12.02.07 – By Joseph Mathew: The highly anticipated rematch between James Toney and Samuel Peter finally took place on January 9th of ’07. If anything became evident that evening, James Toney is no longer the same fighter that we all remember. His loss to Peter by unanimous decision was most likely the end of a remarkable career.
In reality, Toney (69-6-3, 43 KOs) has not been the same fighter since his first heavyweight bout, when he destroyed Evander Holyfield by a 9th-round technical knockout on October 4th, ‘03. After he achieved his goal of beating Holyfield, Toney decided to remain in the heavyweight division, believing that his destiny was to become the heavyweight champion. Little did he know at the time, his victory over Holyfield would be his only significant accomplishment as a heavyweight. Overall, the man who referred to himself as “Light Out” was just a blown-up middleweight. He didn’t have the typical knockout power of a heavyweight, but was definitely faster than most.
He also had great skills and technique, attributes that undeniably played a strong role in his winnings of the middleweight, super middleweight, and cruiserweight championships. Did this necessarily mean that winning a heavyweight title was a part of Toney’s destiny as well? Evidently, the answer to that is no. Lately, Toney’s destiny only brings disappointment.
Toney’s performance against Peter was nothing less than disturbing. He spent majority of the bout covering up in the corner, attempting to dodge and block Peter’s relentless attack. Amazingly, it only took a jab from Peter in the 2nd round to knock Toney down. Toney was able to land combinations on occasion, but Peter just shook them off and continued moving forward like an unstoppable tank.
Toney showed nothing that suggests he could continue his quest toward the heavyweight championship. Surely, his rematch with Peter was the last straw. A victory would’ve led him to his 3rd heavyweight title shot in nearly two years.
On April 30th of ’05, Toney defeated John Ruiz by a unanimous decision, but it was eventually declared a No Contest once a banned substance was discovered in Toney’s drug test. Then, on March 18th of ’06, Toney and Hasim Rahman fought to a Draw in a bout where many felt that Rahman did enough to win. Then Toney seemed to get the shaft in his first bout with Peter. Most observers felt that Toney did enough to win but Peter won by split decision, which is why the WBC accepted Toney’s request for a rematch.
If Toney lost weight and got into shape, most boxing fans felt that even at the age of 38, he could take full advantage of his potential and outbox anyone who stepped into the ring with him. Not only would age contribute to Toney’s gradual downfall, but his reluctance to shed pounds obviously hasn’t helped his career as a heavyweight either.
If there was ever a time to shed those pounds, the rematch with Peter would’ve been it. Instead, he was one pound heavier than their previous bout, and it truly showed as his large belly jiggled around the ring, clearly lacking the endurance to go twelve rounds. Whether it is stubbornness or lack of enthusiasm, you can not blame people for believing that Toney’s true passion involves cheeseburgers and milkshakes.
On the other hand, with the quality of today’s heavyweight division, it’s possible for Toney to make it back to the top. He still appears to be more skilled than Lamon Brewster, more experienced than Sergei Liakhovich, and has proven to be more talented than John Ruiz. Unfortunately, neither of these boxers are champions anymore. So unless Nikolai Valuev hand-picks Toney for an opponent, or Shannon Briggs holds his title long enough to give Toney a shot, there are no more realistic opportunities left.
Even if Toney continues boxing and tries to pick up big paydays, it won’t be easy to forget about his experiences with Samuel Peter. Especially their rematch, and the way Toney slurred his words during his post-fight interview. Perhaps it was a sign that his head had taken enough and that it may be time to hang up the gloves. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen. There are already rumors circulating of a possible James Toney-Lance Whitaker bout coming soon.
Back to Samuel Peter; he is officially in line to receive a shot at the WBC heavyweight title. Known as the “Nigerian Nightmare,” Peter (28-1, 22 KOs) is younger and more powerful than most of the top heavyweights today. As he continues to mature and improve his skills, it seems inevitable that he will become a heavyweight champion.
If anything is for certain, it’s time to exit the James Toney era and enter what may be known as the Samuel Peter era.