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===Super Middleweight Champion===
===Super Middleweight Champion===

He also inspired the cartoon from mickey d`s grimice!


Toney moved up to the super middlweight division, after losing his battle to stay at Middleweight, where he could no longer get his body to the 160 pound weight limit. The Super Middleweight limit is 168 pounds, a weight Toney felt would be to his advantage.
Toney moved up to the super middlweight division, after losing his battle to stay at Middleweight, where he could no longer get his body to the 160 pound weight limit. The Super Middleweight limit is 168 pounds, a weight Toney felt would be to his advantage.

Revision as of 21:15, 25 August 2010

James Toney
BornJames Nathaniel Toney
(1968-08-24) August 24, 1968 (age 55)
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Other namesLights Out
NationalityUnited States American
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight217 lb (98 kg; 15.5 st)
DivisionHeavyweight (MMA)
Heavyweight
Super-cruiserweight
Cruiserweight
Light Heavyweight
Super Middleweight
Middleweight
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)
StyleBoxing
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofSherman Oaks, California
TrainerJuanito Ibarra
Freddie Roach
Bill Miller
Years active22 (1988-present)
Professional boxing record
Total83
Wins72
By knockout44
Losses6
By knockout0
Draws3
No contests2
Amateur record
Total33
Wins31
By knockout29
Losses2
By knockout0
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Last updated on: May 16. 2010

James Nathanial Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American professional boxer and aspiring mixed martial artist, with his debut against UFC fighter Randy Couture. Toney also co-starred as Joe Frazier in the 2001 film Ali.

Boxing career

Toney had his first professional fight on October 26, 1988, beating Stephen Lee by a technical knockout in the second round.

He was scouted and trained by Gregory Owens as a teenager, who also was his trainer through the mid-nineties. His moniker of "Lights Out" was also given by either Gregory or his son.[1]

On March 10, 1989, his manager Johnny "Ace" Smith was killed outside of the Page One Bar in Detroit. Jackie Kallen then became his manager.

He won the Michigan Middleweight title in 1990, knocking out Philip Morefield in the 1st round.

A draw with Sanderline Williams was the first blemish on Toney's record, although he beat Williams by unanimous decision three months later and in early 1991 he beat Merqui Sosa in a minor upset, between the two top-10-rated contenders. This win propelled Toney to a title shot at the IBF Middlewight championship, with this hard-earned 12-round points victory.

Middleweight Champion

Toney's unbeaten run landed him his coveted title shot at the IBF Middleweight title against the best of the title holders at the time, Michael "Second to" Nunn, in May 1991. Nunn dominated the relatively inexperienced Toney over the first 10 rounds with his excellent boxing skills. In an unusually aggressive performance, there were many heated exchanges, but in the 11th round, with time running out for the young Toney, he dropped Michael Nunn to the canvas. The fight was stopped and Toney was the champion.

Toney continued a regular fight program over the next 18 months at middleweight, before outgrowing the division, where he made several successful yet disputed defenses, outpointing Dave Tiberi in a controversial decision, outpointing Glenn Wolfe and tough Reggie Johnson and a draw and a win against Mike "The Body Snatcher" McCallum, in two evenly and heated contests, which pushed Toney's skills to the brink of his abilities. These two fights served note that Toney was a serious young champion. The trend for champions for many years was to avoid the best competition and this enabled them to increase the length of the championship reign, in doing so, this strong mental attitude and the level of competition Toney faced moved him up the pound-for-pound rankings over the next 18 months and made him a major player in boxing where Toney emerged as its next superstar.

Super Middleweight Champion

He also inspired the cartoon from mickey d`s grimice!

Toney moved up to the super middlweight division, after losing his battle to stay at Middleweight, where he could no longer get his body to the 160 pound weight limit. The Super Middleweight limit is 168 pounds, a weight Toney felt would be to his advantage.

On February 13, 1993 he challenged Iran Barkley for his IBF Super Middleweight title. In a dominating performance, he totally dismantled "The Blade" in 9 rounds. With Toney now a recognised force as a Super Middleweight, the division was now the strongest in boxing alongside other title holders such as Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and his old nemesis Michael Nunn.

More victories followed, including one over Tony "The Punching Postman" Thornton—a landslide points win over the durable challenger—and his 2nd defense against over Tim Littles in a 4th-round KO. In a brutal display of punch power—after a bad cut that caused the referee and ring doctor to intervene and check Toney in round 3 before allowing him one more round—Toney knocked out Littles. His final defense was against the much avoided former IBF light heavyweight champion Prince Charles Williams, whom he wore down and finally knocked out in the 12th and final round. This win paved the way for his fight with Roy Jones, Jr..

The fight was Jones' first at Super Middleweight; Jones vacated his Middleweight belt to challenge Toney on November 18, 1994. The fight was the biggest and most anticipated fight of the year with Jones and Tony ranked highly in the pound-for-pound rankings going into the fight. Toney was fancied to win by many experts due to his superior level of competition he'd faced up to this point.

Jones won a landslide decision over Toney, a major upset at the time, taking Toney apart and briefly flooring Toney for the first time with a flash knockdown in the 3rd round. After the fight Toney blamed making the weight for his flat performance and the loss of his cherished unbeaten record. It was his last fight at the weight.

Years without a title

His fight after losing his title to Roy Jones saw him lose to Montel Griffin at light heavyweight in February 1995. After then winning a series of fights at light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and even heavyweight, he again faced Montel Griffin in December 1996 and once again lost a close decision. He beat old foe Mike McCallum in February 1997, but then lost to journeyman Drake Thadzi in his next fight.

Cruiserweight Champion

In August 2002, Toney beat Jason Robinson in an IBF Cruiserweight title elimination fight. This set up a fight between Toney and the champion, Vassiliy Jirov. After a postponement, the fight happened on April 26, 2003, a fight many thought Toney would lose—his championship days were almost 10 years ago, so Toney was expected to be a notch on the young Kazakh's perfect boxing CV. Going into the 12th and final round, with the scores fairly even and the fight in the balance, Toney knocked the undefeated Jirov down in the 12th. The Kazakh rose from the canvas to go to the distance, but Toney got the judges verdict and was now a three-weight World Champion. For Toney's performance he was awarded comeback of the year and named fighter of the year.

Immediately afterward, Toney moved up to heavyweight.

Heavyweight career

Even when Toney was a middleweight, he insisted that he would one day be the heavyweight champion of the world. His good handspeed, slick defense and exceptional counter-punching had enabled him to defeat physically better (but technically less-skilled) opponents. His October 4, 2003, victory over aging former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was Toney's entry into the heavyweight division. After a shaky first round, Toney picked the Atlanta legend apart with shots to the body and head before stopping him in the 9th round.

On April 30, 2005, he defeated John Ruiz by a unanimous decision in a 12-round match for the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight Championship. However, as of May 18, 2005, it was [1] reported that Toney failed his post-fight drug test, testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol. This led to the New York Athletic Commission changing the bout's official outcome to a "no-contest", deducting the win from Toney's career record and banning him from boxing for 90 days. The WBA ordered that Ruiz be reinstated as its champion and that Toney be ineligible for another WBA Heavyweight title shot for two years. Toney defended himself by claiming that the steroids were given to him by a doctor to treat an injured arm that occurred during his victory over Rydell Booker in his previous fight. Toney was also subject to a civil lawsuit by Ruiz claiming that Toney's illegal use of steroids gave him an edge in the fight.

In his bout after the Ruiz fight, Toney won a unanimous decision victory over former heavyweight contender Dominic Guinn. Toney next fought against Hasim Rahman on March 18, 2006, for the WBC Heavyweight title. The result was a twelve-round majority draw and Toney weighed a career-high 237 lb for his lackluster performance.

Toney's next two outings were losses to Samuel Peter. The first fight was held in Los Angeles, California on Sept 2, 2006. Toney lost by split decision. The return bout was held in Hollywood, Florida, on January 6, 2007 and Toney once again lost to Peter, this time by majority decision. Both fights were WBC eliminator bouts for the belt held by Oleg Maskaev.

Toney returned to action in May 2007 and won a ten-round split decision over Danny Batchelder. Following the bout, Toney once again tested positive for boldenone and stanozolol and was fined $2500 and banned from boxing for a year, Toney appealed the suspension and it was reduced to 6 months after he appeared before the CSAC and claimed he didn't knowingly take any steroids and suggested that he was set up and someone had tampered with his water bottle.

On July 16, 2008, Toney's rematch against Hasim Rahman was stopped in the third round. An accidental headbutt by Toney opened a cut above Rahman's left eye. The ring doctor stopped the fight after determining that the cut was blocking Rahman's vision. Initially, the fight was called as a TKO win for Toney, but this was overruled by the California State Athletic Commission and the fight was declared no-contest.

Toney's next bout came on December 13, 2008 against Fres Oquendo. Oquendo was penalized 1 point in round eight for a rabbit punch, which would prove to be the deciding factor in the fight. Toney won a close split decision.

On September 12, 2009, James fought heavyweight fighter Matthew Greer (12-5-0 11KO) at the Pechanga Resort & Casino, looking visibly trimmer than he had been in recent years.[2] James won via TKO victory in round two.

James Toney is the current IBA Heavyweight champion

Amateur career

Record: 33 fights, 31 wins, 2 losses with 29 KOs

  • Lost on his debut
  • Won 1983 and 1984 West Michigan Division Junior Title (156 lb)
  • Won 1987 Novice Golden Gloves in Manchester (156 lb)
  • Won 1987 Michigan Silver Gloves (156 lb)
  • Lost at first stage of 1988 Detroit Golden Gloves (156 lb)
  • Won 1988 Ohio State Fair (156 lb)

Professional boxing record

72 Wins (44 knockouts, 27 decisions, 1 disqualification), 6 Losses (6 decisions), 3 Draws, 2 No Contests[3]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Win 72–6–3 (2) Matthew Greer KO 2 (12) September 12, 2009 Temecula, CA
Win 71–6–3 (2) Fres Oquendo Split decision 12 December 13, 2008 Cabazon, CA Won vacant IBA and NABO
Heavyweight titles.
NC 70–6–3 (2) Hasim Rahman No contest 3 (12), 3:00 July 17, 2008 Temecula, CA Toney unintentionally headbutted
Rahman, causing a cut above
Rahman's left eye, with the ring
physician stopping the fight. A
TKO win for Toney was changed
to a no contest by the California
State Athletic Commission
due to
the headbutt. Bout was for the
vacant NABO Heavyweight title.
Win 70–6–3 (1) Danny Batchelder Split decision 10 May 24, 2007 San Jose, CA Toney tested positive for boldenone
and stanozolol and was fined
$2,500 and banned from boxing for
one year by the California State
Athletic Commission. The
suspension was reduced to six
months after appeal.
Loss 69–6–3 (1) Samuel Peter Unan. decision 12 January 6, 2007 Hollywood, FL Bout for NABF Heavyweight title.
Loss 69–5–3 (1) Samuel Peter Split decision 12 September 2, 2006 Los Angeles, CA Lost IBA Heavyweight title. Peter's
NABF Heavyweight title was also on
the line.
Draw 69–4–3 (1) Hasim Rahman Majority draw 12 March 18, 2006 Atlantic City, NJ Bout was for WBC Heavyweight title.
Win 69–4–2 (1) Dominick Guinn Unan. decision 12 October 1, 2005 Reno, NV Retained IBA Heavyweight title.
NC 68–4–2 (1) John Ruiz No contest 12 April 30, 2005 New York City, NY Originally a unanimous decision
win for Toney, the New York State
Athletic Commission
changed the
result to a no contest due to Toney
testing positive for stanozolol after
the fight. The bout was for Toney's
IBA Heavyweight title and Ruiz's
WBA Heavyweight title.
Win 68–4–2 Rydell Booker Unan. decision 12 September 23, 2004 Temecula, CA Won vacant WBC Continental
Americas and IBA Heavyweight
titles.
Win 67–4–2 Evander Holyfield TKO 9 (12), 1:42 October 4, 2003 Las Vegas, NV
Win 66–4–2 Vassiliy Jirov Unan. decision 12 April 26, 2003 Mashantucket, CT Won IBF Cruiserweight title.
Win 65–4–2 Jason Robinson KO 7 (12), 2:47 August 18, 2002 Temecula, CA
Win 64–4–2 Michael Rush TKO 10 (10), 2:10 May 31, 2002 Lincoln City, OR
Win 63–4–2 Sione Asipeli Unan. decision 10 March 22, 2002 Phoenix, AZ
Win 62–4–2 Wesley Martin TKO 3 (10), 1:08 July 20, 2001 Compton, CA
Win 61–4–2 Saul Montana TKO 2 (12), 2:26 March 29, 2001 Detroit, MI Won vacant IBA Super
Cruiserweight title.
Win 60–4–2 Courtney Butler TKO 3 (10), 1:14 November 3, 2000 Verona, NY
Win 59–4–2 Terry McGroom Maj. decision 10 January 21, 2000 Chicago, IL
Win 58–4–2 Ramón Garbey Unan. decision 10 October 8, 1999 Taunton, MA
Win 57–4–2 Adolpho Washington TKO 10 (10), 0:52 July 30, 1999 Mashantucket, CT
Win 56–4–2 Terry Porter TKO 8 (10), 2:09 March 7, 1999 Phoenix, AZ
Win 55–4–2 Steve Little Unan. decision 12 June 14, 1997 Biloxi, MS Won vacant IBO Cruiserweight
title
.
Loss 54–4–2 Drake Thadzi Maj. decision 12 May 14, 1997 Mashantucket, CT Bout was for vacant IBO Light
Heavyweight title, but only Thadzi
was eligible to win it, as Toney
was over the 175-pound limit.
Win 54–3–2 Mike McCallum Unan. decision 12 February 22, 1997 Uncasville, CT Won vacant WBU Cruiserweight
title.
Loss 53–3–2 Montell Griffin Unan. decision 12 December 6, 1996 Reno, NV Lost WBU Light Heavyweight title.
Win 53–2–2 Duran Williams TKO 9 (12), 2:06 August 9, 1996 Bay St. Louis, MS Retained WBU Light Heavyweight
title.
Win 52–2–2 Charles Oliver Unan. decision 10 July 3, 1996 St. Charles, MO
Win 51–2–2 Earl Butler TKO 4 (12) May 14, 1996 Mashantucket, CT Retained WBU Light Heavyweight
title.
Win 50–2–2 Richard Mason Unan. decision 10 March 1, 1996 Indio, CA
Win 49–2–2 Greg Everett KO 2 (12), 2:03 December 8, 1995 Mashantucket, CT Won WBU Continental
Cruiserweight title.
Win 48–2–2 Ernest Mateen Disqualification 5 (12), 2:59 September 9, 1995 Las Vegas, NV Retained WBU Light Heavyweight
title.
Win 47–2–2 Freddie Delgado TKO 5 (12), 0:35 June 18, 1995 New Orleans, LA Won WBU Light Heavyweight title.
Win 46–2–2 Anthony Hembrick TKO 5 (12), 3:00 April 30, 1995 Las Vegas, NV Won USBA Light Heavyweight title.
Win 45–2–2 Karl Willis TKO 8 (10), 1:42 March 20, 1995 Auburn Hills, MI
Loss 44–2–2 Montell Griffin Unan. decision 12 February 18, 1995 Las Vegas, NV Bout was for IBF Inter-Continental
Light Heavyweight title.
Loss 44–1–2 Roy Jones, Jr. Unan. decision 12 November 18, 1994 Las Vegas, NV Lost IBF Super Middleweight title.
Win 44–0–2 Charles Williams KO 12 (12), 2:45 July 29, 1994 Las Vegas, NV Retained IBF Super Middleweight
title.
Win 43–0–2 Vinson Durham Unan. decision 10 May 18, 1994 Rosemont, IL
Win 42–0–2 Tim Littles TKO 4 (12), 1:03 March 5, 1994 Los Angeles, CA Retained IBF Super Middleweight
title.
Win 41–0–2 Anthony Hembrick TKO 7 (10), 0:47 January 16, 1994 Bushkill, PA
Win 40–0–2 Tony Thornton Unan. decision 12 October 29, 1993 Tulsa, OK Retained IBF Super Middleweight
title.
Win 39–0–2 Larry Prather Unan. decision 10 August 24, 1993 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 38–0–2 Danny Garcia TKO 6 (10) July 29, 1993 Bushkill, PA
Win 37–0–2 Glenn Thomas Unan. decision 10 June 6, 1993 Las Vegas, NV
Win 36–0–2 Ricky Thomas TKO 10 (10) April 17, 1993 Bushkill, PA
Win 35–0–2 Govoner Chavers TKO 9 (10) March 23, 1993 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 34–0–2 Iran Barkley TKO 9 (12), 3:00 February 13, 1993 Las Vegas, NV Won IBF Super Middleweight title.
Win 33–0–2 Doug DeWitt TKO 6 (10), 3:00 December 5, 1992 Atlantic City, NJ
Win 32–0–2 Mike McCallum Maj. decision 12 August 29, 1992 Reno, NV Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 31–0–2 Ricky Stackhouse TKO 3 (10) May 26, 1992 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 30–0–2 Glenn Wolfe Unan. decision 12 April 11, 1992 Las Vegas, NV Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 29–0–2 Dave Tiberi Split decision 12 February 8, 1992 Atlantic City, NJ Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Draw 28–0–2 Mike McCallum Draw 12 December 13, 1991 Atlantic City, NJ Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 28–0–1 Francesco dell'Aquila TKO 4 (12), 0:43 October 12, 1991 Monte Carlo, Monaco Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 27–0–1 Reggie Johnson Split decision 12 June 29, 1991 Las Vegas, NV Retained IBF Middleweight title.
Win 26–0–1 Michael Nunn TKO 11 (12), 2:14 May 10, 1991 Davenport, IA Won IBF Middleweight title.
Win 25–0–1 Alberto Gonzalez TKO 6 March 31, 1991 Las Vegas, NV
Win 24–0–1 Merqui Sosa Split decision 12 January 13, 1991 Atlantic City, NJ Won vacant IBC Middleweight title.
Win 23–0–1 José Carlos da Silva TKO 5 (10) December 10, 1990 Dearborn, MI
Win 22–0–1 Sanderline Williams Unan. decision 10 October 16, 1990 Tampa, FL
Win 21–0–1 Kevin Brazier TKO 2 (10) August 24, 1990 Dearborn, MI
Draw 20–0–1 Sanderline Williams Draw 10 July 26, 1990 Dearborn, MI
Win 20–0 Ricardo Bryant TKO 4 (12) June 27, 1990 Dearborn, MI
Win 19–0 Horacio René Brandan KO 2 (10) May 23, 1990 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 18–0 José Luís Estevan TKO 5 April 27, 1990 Atlantic City, NJ
Win 17–0 Toby Tyler TKO 4 (6) April 5, 1990 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 16–0 Philip Morefield KO 1 (10), 1:10 March 1, 1990 Auburn Hills, MI Won Michigan Middleweight title.
Win 15–0 Danny Thomas Unan. decision 8 January 20, 1990 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 14–0 Joe Johnson KO 4 November 29, 1989 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 13–0 Ron Amundsen Unan. decision 10 November 13, 1989 Milwaukee, WI
Win 12–0 Robert Clinton KO 1 October 26, 1989 Atlantic City, NJ
Win 11–0 Ricardo Simpson KO 2 October 12, 1989 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 10–0 Joe Summers TKO 2 September 21, 1989 Atlantic City, NJ
Win 9–0 Lemark Davis Unan. decision 6 September 7, 1989 Auburn Hills, MI
Win 8–0 Mark Stephens TKO 2 July 20, 1989 Detroit, MI
Win 7–0 Steve Chaney KO 1 June 6, 1989 Memphis, TN
Win 6–0 Arthur Willis Split decision 4 (4) May 2, 1989 Memphis, TN
Win 5–0 James Fernandez Unan. decision 4 (4) February 16, 1989 Sterling Heights, MI
Win 4–0 Sammy Jenkins TKO 4 January 17, 1989 Sterling Heights, MI
Win 3–0 Carl Penn KO 1 January 10, 1989 Memphis, TN
Win 2–0 Ronnie Yoe KO 1, 1:30 December 6, 1988 Memphis, TN
Win 1–0 Stephen Lee TKO 2 (4) October 26, 1988 Mount Clemens, MI

Honors

Mixed martial arts career

James Toney
Other namesLights Out
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Division265
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)
StyleBoxing
TrainerTrevor Sherman
Years active2010–present

Toney was spotted in attendance at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010, which led to talks between him and UFC President Dana White regarding fighting in the organization. On March 3, it was confirmed by White that the two had agreed and signed a multifight deal with the company.[4]

To help his transition into MMA, Toney was coached by trainer Juanito Ibarra.[5][6] Toney is now being coached by Trevor Sherman. [7] His first fight will be against Hall of Famer, and former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight champion, Randy Couture at UFC 118 on August 28.[8]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
0 matches 0 wins 0 losses
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
United States Randy Couture UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 August 28, 2010 United States Boston, Massachusetts, US UFC debut

See also


References

  1. ^ http://www.boxinginsider.com/biofiles/james-toney/
  2. ^ http://fightfan.com/2009/09/he-aint-heavy-hes-a-heavyweight/
  3. ^ "James Toney's career boxing record". BoxRec. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  4. ^ "Toney signs multifight deal with UFC". Associated Press. ESPN. 2010-03-03.
  5. ^ Marrocco, Steven (2010-03-03). "Trainer Juanito Ibarra to coach UFC signee James Toney in transition to MMA". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  6. ^ Fontanez, Erik (2010-03-04). "James Toney's Coach, Juanito Ibarra: "We're Gonna Shock The World"". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
  7. ^ http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/8/13/1621440/handicapping-james-toneys-chances
  8. ^ "UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2". UFC.com. Retrieved 2010-06-21.

External links


Awards and achievements
Preceded by Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year
1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year
2003
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by IBF Middleweight Champion
May 10, 1991 – February 13, 1993
Vacated
Succeeded by
Preceded by IBF Super Middleweight Champion
February 13, 1993 – November 18, 1994
Preceded by IBF Cruiserweight Champion
April 26, 2003 – September 2003
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Kelvin Davis
Preceded by IBA Heavyweight Champion
September 23, 2004 – September 2, 2006
Succeeded by
Preceded by NABO Heavyweight Champion
December 13, 2008 – August 13, 2009
Stripped
Vacant
Title next held by
Brian Minto
Preceded by IBA Heavyweight Champion
December 13, 2008 – Present
Current holder