James Toney

James "Lights-Out" Toney (born August 24, 1968) is a professional boxer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since his career debut in 1988, he has held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world Middleweight Championship (1991-1992; 6 defenses), the IBF world Super-middleweight Championship (1993-1994; 4 defenses), and the IBF world Cruiserweight Championship (2003). His October 4, 2003 victory over aging former World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield cemented his legacy as an all-time boxing great. James Toney currently continues to fight in the heavyweight division; his good handspeed, effective inside defense, and exceptional counterpunching have enabled him to defeat physically larger (but technically less-skilled) opponents. On April 30, 2005 he defeated John Ruiz by unanimous-decision in a 12-round match for the World Boxing Association (WBA) world Heavyweight Championship. However, as of May 18 2005, it was http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7817259/ reported that Toney failed his post-fight drug test, testing positive for anabolic steroids. This led to the New York Athletic Commission changing the bout's official outcome to a "no-contest", deducting the win from Toney's career record, and banning him from boxing in New York (and effectively the rest of the U.S.A., due to the Commission's prominence in boxing) for 90 days. The WBA ordered that Ruiz be "reinstated" as its champion, and that Toney is ineligible for another WBA Heavyweight Title shot for the next two years (potentially a lifetime ban, given Toney's advancing age).

Related Topics:
August 24 - 1968 - Boxer - Ann Arbor, Michigan - 1988 - International Boxing Federation - October 4 - 2003 - Evander Holyfield - April 30 - 2005 - John Ruiz - World Boxing Association - May 18

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In July 2005, the Los Angeles Times reported that Toney's suspension (testing positive for nandrolone) will expire July 30. Throughout his suspension, Toney has made numerous public appearances -- including guest-commentating on boxing telecasts -- and emphatically stated his desire to fight again for a heavyweight championship. Ironically, Toney's name has been placed above Ruiz's in some widely-circulated, post-suspension media rankings of heavyweight boxers (like ESPN.com's; http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=2106724). This may be as much due to Ruiz's low popularity with boxing fans as Toney's colorful persona, highly respected reputation, and career staying power. Toney recently won a unanimous decision victory over Dominic Guinn, in which he dominated. This may lead to him getting a title-shot at either much-maligned Chris Byrd or Lamon Brewster.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles Times - July 30

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