Hall of Fame inductee James Toney shared the ring with many legendary fighters throughout the course of his storied professional career.
The Michigan-native enjoyed an outstanding time as an amateur before entering the paid ranks back in 1988, embarking on an impressive professional career which stretched across four decades.
Toney would go on to become a three-weight world champion along the way, with the bulk of his success coming during the 1990s where he reigned as the IBF world champion at middleweight and super-middleweight respectively.
Whilst he suffered his fair share of defeats, Toney racked up a number of legacy defining victories during his tenure, defeating fighters such as Iran Barkley, Mike McCallum, Anthony Hembrick and Evander Holyfield to name just a few.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, ‘Lights Out’ didn’t hesitate to reveal fellow countryman and three-division world champion McCallum as the best fighter that he ever crossed paths with, overlooking the likes of Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins.
“Mike McCallum – 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.”
McCallum is widely considered to be one of the best fighters of his era. Known for his incredible toughness, the three-weight world champion from Jamaica shared the ring with many legendary fighters during his career, including Jones Jr, Steve Collins and Milton McCrory amongst a number of others.
His final record stood at 49 wins, 5 defeats and 1 draw, with 36 of those wins coming by knockout. He sadly passed away in May 2025 at the age of 68.
