19.03.06 – By Kieran Redmond: While fans are left disappointed by a draw in a fight that many consider Hasim Rahman to have won, at least we finally have some idea of where James Toney figures in the current heavyeight picture. For two and a half years there have been arguments over the credentials Toney has as a heavyweight.. Some have pointed to his impressive resume in the lower weight divisions and have considered him the best heavyweight around. Others have argued, prior to the Rahman fight, that Toney had not yet faced a top 10 heavy and that on this basis it is absurd to argue that he is the number one heavyweight.
Based on last his performance last night he certainly is not the number one heavyweight, but he of course does have a spot in the top ten. Ironically, despite having more boxing skill than any other fighter in the division, the problems effecting his boxing are purely physical; his height and weight really cost him the fight against Rahman.
Toney came into this fight at 237 pounds; only 1 pound less in weight than his foe, a man almost 6 inches taller than him. This really neutralized his best assets. Firstly, Toney was unable to keep up with the workrate of Rahman who was consecutively outlanding Toney, particularly in the later rounds. Secondly, he lacked mobility to close the gap on Rahman and get through his stinging jab to the inside. Thirdly, and most suprisingly, was the lack of dominance that Toney
showed on the inside; he was unable to dodge and counter Rahman effectively enough to outhustle him in his own favourite range.
There have of course been arguments over the weight of Toney for even longer than there have been arguments over his heavyweight crudentials. Some expect him to come into the ring like a Mr Universe Contestant, others say that his weight cannot damage his performance. Both of these arguments are wrong. A five foot nine Toney is never going to look ripped at heavyweight. People forget that he is the same height as Jeff Lacy who campaigns at super middle and is a pretty bulky super middle, 3 weight classes below heavyweight. Likewise, to think that Toney can box just as slick as the way he fought at cruiserweight, despite weighing about 40 pounds more, a reality check is also needed.
Against fighters who essentially rank outside the top ten; Giunn, Booker, and in my opinion Ruiz (due to illegal holding), Toney could count on his unquestionable boxing skills to compensate for the negative effects his weight had on his movement.
However, when faced with Hasim Rahman, who certainly brought his A-Game with his last night, the spare tyre round the waist of James Toney was obviously too big. Much like David Tua, his much needed mobility and workrate suffered due to ballooning up too much in between fights. If he rematches Rahman, he should consider coming in at 217 at the most, the weight he fought Holyfield at.
Weight is not the only plight of David Tua which Toney is mimicing. Ironically, for all his boxing brain and proven talent, Toney has one major shortcoming. Against a tall, skilled fighter with an excellent jab, Toney seems to have no answers. Booker, Ruiz and Guinn are all of course the same height as Rahman. In the case of Booker and Ruiz, they have no jab. As for Guinn, he did have some early success against Toney with his jab. He did not capitalise on this tool though, and chose to unwisely fight on the inside for most of the fight, inside the Toney phone booth.
Rahman does have a good jab. With his mighty wingspan, he chose to not follow the tactic of Guinn and instead utilized his stinging jab to continually rock back the head of Toney, effectively keeping him at range. Unlike other heavyweights, Rahman realised that he did not have to step inside the Toney phone booth; he chose instead to open the door of the booth and hit Toney while standing outside. What made it worse for Toney is that he really is not a fleet footed fighter like Chris Byrd. Toney, barring upper body movement, can almost seem like a stationary target to a tall fighter with an excellent jab. If Toney were more mobile he could possibly get round the jab like a young Tyson (of a similar stature) was constantly able to, Toney certainly has the head movement for it.
At least now after two and a half years we now know how Toney currently looks in relation to the other heavyweight champions. He could outbox Brewster all day long and (based on how he took the best shots of Rahman) it is likely that his chin could see him to a clear UD, unless he puts on more weight and his workrate suffers. Against Valuev is really hard to determine, the height difference is so ridiculous it makes me think of the old Mike Tyson game on the Nintendo game with the small character punching vertically upwards to hit his opponent. Valuev is not half the skilled boxer Toney is yet Toney is not half the sized giant Valuev is. Valuev does not carry all the power his size suggests, is not the fastest boxer in the world and does not have an excellent jab, based on this you could believe that Toney could beat this mammoth foe. However, the size advantage is a massive 15 inches and I (as I suspect like many others do) find it hard to ignore these physics and see Toney as a favourite. The one fighter Toney should steer well clear of is Wladimir (I cannot see Byrd beating Wlad).
If the jab of Rahman was able to cause swelling on the face of Toney then I shudder to think what damage Wladimir would have done with his, plus he is remarkably light on his feet (hard for Toney to catch) and he does carry even more power in his punches than Rahman. Toney should avoid him like the plague.
Toney did not look all bad, he did display a strong chin in the face of the power punches of Rahman. No one is going to question his heart either, he fought on even though he looked desperately exhausted. Let us also not forget he is still one of the most technically gifted boxers in the entire division. However, his current physique is certainly eating away at that talent. Many believe that had Toney been in better shape, he would have won. Considering that the decision of two of the judges last night was poor, I am not certain if Toney would have been able to completely nullify the jab of Rahman and win a clear honest decision. It cannot be denied though that coming in at a lighter weight would certainly have helped. He has to make a choice for his next fight, drop a few pounds or risk dropping a decision.