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I CALLED IT, AND WILL CALL TONEY'S FUTURE IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

By Danny Serratelli

Pre fight prediction- Regardless of what anyone says, both Ruiz and Toney are proven tough guys. While Ruiz is a nice guy, everyone hates him because of his style. I admit I fell asleep at the Garden during his fight with Fres Oquendo, but the guy knows how to use what he has. James Toney was one of the best fighters pound for pound up until the time when he gained close to 20 pounds in one day and lost to Roy Jones. Despite the style, or lack of from Ruiz and trash talking from Toney there is one thing both of these guys are in the ring...smart. Despite what he says, Toney will feel Ruiz out early which will make most of the early rounds close. As the fight wears on it MAY get interesting because either of them may get dirty and the other will answer back. As long as Toney is in shape and motivated, which he should be, I look for him to use his intelligence and clever counter punching style to bang out a close decision. The reason I say close is because there is a good possibility that many rounds will be difficult to score. It is crazy, but to me Toney adds some excitement to the heavyweight division, and if he does win I'd be interested in seeing him fight the best the division has to offer. James Toney by majority Decision - Danny Serratelli

OK, I called a majority decision, and it was a unanimous decision for James “Lights Out” Toney. I figured one judge, probably Guy Jutras, (the guy who must have watched Pacquiao-Marquez blindfolded (115-110 for Marquez), would have screwed up the score. As I thought, the early rounds were close, and after 4 it appeared to be an even fight. However, Toney stepped it up later, just like he has done against so many other opponents.

I was surprised how much praise Roy Jones had for James Toney during the HBO telecast, but truthfully, I do not dispute much of what he said. James Toney is 36 years old; he has had surgery both on his Achilles tendon and a torn tendon in both his bicep and his forearm recently. He weighed in the heaviest of his career, at a very “robust” 233 and he still won the fight convincingly (I scored it the same as the 2 judges who saw it 116-111) against former WBA Heavyweight Champion, John Ruiz. Ruiz, despite his reputation, has beaten every legitimate challenge he has faced since winning the title in 2001, except Roy Jones. Ruiz’s resume in that time features wins over Hasim Rahman, Kirk Johnson, Fres Oquendo, Andrew Golota, and although not a prime one, Evander Holyfield.

Toney impressed me in this fight with John Ruiz. While Ruiz held a lot and hit behind the head, James never complained. When Ruiz complained, James stuck to his plan. In addition to all of the aforementioned disadvantages Toney faces, and will continue to face, he is also only around 5’ 9". The reason why I am saying that Toney can unify the heavyweight division is because he possesses one quality that you rarely see in modern boxers. I do not know what to call it, other then to say James Toney truly is a “throwback fighter.” He enjoys what he does and does it well.

If you match Toney up with the 3 other current heavyweight champions he surely has a lot of factors working against him, but I think he may overcome all of them based on his intangibles. Lamon Brewster would probably be his easiest fight of the three. Not because Brewster is not good, and we know he has heart, but Toney beats him on skills, experience and ring intelligence easily. Both Byrd and Vitali Klitschko on paper are very difficult fights. Klitschko is around 6 ‘7" and can fight enough to give Lennox Lewis a tough fight, and dominate everyone else he’s ever fought (including Chris Byrd, until he quit in the corner late in the fight). Almost a foot height disadvantage against a guy who can fight has to be very difficult to overcome. Byrd will try to out speed Toney with his quick pity-pat punches and run his way to a decision.

James Toney is one of the most relaxed fighters in the ring and his subtle defense and counter punching style are very tough to beat. He has an iron chin, that is isn’t tested often because of his ability to slip and roll with punches. He talks the talk and walks the walk, unlike many guys who can talk, but don’t worry about backing it up.

Toney is great for boxing, he is a dirty talker, but not a dirty fighter. He talks enough to generate interest and backs it up in the ring. He will have his work cut out for him, but I would love to see a unification tournament, and despite what the general consensus will be because of the size, injuries and age, I will look forward to seeing former Middleweight Champion and fighter of the year in 1991 and 2003 become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World!