In the Red Corner 08.25.10: James Toney Against All Odds
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 08.25.2010
Former multi-division champion James Toney steps into a very different type of arena this Sunday night as he battles Randy Couture at UFC 118! 411's Moses Vered examines this highly-anticipated boxing vs. MMA fight!
Written by Moses Vered for 411mania.com
James Toney doesn't care what you think.
The brash boxer will tell you that his MMA debut against UFC legend Randy Couture can't come soon enough.
For some time now, Toney has wanted to prove his worth in mixed martial arts. He'll finally get his wish on August 28, at UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts. The fight is being marketed as an MMA vs. boxing showdown. But in truth it's just an MMA match.
"This is about James Toney and Randy Couture," said Toney on a recent conference call promoting the UFC 118 showdown. "It ain't about James Toney and boxing, or James Toney and MMA, it's [about] James Toney and Randy Couture."
For a fight many perceive to be an extremely one sided contest there has been good buzz from fans of both sports in anticipation of this match-up. Both men are well accomplished in their respective sports, but the intrigue here is how Toney will perform inside the octagon.
Randy Couture is MMA's equivalent to boxing's Bernard Hopkins, an ageless competitor who is still an active legend in his sport. Couture (18-10-0) is considered to be one of the best fighters ever to compete in MMA. A true mixed martial artist, Couture is a decorated wrestler who is also competent in several fighting disciplines. The former 5-time UFC champion is also one of only two UFC fighters to have held a championship title in two different divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight).
James Toney, 72-6-3 (2 no-contests), is the first fighter with hall of fame credentials to make the leap into MMA. The 83 fight veteran is a three division champion and holds wins over the likes of Mike McCallum, Michael Nunn, Iran Barkley, Charles Williams, Vassiliy Jirov and Evander Holyfield. Toney's expert timing, slick head movement, and pinpoint counter punching have made him one of the best natural fighters to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves.
Toney' close-quarters style might be his downfall when facing an experienced grappler in Randy Couture. In a boxing match, Toney's game is to sit in the pocket, use his superior head movement and punish his opponents with perfectly timed countershots. In mixed martial arts however, Toney's stance leaves him wide open to leg kicks and takedown attempts. Not good for a fighter who's not a mover. Despite all the potential dangers Toney might face in the cage, the man still oozes confidence.
"I'm ready and can't wait," said Toney. "I can't wait to show people what a real fighter does with his hands. I've been training for this for about 11 months. I'm born to win. It doesn't matter that this is my first fight."
The Grand Rapids native has been training with Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion King Mo Lawal and Antonio Mckee in preparation for his debut. Many have speculated just how much a 41-year old with no MMA experience could pick up in such a short time frame.
Toney nonetheless is adamant that his boxing skills will carry the day.
Couture disagrees.
"My estimation is that there definitely needs to be some adjustments made," Couture told MMAjunkie.com. "There are a couple other things that need to be accounted for with that particular stance and style of boxing, and I think that's what a lot of boxers in general, when they look at MMA, they fail to understand. With the takedowns and the punching and the kicking and the dirty boxing and clinch work that take place in mixed martial arts, you have to change your stance. You have to kind of change your fighting style a little bit in a pure boxing perspective."
Toney's only miracle chance for victory is if Couture decides to stand and bang it out with him. Couture, 47, has been dropped and badly hurt in three of his last four fights. The damage absorbed throughout a long career have some believing that "The Natural" has lost his ability to withstand serious damage, making Toney a dangerous threat for as long as both fighters stay on their feet.
Couture, however, has no plans on making this a striking contest.
"I'm not going to stand around and trade punches," Couture told Heavy.com at the Xtreme Couture Toronto gym. "I'll see if he knows how to stop a double leg."
Toney's jump into mixed martial arts has come with great criticism, especially from several fellow boxers who believe that Toney is in way over his head.
"I admire Toney's spirit and boxing skills. But he's delusional here." David Hayes told Yahoo Sports.
"I think James Toney is going to get his ass kicked." Bernard Hopkins stated on Sirius' Hardcore Sports Radio Show. "James Toney is out of his league," Hopkins said. "I believe and I'll go on record with this, the best MMA guy or UFC guy goes up against the best boxer in the world, in their arena ... gets their ass kicked. I don't care if it's Floyd (Mayweather), (Manny) Pacquiao or Bernard Hopkins. It's not what we do."
Even Mike Tyson threw in his two cents telling ESPN Radio that Toney's venture into MMA could be "detrimental to him."
All in all it's very unlikely that Toney's debut inside the octagon will be a success. Several factors will be at play. First and foremost, other than his boxing prowess, Toney has no experience in any form in mixed martial arts. With no wrestling background it is hard to imagine Toney defending takedowns against a wrestler, especially one as accomplished as Randy Couture.
Also, James Toney hasn't looked impressive in years. October 2004 was the last time we saw an in shape Toney on display when he dismantled ring legend Evander Holyfield. More importantly, let's not forget that Toney is no one-punch-knockout artist. He's a good crisp puncher, but nothing like the devastating force the UFC 118 previews are making him out to be.
And lastly, what kind of shape is Toney going to be in? The conventional wisdom heading into the fight is that the boxer's best weight division would be at light heavyweight (205 lbs) but reports for Toney's camp suggest that he might not be in ideal form. Couture told MMAfighting.com that Toney's camp came back asking him to make it a heavyweight fight after initially requesting the match be contested at a catch-weight limit of 220 lbs.
Despite everything that has been said, Toney issued this warning.
"People just need to tune in and see me do what I do best," said Toney. "Randy is going to be Randy and James is going to be James. I'm going to win, hands down. I'm knocking him out. If he gets too close, it's going to be a wrap for him."
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Moses Vered is a Boxing and MMA writer for Boxing Digest and a new contributor to 411mania.com
James Toney, 72-6-3 (2 no-contests), is the first fighter with hall of fame credentials to make the leap into MMA. The 83 fight veteran is a three division champion and holds wins over the likes of Mike McCallum, Michael Nunn, Iran Barkley, Charles Williams, Vassiliy Jirov and Evander Holyfield. Toney's expert timing, slick head movement, and pinpoint counter punching have made him one of the best natural fighters to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves.
