KHLB516 I loved Steward in the Gatti-Ward 1st fight where he was screaming at Ward "GO TO THE BODY!!" I almost forgot how much I missed his commentary until I watched this video a couple days ago.
This [fight] is the first I have ever seen that brought tears to my eyes, especially when JT dropped Jirov. And what I love about JT: no clinching - just continually slipping, countering, giving angles, and dishing it out. A total ring general. One of the greatest fighters of all time! This is a historic fight that will not be forgotten, and will (and does) serve as an example of what being a warrior in the ring is all about.
+les antoine Miller was from Cincinnati and trained out of Kronk until hooking up with Toney who he trained out of the Galaxy Gym in Redford. Try Again
You damn right. I've been saying that Toney is an all time great but many people disagree. They didn't hear much about him during his great career because the announcers dogged him all the time. In my opinion, Toney was the best fighter in his era,......... better than Roy Jones Jr........... Roy beat James but Toney was not in a good way for that fight. The career comparison favors Toney however,........Roy's career was slightly tarnished by the knockouts he suffered in my opinion.... Toney simply beat the hell out of everyone from 160 to heavyweight. His losses to Montell Griffin were bullshit; Toney won at least one, if not both of those fights. I also think he beat big fat ass Samuel Peter in their first fight. With the exception of these past few years,............James had a record of 70-4 at the age of 38. He fought more often than anyone, had more fights than almost anyone, won the championship from middle to heavyweight,........had more late round knockouts than anyone in 50 years,......or more,.........possibly the best defensive fighter of all times.......there were no real weaknesses in his game. I would match his list of tough opponents against any fighter in recent times. James Toney is in the top 25 all time in my opinion,..........he was just that good.
But leaves himself hella open for a left hook all you have to do is land one after smothering him of course by landing a few downstairs to make him believe in his mind it'll be a left to the body and at th last second bring th punch up and follow through . He has been floored with the exact same punch the exact same set up to get him down . It's too much of a lazy mans style I never liked his style of boxing . At least if you wanna be defensive be tough don't act like you're getting bullied . He won th fight only cause of the knockdown . The entire fight his punches had almost no effect on his man . His punches are like slapping hooks and even slapping uppercut s . He even being a pro fighter with all those fights and still slaps with a punch it makes no sense to me
James was on PED's. "Duh duh duh, but skill doesn't come from steroids"; yeah, but PED's let you practice more and gives you the energy to slip literally 800+ punches from a younger cruiserweight when you're 5'9 1/2 and have a chubby midsection. Casual fans have no idea of the difference that makes, and, usually, don't care; they have no investment in the fighters health or the fairness of the competition. It's so easy for people to sit on their couch and pick their favorites based on wins and losses.
@@billmoon3529 Jirov never failed a drug test. You can't just assume everyone was on PED's - to fit your narrative. Toney was a cheater who was caught multiple times, while, Jirov is innocent, until proven guilty. Do you -- honestly -- think George Foreman, Kelly Pavlik, Wladimir Klitchko, Vitali Klitchko, Cory Spinks, Hasim Rahman, Corrie Saunders, Micky Ward, Eric Esch, or David Tua were on PED's? Toney was a -- cheating, fat --piece of shit; the end.
HeedAndSucceed YOU DAMN RIGHT IT WAS!!! ONLY THING IS, YOU COULDN'T HAVE SCRIPTED IT ANY BETTER!! AWESOME!!! BIG TIME HIGH STAKES EXCITMENT!!! NOW THAT WAS A FIGHT!!;
I agree Toney is a legend and his style is so cool to watch. In a way it puts in to a perspective how great Roy Jones Jr was in his prime to dominate such a master as Toney.
Hes so throw back james toney!!!! Coulda fought in any era imagine him around today all the mdlw8s light heavy w8 crusier w8 light hvy ect would be in trouble
The last 75 seconds of the fight are so thrilling and I have to hand it to Emanuel Steward getting so emotionally involved with his comments. "OH MY GAWD!" became a staple with my friends when something really dramatic happened in the ring.
Ken McElhaney just look at the woman and the man right beside her faces when toney lands that left hook and screams he is hurt. Classic everyone saw that punch and was like damnnnnnn
@ShalomShlomoShekelstein lmaooo Only fight James lost was Tiberi and he admitted that James beat Jirov Robbed in the first fight against Mike Robbed twice against Montel Griffin Robbed twice against Sam Peters
Quite possibly the greatest fight of all time. I wish each and every one of us has at least a moment where we put forth the heart and effort these guys displayed for 12 rounds.
R.I.P The Kronk Great, i love this fight i've watched it about 100 times counting James Toney is just an old school great, fighters like these have to beat themselves by not preparing right, because nobody will beat em skill for skill
I miss Toney. What a great fighter. Lights outs was one of my favorites in the early 90s when he knocked out that cocky Second to Nunn. Wish he would have unified either the middleweight or Super middleweight. Got that huge gift vs Tiberi but my favorite one of his is that war with Prince Charles Williams. His tuning up of Barkley was savage. This one was a classic too.
It's rare to see a fighter show this much courage and heart in a fight, but for both men to give all they had and put on a performance like this, it has to be called one of the greatest fights ever. Neither man was going to give in, it just happened that James Toney had the last word and the last punch as time ran out. No writer could have written this script, and no less a fighter then these 2 brave warriors could have survived the battle. I just can't say enough about both men,......….and while I'm at it, a word for one of my favorite fighters,...…….the great James Toney. Frankly I tired long ago of the disrespect and constant criticizing that reporters dogged him with throughout his career. In this unbelievable effort and with a record of 66-4 after this win, Jim Lampley phrased this as James 'resurrecting his career'. How I ask, could his career have needed to be resurrected with 65-4 record entering the fight? I like Jim Lampley, but in this case he's wrong. Other commentators repeat the same shit in each of his fights that I've seen. They say he only fights for one minute per round, check for yourself, you won't find a fight of his whereby that comment isn't made. The fact is they're full of shit. If he fought only one minute, then his opponent must have fought all 3 minutes since they weren't criticized. How could James Toney beat damn near everyone he ever faced by fighting one minute while the opponent was fighting all 3 minutes? There is no answer for that, don't waste your time searching for one. He clearly would have lost many fights if outworked as bad as they claim. It's a damn lie started by an idiot or a prick that doesn't like Toney, then repeated in every damn fight by the idiots that followed the original idiot. If Toney fought 30 seconds in each round and won 66 out of 70 fights, then back off and give him his due. What difference does it make if each of his fights ends with James's arm raised, and why do the lame announcers feel obligated to repeat the same old shit, making themselves look like fools and biased for some reason. Look at his career; he fought a tougher list of opponents then anyone in his era, I'll wager anyone on that. He scored more late round knockouts then anyone in 50 years, maybe in history. Late round KO's are the most difficult category to excel in all of boxing, and Toney tops the list. Not Tyson, not Foreman, not Roy Jones, not any of the biggest punchers in the game,...…...but James Toney. Toney tops damn near every list or individual category in boxing, take a good look. Who's better defensively? Who hand more hand speed in each division he fought in ( Toney may take 2nd in hand speed through several divisions, only to the great Roy Jones Jr. ) Who had a better win-loss record, fought tougher opponents, defended his title more often, ducked nobody but challenged everyone, could box with anyone, power when he needed it, footwork and ring generalship to go with it, was knocked down only once in some 90 fights, never stopped nor close to being stopped, never beaten soundly, who,.... I ask,... can match all of this,...…...virtually nobody. James Toney in my book, top 15 or even top 10 all-time p4p list, show me better credentials and you'll be scratching to find a very few. The announcers are too ignorant to realize that they're going out of their way to criticize one of the best fighters that ever stepped into the ring. I know a great fighter when I see one, they know how to criticize a great fighter without cause.
I watched this live HBO and I even recorded it VHS and I've watched it over and over again until the tape disintegrated.. I've seen a thousand fights plus this is always going to rate right up there as one of the greatest slugfest in boxing history.. you cannot script a better fight
Toney is one of my favorite fighters, and this is a classic fight that displays Toney's Old Skool style and ability to fight while exhausted and off instinct. The footwork/combination that puts Jirov down in the later rounds is beautiful.
The precision 5 punch Toney knockdown is one of the finest displays of punching ever captured. From the body shot onwards, it's so precise, so well timed, it's perfection. It's almost in slow motion too as there are deliberate pauses it's just beautiful to watch. Especially considering it was right at the end of a 12 fight too. Almost anyone else would smother themselves or be punching too fast or wild.
Tremendous fight, a true classic. Both men were outstanding, Toney gave a masterclass of accurate counter punching while Jirov was endlessly on the offensive applying pressure. Two things added to the spectacle: the small venue and lackluster atmosphere meant the thud of the punches were really audible, and the ref let them go at it without constantly trying to separate them. Mind you there was very little holding/clinching.
+Heartless409 168lbs WAS Toney's best fighting weight, but Toney's most impressive singular performance was his first fight against Mike McCallum; a brilliant and underrated fighter everyone avoided, but who Toney gave a shot because he never ducked anybody. Mike gave Toney all he could handle (hence, the draw), and he still got beat pretty decisively, in my opinion. Greatest. Fight. Ever. Period!
Toney was one a them Characters man who just didn't give a damn, he'll fight anyone, but @ the same time, he was extremely skillful. He was a.marvel of a fighter to watch .
@Jason Voorhees Micheal MYERS said has snap to his punches doesn't ko his opponent with one punch,he likes to punish his opponent before knocking them out
@Jason Voorhees 47 kos he can punch he's capable of knocking you out,and sending you jason voorhees back to camp crystal light(oops) I meant crystal lake.But he likes to break your will,before knocking his opponents out.James Toney just utilizes his power by beating the body and head.MichealMyers has spoken.
Top 10 fighters of all time!.. Say what u want...Toney was tough/skilled..old school no clench wrkn off angles to land a knockout shot ..either hand@..fought anyone..in my personal as all time top.5....if u have top 5 midweight let's here em..
What an amazing fight - the judges lopsided score is an example of the contrast between working harder & working smarter. That Russian Tiger is an animal, no doubt - dude is obviously trained to fight himself right down to the death. Toney however is one of my favorite boxers - such an incredibly intelligent fighter, his defense is great...never takes shots upstairs, only real way to work him is downstairs like Jirov was trying to do. Toney is the best counter puncher though, Jirov insane work ethic was being met with precise conter retaliation strikes.
The judges REALLY got this one right. Aggressiveness is NOT the same as effective aggressiveness. The gulf in skill and craft between these two fighters was insurmountable for a crude and unpolished fighter like Jirov. Toney is one of the most guileful, intelligent, and technical fighters I have ever seen. Period. If he simply would've trained for the Jones fight and not gorged himself to 205 lbs after the Williams win, not only would he have beaten Jones, but he would've knocked him out. His best fighting weight was 168. To see sharpness and brilliance like nothing else, obviously check out the Barkley fight, but also his fights against Ricky Thomas, Daniel Garcia, Anthony Hembrick, Tim Littles and Charles Williams. Inspiringly brilliant.
***** Don't forget his great win against Michael Nunn and the tough win against Mccallum. He fought Mccallum 3 times with 2 wins and a draw. Mccallum was one tough fighter. Toney came on strong against Nunn and knocked him out in the 11th round, similar to this fight.
MrMarco855 /I agree this was one of his best fights besides Michael Nunn / jirov fought a good fight also but I thought this fight was closer than 117 -109 jirov did win some rounds it wasn't a stut out
Roy would have always given Toney problems simply because of his speed and agility. Toney's slow feet were his only real weakness, and his reliance on excellent upper body movement doesn't exactly lend itself to quick angle changes. Roy was just too quick for him, though it's fair to say Toney was the better technician. I believe there are few better in the history of boxing.
largelester I agree. Toney kicked jirov' ass all night. Lou Duva and some other guy at ringside were yelling after the fight, asking what fight the judges were watching. What fight were you watching Duva? Jirov missed a ton of punches, and most of the ones he landed were pitty pat. Toney landed half of his punches overall, and most of them were hard shots. The proof is who went down in the end. Jirov could have punched toney for 6 more rounds and Toney wasn't going anywhere. He's got a tough chin, fast hands, good power, ring smarts and a great defense. One of the all-time greats, no question about it. Toney kicked everyone's ass in 5 divisions; who can top that? After this fight toney was 67 and 4. Look at his record, he fought a lot of tough guys. 2 of those losses were close decisions against Montel Griffin, and I think Toney won both of them. His only other losses were to Roy Jones and a very close majority decision loss to Drake Thadzi. That's as good a career as anyone, especially considering the top level opponents he fought in 5 weight divisions. James toney was an underdog going into this fight? I wouldn't make him an underdog against anyone back then, except for Roy Jones jr., another all-time great. Even though Jones beat Toney, I still rank Toney ahead of Jones all things considered. I don't think anyone was better during his career, with Julio Cesar Chavez , Duran, Hearns , Leonard, Arguello, and Roy Jones being right up there also. Toney went 9 and 5 after this fight as he aged and fought tough heavyweights. That's still a great accomplishment given his relatively over weight condition and his age.
Wrong way Harold at it again. I was with him at first, but when Harold gave 6 and 7 to Jirov I was done. CLEAN EFFECTIVE PUNCHES win rounds not a bunch of arm punches and whiffs. How can you be in the boxing game as long as him and not know that.
@@johnathanandrus6586 Damn straight. Lederman must have forgotten his glasses that night. To be fair, watching that live, it must have been difficult at times to see how much more effective Toney was. So much of the action was on the inside and Jirov never stopped coming forward. The first time I watched the fight, I gave the Jirov the 9th but watching that round again, it was clear that all of the solid punches were landed by Toney, who also had nearly a 4-1 connect rate.
the anonymous I cannot stand judges who are fooled by ineffective aggression, and Harold Lederman is among the worst of offenders in that regard. Good thing he isn't an _actual_ judge.
Yeah but in their defense it can't be easy to do it ringside when the boxers have their backs turned to them half the time and Toney makes people miss by such small margins.
Both Floyd Mayweather and James utilize the shoulder roll- brilliantly. What are the differences? Toney: 1. Ducks much more. 2. Rotates his torso, sometimes to the point where he is almost southpaw without ever moving his legs, and sometimes has his back facing his opponent. 3. Is smooth and seamless during all rotations. 4. Constantly repositioning his right hand, so you never know which angle its coming from. 5. Continuously and fluidly keeps throwing punches. Mayweather: 1. Only ducks when he is in a corner, and always to his right. 2. Slides in and out linearly at his opponent when in the center of the ring. Uses distance as defense. 3. Is a lot stiffer and more angular in body movement than Toney. 4. Floyd's reactions are quicker, he goes into a tighter shell, but Toney gives you so many more looks and is always in transition. Toney has some Dmitry Pirog and Willie Pep in him. 5. Throws few punches. Studies his opponents. Waits for counters.
Adrian21 well, not entirely true. JT had to battle weight before battling in the ring with Roy. Roy even admitted that JT had a disadvantage with the weight making. Nonetheless, I think Roy probably still would have won. I still would have loved to watch both of them in the ring while both at 💯.
@@jpeso8374 thing is JT was doing that even before Roy. If your going to fight an athletic, blazing fast boxer with power, don't you take training seriously? JT is an amazing boxer and I don't think the weight beat him, I think Roy was just Roy especially in the super middleweight class
joe sixtoe yes, I do think he took it as serious as he could. When a fighter can’t make weight anymore-he just can’t-no matter how serious he may take it. Just when like Diego Corrales criticized Castillo for not making weight but it was too much on Castillo’s body. Later on Diego Corrales now understood because he had to undergo the same thing when fighting I believe the “3rd” fight against Casamayor. It was the same case with JT-hence to why he moved up to light heavyweight after the Roy Jones fight.
@@jpeso8374 I agree it gets hard, I mean its probably why a lot of fighters move up too. But to be beaten as bad as Toney was, I think it's a little unfair to just blame it on the weight.
Thanks for uploading this fight! I remember taping this and the Tarver vs Griffin fight before this. Lost the tape during Hurricane Katrina & always missed watching this!
What a great fight. This fight cemented James Toney as one of the top 100 greatest fighters of all time. This was James Toney 2.0 reload. After a couple of setbacks and bad outings, he kept moving on forward and re-established his career. This fight gotta be the fight of the year for 2003.
I was in 11th grade watching it by myself in my living room when I jumped to my feet in the 12 th round and I ripped the zipper off my high school baseball jacket. I've been watching fights for 17 years, televised and live and I haven't before or since ever had that reaction during a fight, especially a 12th and final round.
I've probably watched this entire fight about five times now. This fight was absolutely amazing to watch. Both men dead tired, Jirov swinging and landing, Toney slipping and landing. For Toney to knock him down and Jirov to even get up while that tired showed the heart they both had. Most people don't know about this fight. I kind of like it that way. It's one of my best kept secrets.
Toney was an all-time great. Too bad that he kept putting 'all-you-can-eat' restaurants out of business. Duran had the same problem. I can see a trainer walking into their rooms as they try to hide a roast ham under their pillow and the trainer shouts, 'That's not what I meant when I said you had to be hungry!'
Brilliant comment bud. That was Toney's big weakness, absolute junk food junky. If he had worked the same way he had worked training for Nunn, and even halfed his fast food diet, the man would've been undefeated. What a natural talent, proper old school throw back.
@david wolf That's interesting. I'd love to see the article (I'm writing a book on Toney). Even after his early fights though, the first thing Toney always says is, 'I'm going to go out now and eat some Burger King!' Didn't help that his mom owned a bakery.
A Philly shell is such a more efficient way to fight. The theory states that your jab will be faster if lead hand is up and you will have better defense. But a lot of times it is easier to land jabs from a lowered front hand position (Philly shell) because your opponent does not see the hand coming from that angle. For defense, having the lower hand significantly lowers the center of mass, so it easier to move the head and foot work gets better as well: dodging punches. Toney has had a long career as well.
interesting point, i like this style also I feel like using this type of guard correctly makes it possible to block body and head almost simultaneously, with the correct head movement and body control... Not an easy style to use effectively but, a very effective defensive style
This fight demonstrates the reason why Floyd doesn't want to fight Pacman.Its difficult to roll versus a southpaw.But Toney has far more tricks in his book than just rolling.His ability to avoid punches is simply amazing.Even whit his hands down. And his counter punching is unbelievable.
rufus Zufall well i guess thats what seperates Toney from Mayweather. Though, Mayweather may have superior relexes, Toney has something, that like Power, like Speed can only be born with. And thats a Radar.Nicolino Locche had it. George Benton had it. "His ability to avoid punches is simply amazing". Thats his Radar at work. Much like how Gaaras sand protects him from oncoming attacks, Toney is able to move within an inch of a punch.. without his doing. It comes naturally. And I find that fascinating.
Wow. Jesus Christ. Thank you guys. I know someone already said it but Emmanuel Steward was reason enough to watch. Passion and love he had for boxing was awesome. He is so missed. I got emotional listening to him in 12.
"you've got to knock him on his ass"
"fuck. FUCK."
then he goes out and does it. that's one of the best moments in boxing
Zach Bryant so damn true!!
Zach Bryant
So badass and funny hahah
That's why Freddie Roach is a legend.
I agree. James Toney Is a True Spartan.
What a fight this was.
RIP Emanuel Steward
KHLB516 I loved Steward in the Gatti-Ward 1st fight where he was screaming at Ward "GO TO THE BODY!!" I almost forgot how much I missed his commentary until I watched this video a couple days ago.
+KHLB516 HELL YEAH I REMEBER THAT NIGHT MANNY WAS GOING BONKERS!!!
Jirov is fantastic in this fight, but Toney is an all time great performing on the night.
great to hear Emanuel loving this fight
Yea me to I miss Emmanuel
This [fight] is the first I have ever seen that brought tears to my eyes, especially when JT dropped Jirov. And what I love about JT: no clinching - just continually slipping, countering, giving angles, and dishing it out. A total ring general. One of the greatest fighters of all time! This is a historic fight that will not be forgotten, and will (and does) serve as an example of what being a warrior in the ring is all about.
+les antoine Miller was from Cincinnati and trained out of Kronk until hooking up with Toney who he trained out of the Galaxy Gym in Redford. Try Again
You damn right. I've been saying that Toney is an all time great but many people disagree. They didn't hear much about him during his great career because the announcers dogged him all the time. In my opinion, Toney was the best fighter in his era,......... better than Roy Jones Jr........... Roy beat James but Toney was not in a good way for that fight. The career comparison favors Toney however,........Roy's career was slightly tarnished by the knockouts he suffered in my opinion.... Toney simply beat the hell out of everyone from 160 to heavyweight. His losses to Montell Griffin were bullshit; Toney won at least one, if not both of those fights. I also think he beat big fat ass Samuel Peter in their first fight. With the exception of these past few years,............James had a record of 70-4 at the age of 38. He fought more often than anyone, had more fights than almost anyone, won the championship from middle to heavyweight,........had more late round knockouts than anyone in 50 years,......or more,.........possibly the best defensive fighter of all times.......there were no real weaknesses in his game. I would match his list of tough opponents against any fighter in recent times. James Toney is in the top 25 all time in my opinion,..........he was just that good.
ZUKAR STONED the science
MrMarco855 and he went 44-0 before he lost
good comment
i watch this fight every thanksgiving. idk why, but its a great tradition for me. love james.
One of my all time favorite fights. I love the part when Emmanuel Steward was losing his shit during that awesome 12th round. RIP Emmanuel
This fight is fucking beautiful. From Toneys footwork and defence and countering, to Jirov's heart.
Anees Niazi I love this fight style match was perfect.
Jirov really worked in this fight
Toneys heart.
Toney was slicker than a can of oil! R.I.P Manny Stewart 🙏🏾
James Toney's defense and counter punching ability is simply a work of art. Pure raw talent.
That's years of experience not raw talent. James is a natural born fighter. But he's been doin it for years when this fight happened.
But leaves himself hella open for a left hook all you have to do is land one after smothering him of course by landing a few downstairs to make him believe in his mind it'll be a left to the body and at th last second bring th punch up and follow through . He has been floored with the exact same punch the exact same set up to get him down . It's too much of a lazy mans style I never liked his style of boxing . At least if you wanna be defensive be tough don't act like you're getting bullied . He won th fight only cause of the knockdown . The entire fight his punches had almost no effect on his man . His punches are like slapping hooks and even slapping uppercut s . He even being a pro fighter with all those fights and still slaps with a punch it makes no sense to me
James was on PED's. "Duh duh duh, but skill doesn't come from steroids"; yeah, but PED's let you practice more and gives you the energy to slip literally 800+ punches from a younger cruiserweight when you're 5'9 1/2 and have a chubby midsection. Casual fans have no idea of the difference that makes, and, usually, don't care; they have no investment in the fighters health or the fairness of the competition. It's so easy for people to sit on their couch and pick their favorites based on wins and losses.
@@williamsmith1803 Jirov was also on PED so no one had an advantage. Everyone was before drug testing became more widespread a decade ago.
@@billmoon3529 Jirov never failed a drug test. You can't just assume everyone was on PED's - to fit your narrative. Toney was a cheater who was caught multiple times, while, Jirov is innocent, until proven guilty. Do you -- honestly -- think George Foreman, Kelly Pavlik, Wladimir Klitchko, Vitali Klitchko, Cory Spinks, Hasim Rahman, Corrie Saunders, Micky Ward, Eric Esch, or David Tua were on PED's? Toney was a -- cheating, fat --piece of shit; the end.
Miss manny steward screaming and shouting tears of joy to the sport he Loved 😁
I miss him as well!
@Jason Voorhees please think again about what you said. He is someones dad.
He was GREAT!!
He’s had personal connections with both guys. He sounds like a proud dad watching his sons showing off their skills!
Vintage James Toney right here. Right up there with his best ever performances.
James Toney is a legend. That 12th round was something out of a movie.
Word, brother!
HeedAndSucceed YOU DAMN RIGHT IT WAS!!! ONLY THING IS, YOU COULDN'T HAVE SCRIPTED IT ANY BETTER!! AWESOME!!! BIG TIME HIGH STAKES EXCITMENT!!! NOW THAT WAS A FIGHT!!;
lol it really was, Oe of my favorite fights ever. Amazing.
Toney is a legend. But ask Dave Tiberi about it.
I agree Toney is a legend and his style is so cool to watch. In a way it puts in to a perspective how great Roy Jones Jr was in his prime to dominate such a master as Toney.
Smoger is the best ref he lets you scrap
Hes so throw back james toney!!!! Coulda fought in any era imagine him around today all the mdlw8s light heavy w8 crusier w8 light hvy ect would be in trouble
Lee John mine too, love the dude
T Kong 10000% agree.
+T Kong: And yet Smoger will make the calls and deduct points when necessary.
+Terrill Wyche Yup he def is a world class ref if u had enuff he will stop the fight or he will let you stop the fight yourself like Chad dawson!!!
I love when Toney gets upset with himself before the start of the 12th round
For real, that part killed me
"he out hustled you that round"
"fuck.....fuck"
james toney has always been one of my favorite fighter. his fights are always fun to watch. his style so unique, he is a boxing legend!
The last 75 seconds of the fight are so thrilling and I have to hand it to Emanuel Steward getting so emotionally involved with his comments. "OH MY GAWD!" became a staple with my friends when something really dramatic happened in the ring.
Ken McElhaney awesome. RIP Manny, one of the best trainers of all time.
Ken McElhaney same here, I jumped up screaming!
Manny was the GOAT! His calling of Gatti-Ward 1 is absolutely insane!
Seen it a million and I still jump every time.lol.
Ken McElhaney just look at the woman and the man right beside her faces when toney lands that left hook and screams he is hurt. Classic everyone saw that punch and was like damnnnnnn
God imagine if toney stayed in shape during his career.
Toney with Hopkins discipline ...unbeatable
Facts!
"First of all, I'd like to thank the man upstairs... God" gotta love Toney
Gotta love him.... Attitude and all. Lol
RIP Manny ... one of the best action fights I have ever seen
People need to learn the difference between aggression and effective aggression
Exactly. This fight wasn't even close.
@ShalomShlomoShekelstein lmaooo Only fight James lost was Tiberi and he admitted that
James beat Jirov
Robbed in the first fight against Mike
Robbed twice against Montel Griffin
Robbed twice against Sam Peters
@@icantthinkofacoolname1308 Roy Jones molly whopped Toney bad
@@icantthinkofacoolname1308 I had Toney winning against by Tiberi by a point.
WastedBananas if they met at cw-hw my money on Toney. Toney Not as gifted athletically, shit discipline but skill levels out of this world.
"James, touch the man's gloves. Thank you." Gotta love Smoger!
"James, touch the man's glove" 😂 Smoger said it like when moms scold kids for actin up
Stank Dookie 😂😂😂😂
my favorite boxer the one and only James "Lights out" Toney
He's undestructible baby.
Jerome Fecto ....one of the slickest fighters ever....all the tricks in the book
Ye man the only 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Vive le Quebec
All day baby
Quite possibly the greatest fight of all time. I wish each and every one of us has at least a moment where we put forth the heart and effort these guys displayed for 12 rounds.
"I'd like to thank the man upstairs," (pauses for 2 seconds to remember his name) "God."
😂😂😂
When a man's ring name is "Lights Out," you better fuckin' believe it--especially when his walkin' around name is James Toney. LEGEND!
The interview with Jim Lampley and James Toney was just too epic. 😂😂😂
One of the best fights I've ever seen! Toney was a surgeon with those gloves!
Absolute quality! Taking on a big natural talented tough cruiserwreight and closing the show like that, man what a fighter he was.
Toney won the fight though clearly.
No, he would have lost without the knockdown and point deduction. This should have been a draw with those two points.
He did. No mistake. These commentates are a joke.
Clearly won Jirov won maybe 3 rounds tops.
@@thegoldenhero how he was way more aggressive
@@danilom951 but toney was slipping and countering everything . landing more punches didn’t you hear the percentages
what a finish! both guys out on their feet! no fear! no shame in either game!
Both these men left everything in that ring. That 12th round gave me chills. Incredible heart.
Jirov was one TOUGH man.
too tough for his own good
I like jerov
He got robbed
@@GuerreroDelInfo No. He got defeated.😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
GuerreroDeLaInfo how did he get robbed, he got knocked down everyone saw it
James Toney is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Jirov is a tough dude, and Emanuel Steward is so missed.
Toney is tough.
James Toney is my favorite fighter of all time 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿that was 1 hell of a fight
I have seen a lot of fights! This is the best fight I have ever seen!
Idk know which fight lederman was watching! What a fighter toney was!
mos ab His scorecards are always questionable
+markyncole
They werent questionable. They were BULLSHIT.
Jim Lampley always side with the none black fighter.
This is why Floyd and b hop don't like him
R.I.P The Kronk Great, i love this fight i've watched it about 100 times counting James Toney is just an old school great, fighters like these have to beat themselves by not preparing right, because nobody will beat em skill for skill
I miss Toney. What a great fighter. Lights outs was one of my favorites in the early 90s when he knocked out that cocky Second to Nunn. Wish he would have unified either the middleweight or Super middleweight. Got that huge gift vs Tiberi but my favorite one of his is that war with Prince Charles Williams. His tuning up of Barkley was savage. This one was a classic too.
It's rare to see a fighter show this much courage and heart in a fight, but for both men to give all they had and put on a performance like this, it has to be called one of the greatest fights ever. Neither man was going to give in, it just happened that James Toney had the last word and the last punch as time ran out. No writer could have written this script, and no less a fighter then these 2 brave warriors could have survived the battle. I just can't say enough about both men,......….and while I'm at it, a word for one of my favorite fighters,...…….the great James Toney.
Frankly I tired long ago of the disrespect and constant criticizing that reporters dogged him with throughout his career. In this unbelievable effort and with a record of 66-4 after this win, Jim Lampley phrased this as James 'resurrecting his career'. How I ask, could his career have needed to be resurrected with 65-4 record entering the fight? I like Jim Lampley, but in this case he's wrong. Other commentators repeat the same shit in each of his fights that I've seen. They say he only fights for one minute per round, check for yourself, you won't find a fight of his whereby that comment isn't made. The fact is they're full of shit. If he fought only one minute, then his opponent must have fought all 3 minutes since they weren't criticized. How could James Toney beat damn near everyone he ever faced by fighting one minute while the opponent was fighting all 3 minutes? There is no answer for that, don't waste your time searching for one. He clearly would have lost many fights if outworked as bad as they claim. It's a damn lie started by an idiot or a prick that doesn't like Toney, then repeated in every damn fight by the idiots that followed the original idiot.
If Toney fought 30 seconds in each round and won 66 out of 70 fights, then back off and give him his due. What difference does it make if each of his fights ends with James's arm raised, and why do the lame announcers feel obligated to repeat the same old shit, making themselves look like fools and biased for some reason. Look at his career; he fought a tougher list of opponents then anyone in his era, I'll wager anyone on that. He scored more late round knockouts then anyone in 50 years, maybe in history. Late round KO's are the most difficult category to excel in all of boxing, and Toney tops the list. Not Tyson, not Foreman, not Roy Jones, not any of the biggest punchers in the game,...…...but James Toney.
Toney tops damn near every list or individual category in boxing, take a good look. Who's better defensively? Who hand more hand speed in each division he fought in ( Toney may take 2nd in hand speed through several divisions, only to the great Roy Jones Jr. ) Who had a better win-loss record, fought tougher opponents, defended his title more often, ducked nobody but challenged everyone, could box with anyone, power when he needed it, footwork and ring generalship to go with it, was knocked down only once in some 90 fights, never stopped nor close to being stopped, never beaten soundly, who,.... I ask,... can match all of this,...…...virtually nobody.
James Toney in my book, top 15 or even top 10 all-time p4p list, show me better credentials and you'll be scratching to find a very few. The announcers are too ignorant to realize that they're going out of their way to criticize one of the best fighters that ever stepped into the ring. I know a great fighter when I see one, they know how to criticize a great fighter without cause.
Toney had one of the best in fight games to ever grace the ring!
I watched this live HBO and I even recorded it VHS and I've watched it over and over again until the tape disintegrated.. I've seen a thousand fights plus this is always going to rate right up there as one of the greatest slugfest in boxing history.. you cannot script a better fight
This fight wasn't even close. Or not as close as HBO was making it, James was dominating him from the start.
Toney is one of my favorite fighters, and this is a classic fight that displays Toney's Old Skool style and ability to fight while exhausted and off instinct.
The footwork/combination that puts Jirov down in the later rounds is beautiful.
The precision 5 punch Toney knockdown is one of the finest displays of punching ever captured. From the body shot onwards, it's so precise, so well timed, it's perfection. It's almost in slow motion too as there are deliberate pauses it's just beautiful to watch. Especially considering it was right at the end of a 12 fight too. Almost anyone else would smother themselves or be punching too fast or wild.
The GREAT James Toney!!
JT is wand will always be a LEGEND!!! Top of the line in every weight class that he fought!! Defensive genius!!
Wow I just watch two warriors beat the hell out of each other.
Toney is a great defensive fighter. Jirov is relentless .
Great fight, enjoyed totally
James Toney one of the Greatest of all Time Boxers. No discussion on that.
I agree. You like to fight
Facts
Love this fight, legendary stuff. People forget how tough/skilled toney is.
Tremendous fight, a true classic. Both men were outstanding, Toney gave a masterclass of accurate counter punching while Jirov was endlessly on the offensive applying pressure. Two things added to the spectacle: the small venue and lackluster atmosphere meant the thud of the punches were really audible, and the ref let them go at it without constantly trying to separate them. Mind you there was very little holding/clinching.
Absolutely the best commentators w/Herald... MAN I miss HBO!! Great fight too! You have to give it to them both, pure heart
GO WATCH JAMES TONEY VS IRAN BARKLEY, TONEY AT HIS BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+Heartless409 168lbs WAS Toney's best fighting weight, but Toney's most impressive singular performance was his first fight against Mike McCallum; a brilliant and underrated fighter everyone avoided, but who Toney gave a shot because he never ducked anybody. Mike gave Toney all he could handle (hence, the draw), and he still got beat pretty decisively, in my opinion. Greatest. Fight. Ever. Period!
When he fought Iran, he was perfect.
Love that one too! Boxing lesson
TheMothman001 He avoided the best boxers? So Michael Nunn, Mike (before he went crazy) and Roy weren’t the best in divisions at that time?
@@apricotmadness4850 When did Mike McCallum become crazy?
Toney was one a them Characters man who just didn't give a damn, he'll fight anyone, but @ the same time, he was extremely skillful. He was a.marvel of a fighter to watch .
I think Jirov's head is made out of solid granite.
@Jason Voorhees yes he can
@Jason Voorhees Micheal MYERS said James toney had
47 knock outs
@Jason Voorhees Micheal MYERS said has snap to his punches doesn't ko his opponent with one punch,he likes to punish his opponent before knocking them out
@Jason Voorhees 47 kos he can punch he's capable of knocking you out,and sending you jason voorhees back to camp crystal light(oops) I meant crystal lake.But he likes to break your will,before knocking his opponents out.James Toney just utilizes his power by beating the body and head.MichealMyers has spoken.
Get the fuck outtta here ^^^^ Keyboard warrior getting brave from his mums basement😂😂😂 Fucking loser!
Thank you! James lights out Toney!
Absolute.Talent!..
Top 10 fighters of all time!..
Say what u want...Toney was tough/skilled..old school no clench wrkn off angles to land a knockout shot ..either hand@..fought anyone..in my personal as all time top.5....if u have top 5 midweight let's here em..
What an amazing fight - the judges lopsided score is an example of the contrast between working harder & working smarter. That Russian Tiger is an animal, no doubt - dude is obviously trained to fight himself right down to the death. Toney however is one of my favorite boxers - such an incredibly intelligent fighter, his defense is great...never takes shots upstairs, only real way to work him is downstairs like Jirov was trying to do. Toney is the best counter puncher though, Jirov insane work ethic was being met with precise conter retaliation strikes.
The judges REALLY got this one right. Aggressiveness is NOT the same as effective aggressiveness. The gulf in skill and craft between these two fighters was insurmountable for a crude and unpolished fighter like Jirov. Toney is one of the most guileful, intelligent, and technical fighters I have ever seen. Period. If he simply would've trained for the Jones fight and not gorged himself to 205 lbs after the Williams win, not only would he have beaten Jones, but he would've knocked him out. His best fighting weight was 168. To see sharpness and brilliance like nothing else, obviously check out the Barkley fight, but also his fights against Ricky Thomas, Daniel Garcia, Anthony Hembrick, Tim Littles and Charles Williams. Inspiringly brilliant.
***** Don't forget his great win against Michael Nunn and the tough win against Mccallum. He fought Mccallum 3 times with 2 wins and a draw. Mccallum was one tough fighter. Toney came on strong against Nunn and knocked him out in the 11th round, similar to this fight.
MrMarco855 /I agree this was one of his best fights besides Michael Nunn / jirov fought a good fight also but I thought this fight was closer than 117 -109 jirov did win some rounds it wasn't a stut out
Roy would have always given Toney problems simply because of his speed and agility. Toney's slow feet were his only real weakness, and his reliance on excellent upper body movement doesn't exactly lend itself to quick angle changes. Roy was just too quick for him, though it's fair to say Toney was the better technician. I believe there are few better in the history of boxing.
I think calling Jirov crude is a bit harsh, he did some good work in this fight. Toney is just so much more advanced than most boxers.
B. N. Willis kind of. It's still a boxing match, and you still have to throw.
So Toney landed over a hundred more shots than Jirov going into the 12th yet Letterman had Jirov ahead on his card?
largelester I agree. Toney kicked jirov' ass all night. Lou Duva and some other guy at ringside were yelling after the fight, asking what fight the judges were watching. What fight were you watching Duva? Jirov missed a ton of punches, and most of the ones he landed were pitty pat. Toney landed half of his punches overall, and most of them were hard shots. The proof is who went down in the end. Jirov could have punched toney for 6 more rounds and Toney wasn't going anywhere. He's got a tough chin, fast hands, good power, ring smarts and a great defense. One of the all-time greats, no question about it. Toney kicked everyone's ass in 5 divisions; who can top that? After this fight toney was 67 and 4. Look at his record, he fought a lot of tough guys. 2 of those losses were close decisions against Montel Griffin, and I think Toney won both of them. His only other losses were to Roy Jones and a very close majority decision loss to Drake Thadzi. That's as good a career as anyone, especially considering the top level opponents he fought in 5 weight divisions. James toney was an underdog going into this fight? I wouldn't make him an underdog against anyone back then, except for Roy Jones jr., another all-time great. Even though Jones beat Toney, I still rank Toney ahead of Jones all things considered. I don't think anyone was better during his career, with Julio Cesar Chavez , Duran, Hearns , Leonard, Arguello, and Roy Jones being right up there also. Toney went 9 and 5 after this fight as he aged and fought tough heavyweights. That's still a great accomplishment given his relatively over weight condition and his age.
Wrong way Harold at it again. I was with him at first, but when Harold gave 6 and 7 to Jirov I was done. CLEAN EFFECTIVE PUNCHES win rounds not a bunch of arm punches and whiffs. How can you be in the boxing game as long as him and not know that.
@@johnathanandrus6586 Damn straight. Lederman must have forgotten his glasses that night. To be fair, watching that live, it must have been difficult at times to see how much more effective Toney was. So much of the action was on the inside and Jirov never stopped coming forward. The first time I watched the fight, I gave the Jirov the 9th but watching that round again, it was clear that all of the solid punches were landed by Toney, who also had nearly a 4-1 connect rate.
Tenth round, I mean.
Compubox is bs
OMG! WHAT A FIGHT. WHAT! A! FIGHT!
Toney clearly won, those punches jirov were throwing were rolling Off toneys shoulders
i agree. bad judging
the anonymous I cannot stand judges who are fooled by ineffective aggression, and Harold Lederman is among the worst of offenders in that regard. Good thing he isn't an _actual_ judge.
he fought so slickits crazy
Yeah but in their defense it can't be easy to do it ringside when the boxers have their backs turned to them half the time and Toney makes people miss by such small margins.
true, the damage done is overwhelming
Both Floyd Mayweather and James utilize the shoulder roll- brilliantly.
What are the differences?
Toney:
1. Ducks much more.
2. Rotates his torso, sometimes to the point
where he is almost southpaw without ever moving his legs,
and sometimes has his back facing his opponent.
3. Is smooth and seamless during all rotations.
4. Constantly repositioning his right hand,
so you never know which angle its coming from.
5. Continuously and fluidly keeps throwing punches.
Mayweather:
1. Only ducks when he is in a corner, and always to his right.
2. Slides in and out linearly at his opponent when in the center of the ring.
Uses distance as defense.
3. Is a lot stiffer and more angular in body movement than Toney.
4. Floyd's reactions are quicker, he goes into a tighter shell,
but Toney gives you so many more looks and is always in transition.
Toney has some Dmitry Pirog and Willie Pep in him.
5. Throws few punches. Studies his opponents. Waits for counters.
Toney don't clinch he a beast on the inside
Not pirog toney came before him he mostly likely studied Toney
How’s the experience of manny steward saying from early on in the fight James needs to throw his left hook more often
Manny Stewart was to boxing commentary what Hubie Brown is to the NBA: You feel like you’re in a classroom listening to them.
Nights like these are the reason I became fanatical about the fight game. Unbelievable action! Absolutely loved James Toney!
thank you for the FULL fight with EVERYTHING on it.
Freddie Roachs cornerwork was absolutely magnificent in this fight
"Roy Jones beat him because Roy is just Roy." lol
Adrian21 well, not entirely true. JT had to battle weight before battling in the ring with Roy. Roy even admitted that JT had a disadvantage with the weight making. Nonetheless, I think Roy probably still would have won. I still would have loved to watch both of them in the ring while both at 💯.
@@jpeso8374 thing is JT was doing that even before Roy. If your going to fight an athletic, blazing fast boxer with power, don't you take training seriously? JT is an amazing boxer and I don't think the weight beat him, I think Roy was just Roy especially in the super middleweight class
joe sixtoe yes, I do think he took it as serious as he could. When a fighter can’t make weight anymore-he just can’t-no matter how serious he may take it. Just when like Diego Corrales criticized Castillo for not making weight but it was too much on Castillo’s body. Later on Diego Corrales now understood because he had to undergo the same thing when fighting I believe the “3rd” fight against Casamayor. It was the same case with JT-hence to why he moved up to light heavyweight after the Roy Jones fight.
@@jpeso8374 I agree it gets hard, I mean its probably why a lot of fighters move up too. But to be beaten as bad as Toney was, I think it's a little unfair to just blame it on the weight.
@@jpeso8374 He moved up to avoid Roy again! FACT! Then when Roy got to LHW were was Toney, exactly!
Thanks for uploading this fight! I remember taping this and the Tarver vs Griffin fight before this. Lost the tape during Hurricane Katrina & always missed watching this!
Who won that Tarver and Griffin fight
@Sherrill Raymond Tarver. He pitched a shutout...
@@creoleDJ thanks. I got to find that one
@Sherrill Raymond czcams.com/video/BqMr5mX7B0s/video.html
That old Boxing After Dark opening part brought me waaaaay back. I’m gonna need a minute...
Master of defense!
The Living Legend James Toney!
James Toney in fighting master . Great fight by Jirov as well .
What a great fight. This fight cemented James Toney as one of the top 100 greatest fighters of all time. This was James Toney 2.0 reload. After a couple of setbacks and bad outings, he kept moving on forward and re-established his career. This fight gotta be the fight of the year for 2003.
One of my favorite fights from the career of James Toney!
I was in 11th grade watching it by myself in my living room when I jumped to my feet in the 12 th round and I ripped the zipper off my high school baseball jacket. I've been watching fights for 17 years, televised and live and I haven't before or since ever had that reaction during a fight, especially a 12th and final round.
"I'm the king of John Madden too!" 😂😂
HELL OF A LAST 2 MINS!!! HELL YEAH!!! Toney an all-time favorite of mine.
This fight was ridiculous I watched in real time, props to both.
DAMN!! That 12th round was AMAZING!!
I really believe this nigga is the G.O.A.T
I've probably watched this entire fight about five times now. This fight was absolutely amazing to watch. Both men dead tired, Jirov swinging and landing, Toney slipping and landing. For Toney to knock him down and Jirov to even get up while that tired showed the heart they both had. Most people don't know about this fight. I kind of like it that way. It's one of my best kept secrets.
Great audio on this! Thanks.
Toney was an all-time great. Too bad that he kept putting 'all-you-can-eat' restaurants out of business. Duran had the same problem. I can see a trainer walking into their rooms as they try to hide a roast ham under their pillow and the trainer shouts, 'That's not what I meant when I said you had to be hungry!'
Brilliant comment bud. That was Toney's big weakness, absolute junk food junky. If he had worked the same way he had worked training for Nunn, and even halfed his fast food diet, the man would've been undefeated. What a natural talent, proper old school throw back.
Lol
Ha ha ha.
@david wolf That's interesting. I'd love to see the article (I'm writing a book on Toney). Even after his early fights though, the first thing Toney always says is, 'I'm going to go out now and eat some Burger King!' Didn't help that his mom owned a bakery.
@@martytdd1606 The Barkley fight aswell he was in tremendous shape for
Lampley: Jirov has dominated the 11th rd? WTF is he watching?
Even roach told Tony he was outworked, Jirov want the 11th round.
11 was questionable. Dominate lol not so much.
thank you so much for uploading this fight. great quallity!
Lights out always my fav fighter had it all and those shoulder rolls and counters man he was the bomb!!
It would have been great to see Toney and Hopkins fight when they were both middleweights!
donna edwards Hopkins wanted nothing to do with Toney!
Hopkins was too "green" at that time.
Mw Toney beats da shyt outta Hopkins n I like B-hop besides da antics
I thought the judges were exactly right. Toney so much outclassed Jirov. He made him miss so much that it really wasn't a close fight.
Juror was relentless in his pressure, but Toney's shoulder roll...
High quality picture.
High quality fight.
Good work guys.
Wow, this was a great fight!
A Philly shell is such a more efficient way to fight. The theory states that your jab will be faster if lead hand is up and you will have better defense. But a lot of times it is easier to land jabs from a lowered front hand position (Philly shell) because your opponent does not see the hand coming from that angle. For defense, having the lower hand significantly lowers the center of mass, so it easier to move the head and foot work gets better as well: dodging punches. Toney has had a long career as well.
interesting point, i like this style also I feel like using this type of guard correctly makes it possible to block body and head almost simultaneously, with the correct head movement and body control... Not an easy style to use effectively but, a very effective defensive style
This fight demonstrates the reason why Floyd doesn't want to fight Pacman.Its difficult to roll versus a southpaw.But Toney has far more tricks in his book than just rolling.His ability to avoid punches is simply amazing.Even whit his hands down.
And his counter punching is unbelievable.
rufus Zufall well i guess thats what seperates Toney from Mayweather. Though, Mayweather may have superior relexes, Toney has something, that like Power, like Speed can only be born with. And thats a Radar.Nicolino Locche had it. George Benton had it. "His ability to avoid punches is simply amazing". Thats his Radar at work. Much like how Gaaras sand protects him from oncoming attacks, Toney is able to move within an inch of a punch.. without his doing. It comes naturally. And I find that fascinating.
It's a great style if you got quick enough reflexes, otherwise you're better off with the conventional 2 hands up defense
***** Are you the "Alex Kwok", the well known My Jhong Law Horn practitioner?
James Toney is so underrated
This Fight does not get talked About what a fight one of the best fight I've seen
That body shot at 1:03:05 is what did it for Toney.
Nice catch. Didn't notice the first time I watched.
What body shot? You mean the left at 1:03:07?
The left to the body that made him drop his elbow before throwing the left up top
Hell yes!!! I watch that body shot over and over again!!!
Michael Williams that body shit and first right hand finally broke Jirov
I know he had a decent amount of KO wins but man Jirov’s punches had absolutely no pop to them whatsoever in this match.
Yeah Jirov's punches looked really slappy in this fight. Also no jab and constantly drops his hands when he moves his head especially his right hand.
Dear James, I love & miss you brother, and wanna see You again !!!!!!! You are Wonderful Man !!!!!!!!
This is the Best action fight I'd ever seen. I'm glad I got to watch it live on HBO :)
real good fight
"I'm the king of John Madden too!!" James Toney
We played Madden for a Hundo a game back then
That shot to the ribs given to Jirov by Toney was the game changer at the end. Toney changed the punching pattern that Jirov was tuned into.
Yup left to to the body then head with the left and follows with the overhand right. It was beautiful
Wow. Jesus Christ. Thank you guys. I know someone already said it but Emmanuel Steward was reason enough to watch. Passion and love he had for boxing was awesome. He is so missed. I got emotional listening to him in 12.