James Toney, American professional boxer: biography, sports career, achievements. All About Boxing James Tony Fights

At various times, Tony's opponents were such respected boxers as: Mike McCallum, Irene Barkley, Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, Samuel Peter and Hasim Rahman. IN mixed martial arts ah Tony was up against one of the greatest fighters in the sport, Randy Couture.

Biography

1988-1992: Middleweight class

In the next fight, Tony defeated Reggie Johnson, during the fight James received a serious cut, in the hospital he received 33 stitches. It took Tony four months to recover from the cut. On October 12, 1991, James performed for the first time outside the United States, in front of the audience of the Principality of Monaco, he defeated the Italian Francesco del Aquila ahead of schedule. Two months later, Tony defended his title against one of the strongest boxers in his weight class, Mike McCullum. The fight was absolutely equal, for twelve rounds the audience in Atlantic City watched the boxing of the highest quality, none of the boxers could achieve a decisive advantage and, by decision of the judges, the meeting ended with a draw, the champion title remained with Tony. Tony was recognized as the 1991 boxer of the year by Ring magazine.

In the first half of 1992, Tony made three successful title defenses against: Dave Tiberi, Glenn Wolfe and Ricky Steakhouse. After that, on August 29, 1992, the second fight was organized against Mike McCallum. The boxers again showed a very equal fight, but this time Tony won by a decision of the judges with a slight advantage. It became increasingly difficult for James to fit into the middleweight category and he, along with his team, decided to move up to a heavier weight category.

1993-1994: Second middleweight class

Tony had only one fight in the new weight class before he met Airen Barkley, the IBF world champion. The fight took place on February 13, 1993 in Las Vegas, Tony delivered accurate strikes over nine rounds, as a result of which Barkley developed a dangerous hematoma under his left eye. In the corner of the champion, they decided that their boxer would not go to the tenth round. Tony became the new world champion.

Despite the fact that Tony became the champion in the second middleweight division, he had five successful fights in the light heavyweight division, against: Govoner Chavers, Ricky Thomas, Glenn Thomas, Danny Garcia and Larry Prater. After that, on October 29, 1993, he held the first defense of his title against Tony Thornton, Tony confidently won, all three judges gave him the victory.

A spectacular victory over Williams allowed James Toney's team to organize a fight with world boxing star Roy Jones, the fight took place on November 18, 1994. Before the fight, Tony wrestled with overweight, he had to lose 21 kilograms in six weeks, Tony's body was dehydrated, this affected the champion's readiness for the fight. From the very beginning of the fight, Jones showed complete superiority in speed, reflexes and accuracy of punches. In the third round, Tony was knocked down, he was able to get up and continue the fight. Jones dominated the remainder of the fight and won by unanimous decision, becoming the new IBF champion - it was Tony's first loss of his career.

1995-1997: Light heavyweight division

1997-2003: First heavy weight category

In January 1998, Tony was supposed to fight Larry Holmes, but due to an injury to his rival James, the fight was canceled. In April 1998, HBO was looking for an opponent for Andrew Golota, Tony was proposed, but Golota's headquarters rejected this offer. The option of fighting Tony against Roy Jones in the heavyweight category was also considered. For the sake of this fight, James was ready to lose weight and fight in the first heavyweight division if Jones decided so, but Roy refused. The fights that broke down one after another had a bad effect on Tony's mood, in addition to personal life James is having a hard time. He divorced his first wife and sued his own mother for money. In this regard, there was a break in Tony's career that lasted two years. During downtime, Tony's weight reached 125 kilograms. Once Tony began to choke in his sleep, James' fiancee Angie Corruli called an ambulance, he was taken away with a suspected heart attack, which was not confirmed. Angie was very worried about James, it was she who persuaded him to return to the gym to lose weight. In the process of training, James decided to return to boxing.

On March 7, 1999, Tony fought Terry Porter. Many believed that he would not be able to successfully return to boxing, but James trained hard and before the fight his weight was 92.1 kilograms. In the duel itself, Tony confidently won technical knockout in the eighth round.

On July 30, 1999, Tony boxed with Adolfo Washington in the first heavyweight category, the fight was stopped due to severe bleeding from Washington's nose, before this incident he had never lost by knockout. Tony then defeated Ramon Garbey and Terry McGroom. James got in shape and reached the championship level, but again faced with the unwillingness of the leading boxers to fight him, so Tony had to fight against not very strong opposition. On April 29, 2001, Tony won by technical knockout over Saul Montana. On July 20, 2001, a duel took place between Tony and Wesley Martin in the heavyweight category. The fight ended with an early victory for James Toney.

In 2002, Tony established himself as one of the strongest boxers in the first heavyweight category, he defeated: Sion Asipeli, Michael Rush, Jason Robinson and went to championship fight against the undefeated Vasily Zhirov - nicknamed "Tiger". This fight was one of the contenders for the title of fight of the year, throughout the fight, Tony showed his skills in defense. In the eighth round Zhirov was deducted one point for a low blow, in the twelfth round Zhirov was knocked down after Tony's attack. After the final gong, the judges unanimously gave the victory to James Toney, he became the new IBF world champion in the first heavyweight category.

2003-: Heavyweight division

On October 1, 2005, Tony defeated Dominic Guinn and entered the WBC championship fight against Hasim Rahman. Before last round of the battle, Tony was in the lead on the cards of the judges, but lost the twelfth round, which allowed Rahman to bring the fight to a draw, Hasim retained the championship belt. After the fight, a number of analysts, including Alexander Belenky, spoke out about the highly controversial result of this fight.

On September 2, 2006, Tony faced Samuel Peter for the NABF and IBA titles. Peter won by unanimous decision, which again caused a lot of talk about the fairness of this result. The revenge between the boxers took place three months after the first fight. Peter confidently defeated Tony on points and even allowed himself to mock his opponent in the twelfth round.

In May 2007, Tony had a fight against little-known boxer Danny Batchelder. The fight was not broadcast by more than one TV channel. Batchelder worked as the second number, giving the center of the ring to the opponent, in an equal duel by a separate decision of the judges, James Toney was announced the winner, to the roar of a disgruntled hall. After the fight, both opponents were caught in a doping test, James was found to have stanozolol and boldenone. The result remained in force, but Tony was disqualified for a year, later the decision was changed to six months of disqualification.

On July 16, 2008, a rematch took place between Tony and Hasim Rahman. In the third round, the fight was stopped due to a severe cut over Rahman's left eye caused by a head-on collision. The doctor recommended not to continue the fight, when Rahman was asked if he wanted to continue the fight, he said no. According to the rules of the California Commission, Tony was recognized as the winner of the fight. However, after an appeal by Rahman's team, the fight was declared a no contest. On December 13, 2008, Tony defeated Fres Oquendo via split decision. The next fight against Michael Greer ended with a victory for James by knockout in the second round.

In the subsequent period of time, Tony could not find worthy opponents for himself, many boxers, such as: Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Bernard Hopkins, David Haye they just didn't want to fight Tony. Therefore, he did not perform for more than a year.

Tony celebrated his return to boxing with a victory over Damon Reed. The fight took place on February 24, 2011, James weighed a record 116.6 kilograms.

On November 4, 2011, Tony fought for the WBA World title in the first heavy weight category against Denis Lebedev, the fight took place in Moscow. Tony had to lose about 26 kilograms to fit into the weight category for the fight with Lebedev. Before the fight, Tony behaved defiantly: he plucked open training and was rude to Russian journalists. Bookmakers considered Lebedev the favorite in this fight. From the first minutes of the fight, Lebedev seized the advantage in the ring, hit variously and accurately, Tony showed excellent defensive skills, working with his body and evading blows, but it was clear that he lacked speed. Tony missed a lot of punches and lost the fight, but was able to make it to the end of the fight. After the fight, Tony announced that he was not going to end his career.

mixed martial arts

On August 28, 2010, as part of the UFC 118 evening, Tony fought Randy Couture, after fifteen seconds of the first round, Couture knocked Tony to the floor of the cage, in the third minute he held a choke hold, Tony surrendered. Since James did not inflict a single blow on the opponent in the standing position and could not do anything at all on the ground, after UFC fight terminated the contract with him the contract unilaterally.

In June 2011, mixed martial arts fans were informed that a fight between James Toney and Ken Shamrock was planned. The fight was supposed to take place according to modified rules: eight rounds of three minutes each, standing up after thirty seconds on the ground. Despite the fact that such rules give Tony an advantage, it was Shamrock who insisted on them, arguing that this would make the fight more spectacular. It was reported that the fight was supposed to take place in November 2011, but Tony decided to concentrate on his boxing career and agreed to fight against Russian Denis Lebedev, which took place on November 4.

Style Features

James Toney is a counter-attacking boxer with excellent defensive skills. He does not work in the ring as the first number, but repels from the opponent's actions. Protective stand Tony is called the "Philadelphia Shell" or "Crab", it is quite rarely used by modern boxers; Floyd Mayweather Jr. uses this technique from famous masters. One of Tony's defensive moves is to tuck his chin over his shoulder (pressing it against his chest) and move his body away from the punch, and then launch his own attack. Tony has a powerful knockout punch with both hands, as well as good accuracy and timing of the strike. In his entire career, James Toney has never been knocked out.

Overweight problems

In the early 1990s, Tony started having problems with overweight. During this time, James was very active:

• 1991 - 6 fights;
• 1992 - 5;
• 1993 - 7;
• 1994 - 5.

For most of this period, Tony was a champion, such activity was determined by the physiology of James, it was increasingly difficult for him to stay within his weight category, and therefore Tony's team tried to shorten the intervals between fights in order to keep their boxer in good shape. Weight between fights reached 85-90 kilograms.

In the six weeks before the fight with Roy Jones, Tony had to cut about 20 kilograms to keep within the weight category. Before the most important fight of his career, Tony showed indiscipline, he later commented:

Personal life

Tony is married to a girl named Angie Corruli - the mother of six children, but they have only one child in common with James - the youngest son Jaden. Tony also has a daughter from his first marriage.

James trained with famous actor Mickey Rourke when he was boxing. In 2001, Tony starred as Joe Frazier in the feature film Ali.

Problems with law

After losing to Roy Jones, Tony threatened his manager, Jackie Callen, with violence. James denied this incident, no case was filed.

In May 2003, Tony was arrested for late payment of alimony, he owed about 103 thousand dollars. After a divorce in 1999, the court ordered Tony to pay his ex-wife $ 583 a week for the maintenance of a minor daughter.

Awards and achievements

World Champion Titles

• IBF World Middleweight Champion (1991-1992, 6 title defenses)
• IBF world champion in the second middle weight category (1993-1994, 3 title defenses)
• IBF World Heavyweight Champion (2003)

Regional titles

• U.S. Michigan Middleweight Champion
• U.S. USBA Light Heavyweight Champion
• WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion
• NABO heavyweight champion

Awards

• "Boxer of the Year" according to the magazine "Ring" (1991 and 2003)
• "Return of the Year" according to the magazine "Ring" (2003)
• "Boxer of the Year" according to American journalists (1991 and 2003)
• Tony's fight with Zhirov received the title of "Fight of the Year" according to American journalists (2003)

I will not hide that James Toney is one of my favorite characters. In the battle between Lebedev and Jones, I was still worried about Lebedev, and not about Roy. On Friday I will not be given a choice: I will go to Tony, I will look after Tony, I will also curse and praise him. And there is no need to talk about patriotism and other high matters: such a charismatic character has come to Russia - to fight, by the way, and not just toss and turn his tongue - an equal to whom he has never looked here before. James Toney is life in all its manifestations, all the most different and the most contrasting that it has, but only in a refraction to boxing. Let's curl our fingers together.

Tony and the dope

Everyone knows that Tony was a pusher (pusher) or, without mixing Detroit with Vologda, a street drug dealer. The story is inflated to such implausible proportions that a person who has never seen Tony, never heard of, and even never been interested in boxing, is instantly excited, begins to spit and produces hatred on a downright industrial scale.

On the other hand, would you know the places where James grew up! In this sense, I was lucky - I also once looked beyond the boundaries of the black neighborhoods (Chicago, however, and not the City of Motors). But there are places where a white man has never been seen. It is unlikely that Tony, who grew up without a father, did not differ from his peers in anything other than natural aggressiveness and gloom, physically could go along a different path. And this road led him, and led him straight, either to the next world, or to this shadow among finished drug addicts, passive gays and all kinds of criminals. So the line of James Toney's life was no worse and no better than the broken curves and broken destinies of hundreds and thousands of his unfortunate countrymen.

Word for word, and one future superstar received from another future superstar in muzzles

Fortunately for all of us, Tony found Gregory Owens (it was he who came up with "Electrician" his official nickname), after which James's life changed dramatically, and he went completely different, but also direct, without convolutions, the road from ghost town towards a brighter and brighter future. And the dope in it did not diminish. Not only in the ring (31-2, 29 amateur KOs), but also outside of it. Deion Sanders, a unique athlete who was (almost like Vsevolod Bobrov) a star in baseball and American football at the same time, will tell you this best. In 1988, Sanders was just a promising junior, like Tony, who somehow ended up instead of a boxing gym on the football field of the University of Michigan as a front line player. Word for word, and one future superstar got punched in the face by another future superstar. That was decided: James went up as a boxer, and Sanders as a wagon athlete.

Tony and the Star of David

Tony's final break with crime was formalized on March 10, 1989, when his manager, and part-time real, not funny, drug dealer Johnny "Ace" Smith was shot at the exit of one of the Detroit bars. The career of a promising athlete hung in the balance, but, fortunately for Tony, this long, whitish, clearly dyed female hair was in fact a tight rope that pulled James out of the abyss and put him on his feet.

The hair belonged to a no longer young woman from a traditional Jewish family, Jackie Callen. In those years, women in power were still a comparative rarity, and even more so in boxing. The first to achieve fame was Eileen Eaton, and the second was Callen. Once she started as a PR manager for Tommy Hearns, then boxing turned into her passion, and in the mid-80s, Jackie spat on her journalistic career and rushed into a very muddy pool, which has always been a prize ring.

Two charismatics - a ghetto bum and a vulgar but smart blonde - formed an extremely successful tandem: Callen led James to two championship titles, and she herself earned a reputation and some capital from it. In those years, Tony wore a Star of David on his underpants as a sign of respect for his manager and savior and her people.

However, the idyll did not last long. As two bears do not get along in the same den, so Tony did not get along with the wayward and domineering Callen. The couple converged and diverged several times, until they finally broke up in the late 90s. Callen's career did not end there: she brought the curious middleweight cowboy Bronco McCarth to the people, overcame cancer, and in 2003 they even made a film about her, in which not just anyone, but Meg Ryan starred.

Tony and Nunn

If Mark Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper in the 90s of the last century, then the fates of Michael Nunn and James Toney would be an excellent basis for the novel. But this story does not have a happy ending: Nunn did not stay in Tony's retinue and is now serving a twenty-year sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas, for ... drug trafficking.

Two charismatics - a ghetto bum and a vulgar but sharp-witted blonde - formed an extremely successful tandem

But in the early nineties, Second to-Nunn (“First after God”, so to speak) was considered the main heir to the glory of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns. A series of spectacular victories over guys like Juan Domingo Roldan, Frank Tate, Airen Barkley, Marlon Starling and Donald Curry made Nunn a star, and his knockout of Sumba Kalambay was recognized by The Ring 1989 knockout.

Who was Tony against such a star? Nobody, and the fight confirmed this for 10 rounds. And in the 11th, James just took and knocked out Nunn to hell, launching the latter in a protracted and gentle, but downward spiral. Tony himself, who was celebrated in the same year with a heroic victory over the durable Reggie Johnson (who is also winding his term now - for fraud on an especially large scale), was recognized as the 1991 boxer of the year.

Tony and the offended kid

In 1991-1994, Tony fought so often that even Pongsaklek Wongjongkam himself would envy him. And it's not a joke. In 1991, James had 6 fights, in 1992 - 5, in 1993 - 7, and in 1994 - again 5. And all this time, Tony was the IBF world champion - first on average, and then in super middleweight. Unthinkable activity for a champion.

In addition to the notorious old-school, there was another reason for the unprecedented thirst for boxing in Tony's career - this is his weight. James was confidently losing the fight to the refrigerator or even (in his case) to the refrigerator. Frequent fights were caused by a vital necessity - the need to keep oneself in good shape and not to swell between fights to the proportions of a bun. However, not all of the battles he fought at that time were successful. Some of them turned out to be outright failures.

The most disastrous took place on February 8, 1992 in Atlantic City, just two months (and even less!) After meeting with Mike McCallum himself. The opponent was a certain Dave Tiberi - an unknown, mustachioed, white (!) boxer from the perfect non-boxing state of Delaware. Tony forgot to train, and the swarmer Tiberi - vilely active and unpleasant, like a cloud of mosquitoes, with harmless but annoying pokes - did not forget and defeated the champion. And then they put out the light - the judges gave the advantage to James by a split decision. So much so that Tiberi himself, out of grief and wild disappointment, spat on everything and ended his career at the age of 25, on the very take-off. And the senator from Delaware initiated a trial, but apart from the incompetence of the judges, he could not find anything else.

Only in 2009, the "old school" Tony admitted his defeat in that fight. As for Tiberi, he eventually became a promoter and then (temporary) chairman of the Delaware State Athletic Commission. His two sons - Mike and Joy - also turned professionals and are currently in the ring.

Tony and Jones - James punished

From 1991 to 1994, Tony was rightfully considered one of the best boxers planets regardless of weight. For every condemned Tiberi, worthless Tony Thornton, or Glenn Wolfe, there were some truly great masters - McCallum (defeated in a rematch), Doug DeWitt, Charles Williams, Tim Littles and Irene Barkley. But all these guys did nothing. They did not determine the career of the "Carcass of Light", its milestones.

From 1991 to 1994, Tony was rightfully considered one of the best boxers on the planet, regardless of weight.

Tony's career is set late autumn 1994, when he first met a boxer of equal talent - Roy Jones. And even, as it turned out twelve rounds later, more talent. Meanwhile, the fight itself turned out to be not very interesting - as well as the fight between Roy and Bernard Hopkins a year and a half before. Most remembered only moment in the third round when the Electrician (does he really suit him?) decided to play Jones with Jones, and ended up in the corner, watching with undisguised annoyance as Richard Steel counted him down. 117-110, 118-109, 119-108 - one of Tony's two undisputed defeats.

Tony is offended by the kid

Mid-90s - a protracted recession and crisis in the career of our hero. Between 1995 and 1997, Tony had 14 fights, of which he won only 11, and only victories over 42-year-old McCallum (in their third fight) and Steve Little, who tragically died of cancer just three years later, were significant .

Leaving aside the shameful defeat from the Malawian (anyone?!) Drake Tadzi, we come to another curious figure - "Ice" Montell Griffin, the only boxer on Earth who defeated both James Toney and Roy Jones. And Tony, Griffin did a 170-centimeter spoiler twice - in his 15th fight (1995) and in the 26th (1996). Both victories, despite the score of the second fight, were extremely indisputable, like many other fights of pocket light heavyweight. One way or another, Griffin, who competed in the 1992 Olympics and beat John Ruiz as amateurs, was able to fight Roy Jones and even defeat him by a memorable disqualification before Roy smeared Montella in a rematch. The second possession of the WBC title turned out to be the peak of the short boxer's career, but for Tony, the peak - already the second in a row - was just ahead.

Tony and the tiger

“I always listened to what they said on the TV and read what they wrote in our sports newspapers. I believed all those who hung noodles on my ears. I hated Tony. And I fell in love with him after the fight with Vasya Zhirov, ”this is the confession of a boxing lover I know.

A unique victory over the most terrible cruiser since Evander Holyfield - and Zhirov and his left in the body were afraid of all the heavyweights (up to 91 kg) of the planet - marked the second coming of the "Carcass of Light" in boxing. But the meeting with the "Balkhash Tiger" was only the culmination of a long and hard way up, the way home from a far from the nearest gateway. The road that began at the beginning of 1999 and went, even twisted, slowly, slowly, like a young snake, turning into an anaconda on the go. Back in the fight with Terry McGroom at the beginning of 2000, James looked completely unimportant - sluggish and lacking initiative, but in August 2002, a completely different Tony appeared in the ring, taking out Jason Robinson in one gate in the IBF eliminator. Tony, who missed almost two years in the middle of his career, was reborn as a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. And took off...

Well, and the fight with Zhirov - what can I say about him ... He needs to be seen !

Tony and Evander

2003 would not be complete without Evander Holyfield, the great champion who became the great elite gatekeeper at the turn of the millennium. Holyfield of 2003, which became the first real heavyweight in the career of "Carcasses of the Light", was somewhat worse than himself during the infamous trilogy with Johnny Ruiz, but this was also shown good fights with Hasim Rahman and Chris Byrd, Evander was still in shape.

“I hated Tony. And I fell in love with him after the fight with Vasya Zhirov "

But not for Tony.. After the shock start of the fight, Holyfield began to quickly deflate, being unable to hit the opponent, who was constantly escaping from the shelling. Tony shipped one right after another, and in the pauses he had fun - sneered at photojournalists, showed his tongue to his grandfather and talked with the Showtime crew. And in the 9th round, an unprecedented thing happened: Holyfield could not stand the blows to the body and was knocked down, and immediately after that, his corner threw in the towel. Evander entered the crisis of 40 years, and "Carcasses of the Light" was recognized as the best according to The Ring - in twelve for long years after the first such achievement.

Tony and steroids

About the year 2004, one could safely forget if it were not for the curious fate of James's only opponent at that time - Rydell Booker. Booker, like Tony, was a native of Michigan, and was also a true (as it turned out, "true" too) "native" of the streets. Tony, of course, he lost by one wicket, and even ended up in a knockdown. But just a couple of months after that, he lost a much more important and fateful duel - the American justice system: like Nunn, Booker is serving a long prison term for dealing cocaine.

What other nandrolone-paralone, when such things are happening here ...

In Tony's life there was no place for drugs, but there was a place for something else, but hardly better. "Carcasses of Light" was caught using nandrolone and disqualified. That's how interesting it turned out: Tony sold drugs - they didn’t catch him, and he kept weight on, be healthy - and here everything was as if clean. But as soon as James defeated (and indeed he really won!) The unsinkable and fireproof Johnny Ruiz, he was immediately stripped of his WBA belt for some nandrolone in his urine. Indeed, what other nandrolone-paralone, when such things are happening here ...

… By the way, this was not the last doping scandal involving Electrician. The last (of which we know) took place two years after the fight with Ruiz, when Tony was caught on steroids after a very infamous, but still, victory over a certain Danny Batchelder. Steroids were not only in James, but also in Danny, which is why the result of the fight - the controversial victory of "Carcass of Light" by a split decision - was approved, but "Carcass of Light" itself was canceled for a year. However, that Tony was no longer the same.

Tony and Rahman

The penultimate, "the same" Tony entered the ring in March 2006. The WBC title had just fallen into the predatory paws of Hasim Rahman, who outlasted the unlucky Vitali Klitschko and evolved from interim champion to paper champion in front of (and in the papers of officials), and James decided to try his luck in a title fight for the second time.

And what a fight it was! Tony was not as cool in it as in the fights with Zhirov and Holyfield, but he was vulnerable, and this only added pepper. Rahman wasn't Willie Pep either, but he was quite the Sandy Saddler, treating Tony's kidneys many times, adding a nape to the back of his head, and doing a lot of other extremely curious things. Well, referee Eddie Cotton and the judges were the best. However, what else to expect from a man with the surname "Kashmarek" and the Japanese Uratani, who - like any Japanese - has the same idea about heavy weight that I have about the Meiji era. And even less.

Well, Tony met Rahman again three years ago, having just served his suspension after meeting Batchelder. And James again turned out to be much stronger then not yet old (35 years old - not age!) Rahman, but was merged by the California State Athletic Commission. And "The Rock" became the only boxer in James' career with whom he has a zero balance - in two fights, these guys did not reveal the best.

Tony and Nightmare

The story of Toney's heavyweight career would of course be incomplete without Samuel Peter, the famous (infamously?) "Nigerian Nightmare" who, in the case of James Toney, should have been renamed "Double Nightmare".

Tony really lost to a simple African baobab

The first nightmare came at the end of their first fight, when two of the three judges gave Peter the win, which of course he didn't deserve. True, the only judge who gave the victory to Tony was Gail Van Hoy ... Oh well. The truth is not in the judges, right? There is no truth in judges - to paraphrase a classic.

But the second nightmare Tony prepared (with the help of Samuel, of course) himself. In the second fight in his entire career, Tony really lost. And not to the great Roy, but to the simple African baobab. We never saw the real James after that. Or maybe he was just preparing for Moscow?

Tony haute couture

The story of James Toney would be incomplete without mentioning his short-term voyage "into the land of dreams and fantasies", into the semi-legendary (for ordinary boxing fans) world of mixed martial arts for a rendezvous with local celebrity Randy Couture. There is nothing for me to write here: for me, Randy is a pleasant addition to the sexy (also MMA) beauty Gina Carano in the game Red Alert 3. For MMA fans, he is one of the legends of the octagon.

The fight took place in an octagon, in which all the experience gained by Tony was actually gained when he was a football player at the University of Michigan. The miracle did not happen: Tony was banally caught on the pass in the legs and, in the end, brutally strangled in the corner. But you didn't expect anything else, right?! When you come with all your machine guns and grenade launchers to a fantasy world, it's naive to expect that they will shoot against even the most failed magician.

Athlete Date of birth August 24 (Virgo) 1968 (50) Place of birth Grand Rapids Instagram @tjamesntheflesh_

James Toney is an American professional boxer, winner of the Comeback of the Year award and a leading position in the Pound for Pound rankings. Tony 12 times world champion in three weight categories according to IBF. In addition, he was awarded the title of "Boxer of the Year" according to the sports magazine "Ring" in 1991 and 2003. In addition to boxing fights, J. Tony has repeatedly competed in mixed martial arts.

Biography of James Toney

The future champion was born on August 24, 1968 in the state of Michigan, in the town of Grand Rapids, and spent a rather extraordinary childhood. His father James and mother Sherry were not married at the time of the boy's birth, but soon decided to legalize the relationship. However, due to the deteriorating mental health father and obvious manifestations of aggression, James's mother filed for divorce when the baby was barely 4 months old. The mentally ill father left the family only three years later, forcing the unfortunate woman to move to Detroit.

The new city took its toll on James better side. Having acquired dubious comrades, the future boxer constantly carried weapons with him and traded drugs, but as he himself stated later, as a boy, he never used them.

James, from his youthful years, showed impressive results in sports, showed interest in American football and was in the national team of the University of Michigan, but because of a fight he was expelled from there. After the incident, the young man concentrated his attention on boxing and, thanks to the cooperation with coach G. Owens, achieved stunning success. Of the 33 amateur fights, he won 31, of which 29 ended in a knockout.

From that moment on, James Toney is a boxer who has competed for his entire professional career in different weight categories, from middle to heavyweight. Most of the fights that Tony participated in were spectacular and crushing, often ending in knockouts from Tony. But constant fluctuations in weight encouraged the athlete to constantly take on opponents with more experience in their stable weight categories, which is why Tony could not get additional awards. But still total achievements, including numerous champion titles, allowed the boxer to occupy a leading position in the history of boxing.

Personal life of James Toney

James has a wife, Angie Corruly, who has five children from a previous marriage. With James they have one - the sixth, common child, a boy named Jaden. In addition to the common baby with Angie, Tony has a daughter from a previous marriage.

The American boxer distinguished himself by the fact that 12 times, according to the IBF, he won world title in three different weight classes. Authoritative publications recognized him as the boxer of the year. And boxing fans loved him spectacular game. Moreover, Tony James entered the ring against Mike McCallum, John Ruiz, Irena Barkley, Samuel Peter and others.

The childhood of the future boxing star was difficult: his father drank and dissolved his hands, his parents divorced. James himself loved to fight, carried weapons with him, and even drug dealer. However, later he will say that he himself did not use drugs, but only earned money on them.

In his youth, James Toney was interested in two sports - American football and boxing. But even at the football training camp, the boy managed to fight with an athlete, for which he was expelled from the camp. This later determined his fate - he took up boxing entirely, began to train with Gregory Owens. He, seeing the inclinations of his ward, came up with a nickname for him - “ Extinguish the Light».

In amateur boxing, Tony spent 33 fights. And already at the age of 20 he took up professional boxing. Tony's fighting tactics are excellent defense and counterattack. It uses several non-common defenses, notably racks " Crab" And " Philadelphia shell". At the same time, James Toney has a powerful knockout punch with both hands. And most importantly, the boxer knows how to choose the time for the strike and deliver it exactly to the unprotected place of the opponent. However, the boxer turned out to be undisciplined - he repeatedly had problems with being overweight. He also had problems with the law - non-payment of alimony for the maintenance of a minor daughter from his first marriage, non-payment of taxes to the government, proceedings with law enforcement officers due to threats to his own manager.

Not bypassed Tony and cinema. He himself in 2001 starred in the film "Ali" in the role Joe Frazier. And also trained with the actor Mickey Rourcome. As for his personal life, now James Toney has chosen the mother of six children as his wife. Angie Corruly. With his wife, the boxer has only one common child.

Vasily Balkhashsky Tiger Zhirov - James Put out the light Tony. I present to you an article about one of the most best fights in the history of the first heavy weight.

Since the great battle between Evander Holyfield and Dwight Mohammed Qawi, the first heavy weight, as if frozen in anticipation. This category began to gain popularity, but still remained in the shadow of its closest " brothers"- light heavyweight and heavyweight. She lacked big names and bright fights.

Vasily Zhirov - the star of the amateur ring, attracted the attention of the American public to the first heavy division. Boxer from Kazakhstan, nicknamed the Balkhash tiger, won 24 international tournaments. The crown of his success was the gold at the Atlanta Olympics ( 1996). In the semi-finals, he defeated his main opponent, whom he lost to at the World Championships in Munich ( 1995) - Antonio Tarvera. The final fight became a formality. Vasily did not experience any problems with a boxer from South Korea- Lee Seung-bae, and became Olympic champion. Moreover, he received the coveted Vel Barker Cup as the best boxer of the tournament. 217 fights and 207 victories - with such baggage, Zhirov moved to professional boxing. He signed a contract with Top Rank.

The results were not long in coming. The technical and hitting left-hander literally drove over his rated opponents. In 1998, Vasily won the WBC continental title, and in 1999 he already boxed in a duel for a full-fledged IBF champion belt. In the third round, he knocked down the champion, Arthur Williams, and in the seventh, the referee stopped the beating. Zhirov became the new world champion.

Zhirov continued his ascent, but his opposition lacked big names. The division was not rich in talent. Vasily needed a big fight with famous rival. The chance soon presented itself. duel with the returnee" into action- James Toney.

James' meteoric success against Michael Nunn took him to the skies. He became " regular" pound for pound rating. Fights with Mike McCallum and a brilliant victory over Airen Barkley only strengthened the success. Behind all this, endless problems with being overweight were hidden. The result was a defeat from the boxing phenomenon - Roy Jones Jr. and, incomprehensibly, a lost fight with Montell Griffin. Tony began" gallop"by category. Speaking in heavyweight, first heavyweight, and light heavyweight. All this resulted in the second defeat of Montell and the loss to the ordinary Drake Tradzi. Pro" Put out the light“began to forget. It seemed that his time had passed. Problems in his personal life were added to all the troubles - a divorce from his wife and endless litigation. Tony was absent from boxing for two years. He scored a lot excess weight and had health problems.

James resumed work with Freddie Roach and hired a staff of nutrition and physical training. This gave a result. He focused on the cruiserweight division and soon got an IBF contender fight. In the seventh round, a smashing left side dropped Jason Robinson to the floor. Knockout. Tony got a chance on title fight with Zhirov.

Vasily's record was impressive: 31 wins, 27 of them by knockout. He was 29 years old while James " knocked"34. The fight was scheduled for April 26, 2003 in Connecticut. Zhirov was the favorite at the rate of 2 to 1. This fight was the moment of truth for both. Zhirov urgently needed big win, and for James it was a great chance to re-assert himself.

"I will win Zhirov. He is open for right hand strikes. You will see everything in the ring." - James Toney before the fight.

The champion started the fight as the first number, actively throwing a series of punches. But James skillfully overlapped and accurately answered on the right, clearly confirming his words with actions. Zhirov pushed the pace to the limit and took the second round. He perfectly remembered how Montell Griffin had won his victories over Tony, and now he tried to apply his tactics: constant pressure. However, James was not afraid to get into corners and calmly controlled the situation under a hail of enemy blows. " Find"His gloved head was incredibly hard.

With his defiant behavior, Tony brought the champion out of himself. In the third round, Vasily deliberately hit in the groin and received a warning from the referee - Steve Smooger. James began to change tactics, increasingly going on the attack. He " took aim" right hand. Forehands, after slipping, " crown"The famous master's defense. Over and over again, these punches reached the goal. All this fettered Vasily and he lost the third and fourth segments, missing the strongest left side in the end of the fourth. It was this blow that knocked out Jason Robinson, but the champion survived.

The fifth and sixth rounds also went to James. He was more precise and almost never missed a beat. In the seventh three-minute period, Vasily pushed the pace to the limit, and took the round due to his activity.

In the eighth round" Balkhash Tiger"He struck low again, and Smooger took off one point from him. A significant punishment in a tense fight. This moment discouraged James a little. The champion snatched the ninth segment due to the frequency of his attacks. He just did more. However, already in the tenth round everything returned to its previous course Tony landed a powerful blow from the bottom right and shocked the enemy. The fight more and more often turned into " phone booth". Huge guys threw a lot of punches. But the picture remained the same: Zhirov did more, and Tony was noticeably more accurate. The eleventh segment turned out to be equal. Everything was decided in the final round.

Vasily did his best again technical actions, but in the end, James struck a strong right blow to the temple. He added a few more side kicks. Zhirov was shocked and after another right side was on the floor. Knockdown. It happened a few seconds before the final gong. The champion rose, but the round was lost 10-8.

All three judges ruled in favor of James: 117-119 twice, and 116-110. Tony became the new IBF world champion. A rematch was planned, but James left the title and moved up to heavyweight. In the next fight, he knocked out the great Evander Holyfield. Vasily, after the defeat, also moved to " royal weight", but, after two victories, he controversially lost to Joe Mesi, and then unexpectedly lost by knockout to Michael Moorer.

The fight between Tony and Zhirov became a real decoration of 2003 and one of the best fights in the history of the first heavyweight.