Three-division world champion James Toney has revealed what he believes to have been the ‘biggest fight of his life’ after a 92-fight professional career that spanned across five weight divisions.
‘Lights Out’ began his career as a middleweight and famously knocked out IBF champion Michael Nunn to first get his hands on world honours, before moving up to super-middleweight and stopping another IBF titleholder in Iran Barkley.
At 168lbs, Toney suffered a first professional defeat to Roy Jones Jr, before trying his hand at light-heavyweight and then finally reclaiming world honours in the cruiserweight division, trumping Vassiliy Jirov for the IBF cruiserweight crown.
Finally, the Michigan-born machine achieved the ultimate goal and defeated John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight world title, only for a failed drug test cost him that legacy-defining win.
Reflecting on his career in an interview with ESNEWS, Toney named his 1991 split-draw with a middleweight Mike McCallum as the ‘biggest fight of his life’.
“I fought the biggest fight of my life, [against] Mike ‘The Body Snatcher’ McCallum.”
This admission comes years after Toney’s previous comments regarding McCallum, whom he named as the best fighter he ever faced, when speaking to Ring Magazine.
“Mike McCallum [is the best fighter I faced] — That’s an easy choice, right off the top of my head it’s the Body Snatcher. He was the best fighter I fought at middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight.
“Out of all the fighters I fought, I respect him the most because he made me think about everything I tried to do. Before McCallum I was just runnin’ in on everyone, but he made me slow down and think for the first time.”
Toney fought McCallum on three occasions, getting the better of him eight months after their initial draw at 160lbs before a overcoming him again up at cruiserweight in their trilogy bout.
