James Toney fought both Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr, but says one man stands above both men in skillset.
A three-weight world champion, Toney’s title-winning work at 160, 168 and 200 pounds allowed him to face some of the best of a generation, as well as all time. He would also try his hand at heavyweight, stopping Holyfield in his divisional debut.
Another all time great he stepped through the ropes with was Jones Jr down at super-middleweight, but that was not his night and he lost his IBF belt via unanimous decision.
‘Lights Out’ assessed his 92-fight record with the Ring Magazine and overlooked both Hall of Famers to name Mike McCallum as the best he ever faced.
“That’s an easy choice, right off the top of my head it’s the Body Snatcher – Mike McCallum. 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.
“I gotta go with McCallum because he was a master boxer who wasn’t afraid to stand his ground. Nunn was mostly fast. I admit that he outboxed me for about nine rounds, but my body shots slowed him down. I told him during the fight ‘I’m gonna catch you!’ And I did.”
McCallum first drew with Toney in 1991 at middleweight, lost in 1992 in the same division and was defeated again five years later at cruiserweight. Toney said he is the only opponent he ‘truly respects,’ branding him smarter and more courageous than all of his other rivals, particularly Jones, who he is convinced he would beat with proper preparation.
Three-weight world champion McCallum was a highly skilled and often underrated Jamaican fighter who won belts at super welter, middle, and light heavyweight.
Known for his exceptional technique and devastating body punches, McCallum was a formidable opponent who consistently challenged himself against top competition throughout the 1980s and 90s, not least Toney. In his five defeats, he was never finished early.
McCallum faced Jones in the latter’s light-heavyweight debut, losing via clear unanimous decision and suffering a knockdown in the process.
