No one ever has questioned James Toney’s testicular fortitude. For all the smack talking Toney has treated boxing fans to over the years, no one ever questioned his intentions to back it up, or at least due trying. Though he currently holds the physique of a stale Milk Dud, Toney is a throwback fighter, a fighter who relies on intelligence and years of acquired muscle memory to give his opponents fits. Hell, watching Toney fight, the man makes the sport of boxing appear like an effortless endeavor. But no fighter can outrun Father Time, and at the ripe age of 41, it’s clear that Toney’s best days are behind him. This is why when word broke yesterday that Toney had signed a multi-fight deal with mixed martial arts powerhouse Ultimate Fighting Championship, more than a few people’s mouths dropped in shock.
Toney had been publicly campaigning for a contract to fight in the Octagon, even going so far as calling UFC president Dana White a “hoe”. Not exactly the tact one takes when trying to land a job, but somehow this worked for Toney.
Ever since mixed martial arts entered the lexicon of today’s society, a raging debate between its fans, and fans of boxing over which sport is better. Ultimately, the resolution of a hypothetical showdown between a boxer and a MMA fighter is thrown out. Though more often not, the general belief is that a boxer would win in a boxing match, and a mixed martial artist would prevail in a battle in the cage.
Boxers entering the confines of the cage are nothing new with former heavyweight challenger Ray Mercer experiencing success in MMA by knocking out Tim Sylvia last June. But if recent rumor proves true MMA may get their first taste of a world champion boxer entering the Octagon when James Toney takes to the UFC.
It seems that Toney is taking this prospect serious going as far as enlisting veteran MMA trainer Juanito Ibarra to work Toney into MMA fighting shape. Ibarra seems generally pleased with Toney’s training regime, and plans on enlisting a jiu-jitsu and wrestling coach to get Toney a ground game are in the works.
For years mixed martial arts powerhouse, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has fought tooth and nail to change the public’s perception of MMA from that of “human cockfighting”, to being taken seriously as a legitimate sport. Such is the reason why MMA websites are often filled with headlines created by UFC’s vocal president Dana White spewing obscenity filled tirades directed toward the less scrupulous MMA promoters out there who take the role if fight promoter and turn it into circus barker.
For some odd reason, MMA seems to be a magnet to the celebrity, most often former professional athletes, who have fallen hard from grace and seek the warm glow of fan adulation that no longer exists. Jose Conseco, Hershel Walker, rapper DMX, and internet sensation Kimbo Slice, all have sought fame and fortune in the cage. Aside from the immense financial success garnered by the celebrity that is Kinbo Slice, most people who enter the cage find out fast that being hit in the face is not a pleasant experience.
White’s conceding to Toney’s demands seems to fly in the face of previous comments made by the UFC president in which he wondered aloud how he could justify opening the doors for the criticism sure to come from the purists. No one is questioning Toney’s fighter credentials, but at 41, how viable an option is he in the grand scheme of the loaded UFC heavyweight division?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
