The Top 100 Greatest Boxers Pound per Pound of All-Time

[elmersalsa]

From 1988 to 1994, the great James "Lights Out" Toney was a busy fighter. Something that was very rare even in the 1990s decade. He averaged 6 or 7 fights a year. To be exact, he averaged 6.6 fights a year since his debut in 1988. What a fighter!

[elmersalsa]

James "Lights Out" Toney had an easy time with American contender Tony Thornton. Toney won by unanimous decision in the first title defense of his new IBF World Super Middleweight Crown.

On his next defense, Toney quickly dispatched American contender Tim Littles. Littles, a tall fighter listed at 6'2", was using his long range left jab and haymakers.

In round 3 Toney suffered a big cut on his left eyelid. It was an ugly cut. It was a product of a clash of heads. The referee told Toney that he was going to stop the fight if the cut was getting worse. Toney went to work in round 4 and stopped Littles by knockout.

The year 1993 saw Toney in action 6 times. He was one of the busiest fighters of the era.

[elmersalsa]

James Toney had one of his best performances when he stopped former light-heavyweight champion Prince Charles Williams. It was a grueling battle in which both fighters were fighting inside the whole entire night.

Williams was trying to bore in and outmuscle and put his bigger body strength on Toney. But, Toney, like a great champion, knew how to adapt in the attack of his opponent.

Did losing 7 pounds to challenge Toney took a toll on Williams? I don't think so. He looked stronger than Toney on the inside exchanges. The first 5 or 6 rounds, he made it hard on Toney fighting in close. At many times, the MGM Grand crowd was booing. I guess they wanted more action. The average boxing fan doesn't appreciate great boxing skills.

But, once Toney started to use leverage, he started working with left jabs and right crosses. He was really working on Williams after the 6th round.

In round 8, referee Joe Cortez of Puerto Rico deducted a point from Toney for hitting Williams after the bell. Toney suffered a small inflammation on his left eye. Was it a product of an accidental headbutt or a clean punch?

Not many people thought that there was going to be a stoppage. But in the 12th and last round, Toney, who was already making great work of Williams by boxing and using leverage, drooped Prince with a straight right hand. Williams tried to get up, but he was counted out.

Next for Toney was the anticipated mega million dollar showdown with the great Roy Jones, Jr, who was at the time the IBF World Middleweight Champion.

[Ambling Alp II]

Is this a cry for help?

[Wee Tommy]

Chronic. Who is number 1?

[elmersalsa]

When the great James Toney had his super showdown bout vs the great Roy Jones, Jr all I had to say is this..........SPEED!

And speed is all it took for Jones to dominate from the opening bell one of the best fighters of the era in Toney, who was making his fourth title defense of his IBF World Super Middleweight crown.

Before the fight, the trash talking began the weekend if the WBA World Heavyweight Championship when the great George Foreman made the miracle by stopping former champion Michael Moorer. The announcers of HBO asked Jones what did he thought of going up in weight and to challenge the best super middleweight fighter in the world. Super Roy said that "I'm a bad man to jump 8 pounds and to challenge the champion ". Toney who isn't shy of a thrash talk said a lot of things to say about the bout. He even mentioned Jones in a cover of a magazine that Jones was "fake". All Jones said that he's going to teach him a lesson. Toney said "You ain't going to teach nothing 'cause I am the teacher, baby!".....Jones just laugh and said "We'll see on the 18th!"

These two guys didn't really like each other. It was for a making of a great Super fight. Now, problems in Toney's camp before the fight that he was about 40 pounds above 168lbs weeks before the fight. He had to shed those pounds really quick. There wasn't enough time. He did shed the pounds on time, but he felt weak. So he had 6 meals in 2 days before the fight. Did the weight affected him? Because it wasn't the James Toney that we're used to see him fight. He wasn't quick nor sharp. Or was it that Jones' speed was too much for him?

Jones, Jr fought a brilliant fight. Always hit Toney with that left hook lead and didn't give Toney an easy target to cleanly hit. Roy was dancing from side to side. Always shifting when Lights Out attacked. Did that confused Toney? Because he was accustomed of fighters coming at him and make a fight like guys like Iran Barkley and Prince Charles Williams. But Jones was different. He was in another level. He was too fast!

In round 3 he dropped Toney. I don't think it was a knockdown but the American referee, Richard Steele, ruled it and it stand. That should have given Toney a motivation to press the fight. He's 4 points behind. Useless! Jones dominated him the rest of the way. It was almost a shutout in my eyes. The judges at ringside saw it almost the same.

This was the first loss of Toney's 46 fights. He took the beating as a man. He didn't make no excuses. He was already making plans to fight at light-heavyweight. He got his ass kicked! It was one of the greatest performances of boxing of the last 30 years.

Toney began a small slide after this fight. Like almost every fighter goes through some kind of funk after a long period of success. Iron Mike Tyson was a joke after coming back from jail. The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, wasn't the same boxer after the exile. The great Roberto Duran wasn't the same after "The No Mas" fight against the great Sugar Ray Leonard. And Leonard wasn't the same after the retina operation. It happens. But, will Toney come back after this serious trashing?

[Onetimeonly]

Chronic. Who is number 1?

Hank Armstrong, odd the initial version was a list.

[oogiebe]

Chronic. Who is number 1?

Hank Armstrong, odd the initial version was a list.

This is like watching the grass grow.

[elmersalsa]

Montell Griffin of Chicago, IL shocked the world with only 14 fights in his career when he upset veteran two-time champion James "Lights Out" Toney of Ann Arbor, MI. The fight was on Saturday, February 18, 1995. Exactly 3 months after losing to the great Roy Jones, Jr.

It seemed that losing to Jones, Jr affected him somewhat. This is not the same Toney that we were accustomed see fight. In the last two fights, he looked lethargic and lackadaisical. Like if he's fighting just for making the commitment.

After losing to Jones, Toney had a fall out with his female manager Jackie Callen, which in my view, has done a great job on managing Toney up to this point. Toney lost it, and now he wants to call the shots. My view is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Let the woman guide your career. It worked for the first 46 fights. Why not keeping her at your side now? These are sometimes the mistakes that some boxers do in their careers. They want to change things their way, even though it's working on their favor.

Is Toney in a mid-career crisis. I believe that is big yes. He is not as focused as prior fights. He's not thinking inside nor outside the ring nor thinking outside the box to help himself. Maybe the 47 fights and an average of 7 fights a year was taking its toll on him. Maybe he just like to fight, but not train as hard as he used to. Or maybe he needs a break for a couple of months and regroup like some other fighters do. Forty-seven pro fights are a lot of fights, especially if you fight hard like James"Lights Out" Toney.

About the fight, I think that Griffin got the nod by one point. I scored it 116-115 on his favor. For a guy that only had 14 fights at the time, he did surprisingly great against one the best fighters pound per pound of the era. I believe that it was Toney's mistake fighting the shorter man's fight instead of boxing and using leverage with his left jab. He wanted to slug and fight toe to toe with the shorter Griffin. He wanted to rest on the ropes while using his inside game skills.

In round 3 Toney had Griffin reeling and stumbling around the ring by a product of a straight right. It didn't seemed like a hell of a punch, but, the punch that you don't see is the punch that hurts you. Griffith had also Toney in bad shape in the 7th round but the ropes and the short seconds left in the round saved Toney. It was a very good fight to watch. But I think that even though Toney lost in my view, he's a better fighter than Griffin.

[elmersalsa]

After losing back to back fights in a row, a fighter like James Toney's caliber got to step aside and see an evaluation of his career. His career at this point was at crossroads. There were rumours that he was going to fire her long-time manager, Jackie Kallen. A white Jewish woman that all she did was getting the right fights for him. Toney was successful most of his career with the boss lady. He became champion of the world in two weight classes.

Toney started his comeback by beating former sparring partner Karl Willis in 8 rounds. The fight was mostly one-sided. Willis didn't bring nothing but his ass to the fight at The Palace in Ann Arbor, MI.

Then, Toney fought for the USBA Light-heavyweight Championship held by former victim Anthony Hembrick of Detroit, MI. The fight was on an outdoor venue in Las Vegas, NV. Toney dispatched Hembrick in only 5 rounds.

By this time in his career, Toney already fired his long-time trainer Bill Miller. Miller was replaced by former Light-heavyweight World Champion Eddie Mustapha Muhammad of Brooklyn, NY.

[Ambling Alp II]

Do you realize that you have now been talking about James Toney for more than 2 months?

[elmersalsa]

Back on the right track, James Toney wins the vacant WBU World Light-heavyweight Championship by stopping Freddie Delgado with a vicious left hook in round five.

[elmersalsa]

James Toney vs Montell Griffin fight #2 was not as good as fight #1. There wasn't enough action in the fight, but, I think that Toney won the fight by unanimous decision. He really won that fight for me with no controversy. But, the judges saw another thing. I don't know what they were watching.

One judge scored the fight 119-109 in favor of Griffin?

[elmersalsa]

Later, James Toney defeats Greg Everett to win the WBU World Light-heavyweight Championship in only 2 rounds and beats the great Mike McCallum on points to win the WBU World Cruiserweight Championship.

The fight was the third meeting with the Jamaican Body Snatcher. McCallum was 40 years old. It was McCallum's last professional fight. It was a boring contest in which both men did not look good at that weight. They looked, fat, slow and old at Cruiserweight.

[Wee Tommy]

What are you doing?

[Jaywheel]

Talking for 3 months about a guy who he said in his initial post didn't make the cut in this list.

Fighters that Didn't make the cut in my view:

Marcel Cerdan, Sugar Shane Mosley, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, GGG, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix "Tito" Trinidad,
Ken Buchanan, Ismael Laguna, Jack Delaney,
Johnny Kilbane, Jack Sharkey, Tommy Gibbons, Mike Gibbons, Max Schmeling, Young Corbett III, Harry Wills, Cocoa Kid, Lloyd Marshall, Harold Johnson, Peerless Jim Driscoll,
Mysterious Billy Smith, James Toney, Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Bivins, Baby Arizmendi etc, etc, etc.

[Onetimeonly]

Talking for 3 months about a guy who he said in his initial post didn't make the cut in this list.

Fighters that Didn't make the cut in my view:

Marcel Cerdan, Sugar Shane Mosley, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, GGG, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix "Tito" Trinidad,
Ken Buchanan, Ismael Laguna, Jack Delaney,
Johnny Kilbane, Jack Sharkey, Tommy Gibbons, Mike Gibbons, Max Schmeling, Young Corbett III, Harry Wills, Cocoa Kid, Lloyd Marshall, Harold Johnson, Peerless Jim Driscoll,
Mysterious Billy Smith, James Toney, Floyd Patterson, Jimmy Bivins, Baby Arizmendi etc, etc, etc.

[oogiebe]

By the time this list gets to his top 10 there will have been an additional 2,372 new champs that have come and gone.

[elmersalsa]

James Toney fought American contender Steve Little after losing to Drake Thazbi. Who in the hell was Thazbi? I don't know.

Well, Toney looked good in this fight with Little, even though that Little won the first two rounds. After round 2, it was all James Toney. Toney won an alphabetical title at the cruiserweight division.

[elmersalsa]

Watching the great James Toney was like watching the great Roberto Duran in terms of styles and demeanor. LIKE Duran, he had the same traits. He ate a lot between fights. He could fight inside. And like Duran, he rolled with the punches using the famous "shoulder roll" of his. And like Duran, he fought anybody and everybody available who wanted a piece of him. A very busy champion.

He had to use his higher boxing skills against bigger men all the way up to heavyweight. In the Adolpho Washington fight, Toney's skills were excellent. HE completely dominated the former cruiserweight champion in a shutout.

When motivated and hungry, Toney was one of the best and superb fighting machines around. A very complete fighter!

[Duran1970]

Watching James Toney was like watching Roberto Duran?
You might want to retract that one.

[watsupdoc87]

How the fuk are you still on toney

[oogiebe]

How the fuk are you still on toney

...and what number is Toney anyway...

[Ambling Alp II]

well, he didn't make the cut for the top 100.
However, he is number 90. Hope that helps.
And he has been talking about him for more than three months now.

[oogiebe]

well, he didn't make the cut for the top 100.
However, he is number 90. Hope that helps.
And he has been talking about him for more than three months now.

LMFAO! 10 Fighters in 400 posts. This is hysterical.