This past week, MMA and boxing bumped into each other as former pound-for-pound boxing champ and future hall of famer, James "Lights Out" Toney, signed a contract with the top organization in mixed martial arts, the UFC. As a long time fan of both sports, I decided I'd throw my two cents out there and say that this is absolutely ridiculous and a shame that Toney would do this to himself and that the UFC would allow this to happeng.
First things first, James Toney is an all time great in the sport of boxing. His technical expertise in the sport is unrivaled and a rarity in today's boxing community. The fact that he was competitive at the heavyweight ranks speaks to his superior knowledge of the sweet science. Years from now, we'll speak fondly of what Toney accomplished in the ring and his rare talents and abilities.
However, the James Toney of today is a mere shell of his former greatness. Here are the facts: the man is 41 years old, fighting at least 40 pounds over his natural weight (he did his best work in and around the 170 pound mark - today hes at least 220 pounds), and he hasnt had a meaningful fight in at least 2 years (Hasim Rahman, Sam Peter). Hes as close to an over the hill fighter looking for a final paycheck as you can get.
Heres the thing: casual (and maybe even hardcore) fans of the UFC will be told of all the accomplishments that Toney has achieved in his career. They'll be fed the narrative that hes a world-class boxer and be held as an example of what pro boxers can do in the MMA arena. However, all of that is far from the truth. James Toney is NOT a top heavyweight today. Hes been inactive from the elite title scene for years. And anyone who uses him as a model for what pro boxing can do in MMA are misinformed to say the least.
The truth is, until we fans see a current world champion enter the world of mixed martial arts, the example of boxing in MMA will be represented by either an over the hill world champion (see James Toney here) or some journeyman fighter (see Art Jimmerson). Neither are great examples of what boxing can or cannot do in MMA, but those type of fighters will have to do. Unless a Klitschko or Manny Pacquiao decide that they want to fight in MMA tomorrow, we will never get a true gauge of a world class pro boxer's effectivenss in the sport. Thing is, considering the fact that pro boxers make so much more in their sport comparative to even the top fighters within the UFC (and we're talking tens of millions versus barely over a million, if theyre lucky), we will never see a current boxing champ enter MMA.
James Toney in the UFC proves nothing with regards to the MMA vs boxing debate and will do more harm than good for the sport of mixed martial arts. In fact, no good comes with Toney signing with the UFC, unless you are the UFC itself and youre lining your pockets with pay-per view buys. Here are the scenarios: either Toney wins or he loses. Toney winning in MMA will only bring further questions about the legitimacy of the sport itself. Here you have an over the hill boxer competing on MMA's grandest stage - if he could win, how difficult is the sport really? Should Toney lose, it doesnt prove that MMA fighters are better than boxers, since (as Ive already said) the James Toney of today isnt the same James Toney of pound for pound glory. Taking it a bit further, should Toney lose and (God forbid) get seriously hurt, the UFC and MMA world have a whole lot of explaining to do.
Again, there are no reasons as to why Toney was signed to the UFC other than what hes accomplished several years ago. This signing was a simple money grab/publicity stunt put on by the UFC brass and anyone who doesnt see through to this are looking through beer goggles. Its a shame though since fans will eat it all up and the debate will continue to run around in circles without an end in sight.
**On a final note, be sure to watch WEC 47 - Bowles vs Cruz tonight. If youre lucky enough to live in Canada, you will be able to catch it on cable TV through TheScore network (granted, if you have that channel). The card also features former bantamweight kingpin, Miguel Torres fighting on the undercard so it should be a good night of fights. Dont miss out!**
Until next time!
-TheZar
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