Pete's Ponderings

Former middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight boxing champion James Toney (72-6, 44 KO’s) has signed a multifight deal with Mixed Martial Arts juggernaut UFC to compete in MMA at the age of 41.

So my question is what is to be gained from this deal?

James Toney is still a very capable boxer, but one that has been in decline for some time in my opinion. His last truly convincing noteworthy win was in 2003 against Evander Holyfield. Since then he’s fought for two versions of the heavyweight title, earning a no contest against John Ruiz in 2005 (a fight which was initially ruled a win in Toney’s favor) after testing positive for anabolic steroids following the fight and a draw with Hasim Rahman in 2006. He dropped two decisions to Sam Peter in 2006 and 2007 respectively and was dropped and even outboxed by the limited Nigerian slugger in their second meeting. Toney’s conditioning as a heavyweight has always been in question.

His best win since 2003 came in controversial and ugly fashion when he scored a split decision over former title challenger Fres Oquendo in 2008. Oquendo took the fight on short notice after Tony Thompson had to withdraw due to injury.
He also struggled to a split decision with journeyman Danny Batchelder in 2007 and then was suspended following the fight for failing a drug test. He was suspended for steroids again (Batchelder also tested positive).

So despite Toney’s constant calling out of the Klitschko brothers recently, he’s probably not all that competitive with them. But is he really all that competitive with anyone in the UFC?
Toney’s best attributes as a boxer have been his defense. He has the ability to stand just inches away from an opponent in the boxing ring and avoid being hit cleanly. A tactic that probably won’t do much in MMA when his opponent is allowed to tackle him.

UFC president Dana White says Toney will compete as a light heavyweight (205 Pounds in MMA). He weighed 217 in his most recent bout so it’s possible, but Toney and weight have been a problem throughout his career. Toney on the other hand says he’ll compete in the UFC as a heavyweight (between 205 and 265 pounds).

Against the current UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, a very tactical karate specialist, it would be interesting to see if Toney could land that one major punch to end the night early while avoiding karate kicks and not allowing the fight to go to the ground.
Against current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, Toney would probably be tackled and pummeled into unconsciousness within 45 seconds.

Toney’s one major advantage would be he has more punching power than anyone in the UFC. If he can throw accurate shots early between the smaller gloves and looser defense of UFC fighters, he could score a spectacular KO. Otherwise, I don’t see Toney’s UFC experiment going to well.

From the UFC’s perspective, I’m not sure what they gain from this either. They’ve signed an aging former champion boxer with no MMA experience who is going to make his pro debut on the sport’s biggest stage. He’s also never been a truly huge draw in boxing and has an uphill battle to climb to be an effective MMA fighter.

I’m lost on why this makes sense to either party. However, I guess I’ll take a peek at the sideshow when it airs on TV. I tend to watch most UFC PPV’s anyway.

More Ponderings:

* Recently I ventured out to Hollywood alongside 8CN’s Ed Anderson & Brad Cooney to soak up the aura of Manny Pacquiao training camp at Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card gym. While there I was able to conduct some video interviews with fighters, trainers and even actors who spent time at the gym. Of course the biggest star was Pacquiao who is preparing for his March 13th fight against Joshua Clottey. Notice in the interview below Pacquiao’s facial expression when I mention Floyd Mayweather. He seems to clench his jaw a little. Pacman rarely shows any animosity towards any of his opponents, but Mayweather may be the exception. At the very least, it’s a stark difference from his smile when I ask him about ticket sales for his fight with Clottey. ( Pacquiao Interview)

* While it may not be that significant, Alfonso Gomez vs. Jose Luis Castillo should be an absolute war on the Pacquiao – Clottey undercard.

* I’m not too familiar with Michael Medina, but I’ll be curious to see how John Duddy fares against him on the Pacquiao – Clottey undercard. Medina is Mexican, has never been stopped, and his only loss came to prospect Vanes Matirosyan.

*Steve Cunningham vs. Matt Godfrey and Cory Spinks vs. Cornelius “k9” Bundrage has got to be one of the best Friday Night Fight’s double headers ESPN has put together in awhile.