by James Slater – James “Lights Out” Toney turns 42 in August, yet the former multi-weight champion says he has a lot of fight left in him yet. Planning to fight, in both boxing and MMA (the sport he makes his debut in on August 28th, against 47-year-old Randy Couture) until he’s aged 45, Toney wants to retire being known as “the greatest fighter to ever put on gloves.”
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Toney spoke about what he plans to do to Couture in Boston at the end of next month, and he also explained his plans for the sport that made him famous; boxing being the sport he has more than made his mark in, even if his goal of retiring as the greatest fighter ever is a lofty one..
Toney, who is showing no fear whatsoever as his 3x five-minutes of a match-up with “The Natural” closes in, said he will do something no-one has ever seen before in the Aug. 28th clash – KO a fighter whilst both men are on the ground!
“They’re trying to set me up to fail,” Toney said of the Las Vegas bookies who have made Couture a big betting favourite to beat him. “That’s why they’re throwing Randy Couture at me. I’ve been set up to fail my whole life, so it’s nothing new to me. If Randy Couture takes me to the ground, I will knock him out. Y’all ain’t never seen nobody knocked out from the floor, right? Ribs will be broken. I’m very comfortable on the floor.”
If Toney can manage to take out Couture, he will have at least shut up a lot of people; people like UFC president Dana White, who expect Toney to lose and pretty quickly against the ultra-experienced Couture. But, as much of a shock Toney will have caused in the MMA world if he beats Couture, what will this do for his standing as an all-time great? Not much.
Still, Toney, always a braggadocio of the highest and often most entertaining level, says he can carry on dominating in both sports at the same time.
“I’m a two-sport athlete,” Toney said. “After I fight Couture on August 28th, I’m going to defend my [IBA heavyweight] title against someone in October or November. [David] Haye ran his mouth about me and said I’m crazy – I’m going to get destroyed and choked out and all that. I want him next. I want to do this [MMA] and boxing until I’m aged 45, then I’m done. I would have accomplished everything and everyone would know I’m the greatest fighter to ever put gloves on. That’s my goal.”
Toney, who looks like he’s been working hard and taking the Couture fight seriously, is unlikely to land a fight with WBA heavyweight champ Haye this year, if at all. However, if he did get that fight and won it, his place amongst perhaps the greatest forty or so boxers in history could be argued.