"Like I told you the last time, from the 60's until I say 1993, boxing was being taught. Since then, I feel like fighters have been watching too much Roy Jones and too much Sugar Ray Leonard and they are choosing style over craft...Like I said, I haven't seen a fighter come around that has caught my eye in a long time because they are too much into the flash and dash stuff. They really don't have any technique. None of these fighters have any technique. They have no skill; they have no will. You gotta have the will to win, and what I mean by that is when you get swole up, eye swole up, eye cut, they shut it down. When they see blood, they turn into a coward. You got a lot of frontrunners out there today. Just about everybody in boxing is a frontrunner. They want it now and they don't want to take a chance to do it now. It's like me, I wanted it now, but I was also willing to take the chance to get there. I kept working, applying my trade, and learning. I was getting the best sparring out there. You can't spar nobody that's lesser than you because you ain't learning nothing," stated future Hall of Famer James "Lights Out" Tony, who took time to discuss some of the differences he sees in boxing today. Plus, you don't want to miss what else he had to say as Toney reflects on some of the highlights of his storied career, including his bouts with Evander Holyfield, Iran Barkley, Mike McCallum, and Roy Jones Jr.
PC: We left off with you talking about how much boxing has meant to you over the years. Would you consider training fighters when you're done fighting?
JT: Yeah, I can see myself training some guys. As a matter of fact, I'm glad you said that because I'm about to shoot an instructional video in the next 6 weeks, so I'm getting prepared for that. I look forward to showing guys the right way of fighting instead of the wrong way. We gonna bring mechanics back.
PC: When teaching people your style, there has to be an understanding that a lot of people can't get away with some of the things that you do. Do you feel like you can teach that style effectively?
JT: I feel I can teach it if they are willing to learn. Like I told you the last time, from the 60's until I say 1993, boxing was being taught. Since then, I feel like fighters have been watching too much Roy Jones and too much Sugar Ray Leonard and they are choosing style over craft. I am a boxer, you understand? So what I did and how I learned how to box, besides being taught by the great Bill Miller, was I watched a lot of films of Archie Moore, Ray Robinson, Jersey Joe Walcott and Rocky Marciano. I kept on emulating them and, like I said, at first, I would get my ass tore up. I ain't gonna lie, I took a lot of ass whoopin's. But after you do it so long and hit a certain age, everything just came together for me.
PC: Would it bother you to see your sons become fighters?
JT: Both of my boys are doing MMA and boxing right now. I can't really push that though because then I would get my first knockout defeat. My wife would kick my ass. I gotta respect that, but if they want to do it...I'm not going to force them to do it, but if they want to do it, I'm going to make sure they do it the right way.
PC: We know Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao can fight, no question about that, but do you see someone out there who's maybe flying below the radar that you enjoy watching?
JT: Nah, not really. Like I said, I haven't seen a fighter come around that has caught my eye in a long time because they are too much into the flash and dash stuff. They really don't have any technique. None of these fighters have any technique. They have no skill; they have no will. You gotta have the will to win, and what I mean by that is when you get swole up, eye swole up, eye cut, they shut it down. When they see blood, they turn into a coward. You got a lot of frontrunners out there today. Just about everybody in boxing is a frontrunner. They want it now and they don't want to take a chance to do it now. It's like me, I wanted it now, but I was also willing to take the chance to get there. I kept working, applying my trade, and learning. I was getting the best sparring out there. You can't spar nobody that's lesser than you because you ain't learning nothing.
PC: You have had a lot of great moments inside of that ring, but which performance do you feel is your best to date?
JT: I'm going to say the fight with Evander Holyfield was my best peformance because I did what nobody thought I could do and I did what I said I was going to do. I took it to him, I stood right there and made him miss and countered. I took it to him. When I hit him with that body shot, I made him do the Heisman pose.
PC: And although he was older, you did something that huge punchers like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis couldn't do and that's stop him.
JT: I dropped him and stopped him. Everybody talk about I'm not a big puncher, but if you look at my knockout percentage, it's awfully high. Everybody said I ain't a big puncher, but if I don't knock somebody out, it's because they are either holding on to me or they running. All you have to do is look at their face after the fight and I don't be having a mark on me.
PC: People talk about your inactivity, and I know it has been substantial of late, but you have one of the craziest records at 72-6-3. Do you ever think we will see records like this again in boxing?
JT: No! Everybody wants the quick buck; become a world champion and get the notoriety that comes along with being a world champion. They don't want to take the time to learn. They just want to get in there and do their thing. If I could, I would still fight twice a month. Believe me, it's not me being inactive. It's these dudes out here that don't want to fight me. I wanted to fight 6 times this year and what did I do? I fought once and that was in MMA. That's fucked up. They give Arreola an opportunity, David Haye and Fraudley Harrison. You got this Chisora guy, who they just pulled the rug from under me to give him the fight with Wladimir. You ain't never heard of none of these dudes. I'm the most known heavyweight in the division and everybody scared to fucking fight me. But hey, what can I do?
PC: I think every young fighter always has that opponent that takes them to a place they have never been before. For you, I think it was Mike McCallum. What did those 3 fights with McCallum do for you as a fighter and your career?
JT: Man, Mike McCallum, man, that motherfucker taught me the business, you know what I'm saying? Before I fought Mike McCallum, I was running over everybody and just trying to knock them out with one shot. Mike made me think. He was a very smart and crafty veteran. If you made a mistake with him, he was gonna make you pay, trust me! He capitalized on people making mistakes; just ask Donald Curry. Donald Curry still ain't recovered from that beating he gave him.
PC: After you get brought into the deep waters and survive, then the next step is to secure a legend on your resume. Do you remember what it was like preparing to face Iran Barkley?
JT: Iran Barkley was a man that everybody was scared of, mainly because he was so ugly. I really wanted to whip his ass because he beat my idol, Tommy Hearns. Before the fight, at a press conference, he had said, "Yeah, we gonna whoop all them niggaz from Detroit. That's what we gonna do. They can't fuck with us New Yorkers. We from the Bronx; Boogie Down Bronx." I said, "You know what? Fuck you and the Boogie Down Bronx. We gonna get busy. I'm going to knock your ass out. I promise you that." I told him I was going to stop him. And then, you know, he brought a machete to the press conference. I guess he was trying to scare me. There were some bodyguards and security guards there and when he pulled out the machete, I reached for the gun. It happened in Beverly Hills as a matter of fact and we scared all of them white folks.
PC: I have that fight on tape. Weren't one of your kids born around the time of that fight?
JT: Yeah, my daughter was born a week before.
PC: And then there was the Roy Jones fight. What went wrong in the preparation of that fight and in the actual fight itself?
JT: My mindset was still on partying and doing all of the wrong things. I said, "That motherfucker ain't shit. I got him." To be honest, I never thought that much about Roy because he was all flash and dash. I took him lightly; ain't no other way to say it. It was totally on me. I fucked up.
PC: You truly pride yourself on being a fighter that's never been knocked out...and again, that's a rare commodity in boxing these days?
JT: Ah man, that wasn't going to happen that night. I had nothing that night, but I wasn't going to let him stop me. Richard Steele kept calling for all of them damn breaks when I was trying to get close. I looked at him and said, "Whose side is you on nigga?" (Laughing) After the 2nd round, I told my trainer, Bill Miller, "I'm sorry Bill, but I ain't got nothing. But he ain't gonna stop me. I'm going to finish regardless." After that 1st round, I had nothing left. I regret that day to the fullest. I should have got my ass in great shape, like I usually was doing, but I didn't. I was reading my press clippings at the time. I was reading my own headlines too damn much.
PC: You give Roy his props for doing his thing against you and you take full blame for your performance. Looking at Roy now and the way his career is going, what advice would you give him?
JT: I'm going to tell you right now, if Roy can't get serious and get himself a real trainer, not his daddy or that other guy he works with [Alton Merkerson]; he needs to get a real trainer, take 4 or 5 months off and get into a gritty gym. Not no Florida gym. He need to go to the inner city, in the hood and learn what it feels like to get gritty, and that will let him know if he wants to continue.
PC: Longevity in this sport is a rare thing and you have given us 20+ years. What do you credit your longevity too?
JT: The basics; me having great people around me early in my career and teaching me how to box and how to fight. I also gotta give credit to my family because we have great genetics. If I didn't have great genetics, I probably would have been gone 10 years ago.
PC: What do you feel is the biggest misperception of James Toney?
JT: I think that a lot of people think I'm not approachable. That's one thing that I hate because I'm very approachable. I am very touchable and out everyday. I'm always on the streets. My pops don't like me going out without security, but I'm like, "Fuck that I'm going out." I'm a people person. It's just when I'm training for a fight or in that zone, I'm kind of standoffish. But if somebody spoke to me, I would speak to them.
PC: Once it is all said and done, what will that moment be like for you when they induct you into the Hall of Fame?
JT: Man, it will be a great honor for me to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with people like Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott and Ray Robinson, the greatest of all time. It will be a thrill and it will be great for me and my family. And man, I'm telling you, I would have to get on my hands and knees and thank my fans who all love me.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]