney obviously should change his fight plan a lot from the first bout. His problem against Jones would be that he couldn’t use his best weapon, the counterpunching, effectively. Whenever there has been an opponent who has taken the fight to Toney and tried to bully him, Toney has been victorious, usually he has won as he has pleased. But Jones wouldn’t have none of that, Jones is a counterpuncher too. When two about equally reached defensive-minded boxers meet, usually the one with the edge in speed wins. Few fighters in the history have been quicker than Roy Jones. If Toney tried to counter Jones, he would be clearly outlanded.

To have more success, Toney would have to be the aggressor himself. He should make use of his size advantage. Jones weighed 193lbs for his heavyweight bout, whereas Toney was over 20 lbs heavier at 217lbs. That could be a deciding factor that Toney did not have on his side last time. With the extra bulk he might be able to drive Jones to the ropes and wear him down. While going forwards is not Toney’s best game, he has shown in the past that he can be effective that way as well. Especially his breakdown of Michael Nunn in his first title fight was impressive. Toney was in trouble early against a quicker, slicker boxer but he kept landing powerful body shots, followed Nunn to make him work in every round and finally collected the reward by blasting Nunn out in the eleventh round. Jones is of course an another animal compared to Nunn but the same recipe could work against him too if Toney was able to execute it.

Another notable fact is that while Toney has clearly brought his power and toughness along from the lower weight classes we can’t be sure about Jones’ situation. Against Jirov and Holyfield, Toney’s punching power seemed to be as effective as ever. Especially the way he buried his fists under Holyfield’s ribcage was impressive. He also took some of Holyfield’s best shots without flinching, usually he was even smiling at them. Jones’ quick counters took the fight out of John Ruiz quickly, but would they have the same effect against the steel-chinned Toney? Furthermore, Jones didn’t have to eat too many punches from Ruiz. We still don’t know how he reacts when a real heavyweight puts a continuous hurt on him. If Toney has the hunger this time out, he could collect his bruises and force his way to Jones to capitalize.

Despite the above-mentioned facts that speak for Toney, Jones would start this fight as the favourite. And after their first encounter, how could he not? While it is possible that Toney has more motivation and more weapons to compete this time, Jones was so far superior when they fought that it would take a total change on the scales to turn the fight around. We don’t know about Jones’ strength as a heavyweight but we do know for sure that the other assets from his formidable arsenal; the flawless footwork, the lightening quick punches and the slick reflexes are still there. It might be that Toney would again frustrate himself in trying to catch Jones of no avail and lose the decision. Jones has always been known for his endless stamina while Toney with his extra weight might be gasping for air after six or seven rounds of chasing him. As mentioned earlier, Ruiz was not able to really test Jones’ chin but it might be that Toney wouldn’t get the chance to do so either.

My pick for the bout would be Jones by decision. I think he would be able to make Toney worry for his punches in the manner he did against John Ruiz. Even though he probably couldn’t put Toney away, he would make him think twice before trying to come in. This would give Jones the time needed to get out of the way and find the openings to score points. Toney would make a better fight out of it this time and he would probably test Jones better than anybody has been able to do so far but eventually he would lose a decision again.

Regardless of the outcome, few fights in the boxing world would be more intriguing yet realistic than this one. This fight has it all, two great fighters, different styles and the personal aspect between the boxers. Both of these champions have their own plans about their futures but it just might be possible that their paths would cross again now, almost ten years after their first encounter. Let’s wait and see!

Comments/questions: janneromppainen@hotmail.com