Hall of Famer James Toney once made his feelings about two legendary heavyweights clear, branding them ‘cowards.’
The Michigan-native is widely considered to be one of the best fighters of his generation, winning world titles in three weight classes throughout the course of his 29-year professional career.
The bulk of his success came during the 1990s where he reigned as the IBF world champion at both middleweight and super-middleweight, defeating the likes of Anthony Hembrick, Tony Thornton and Mike McCallum.
He eventually made the move up to cruiserweight where he captured the IBF world title in April of 2003 when he defeated Vassiliy Jirov via unanimous decision at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
Toney later campaigned at heavyweight, fighting to a close majority decision draw against former heavyweight champion and countryman Hasim Rahman in 2006. Prior to that, he had beat John Ruiz via decision to win the WBA belt, though the result was overturned to a no contest due to Toney failing a doping test.
Known for his legendary trash talk, Toney was never short of a few harsh words to say about potential opponents.
Two fighters in particular that he showed an interest in facing were Ukrainian brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who rose to fame during the early-to-mid 2000s.
Speaking in an interview with Boxing Scene in 2010, Toney accused Wladimir of avoiding a showdown with him.
“Klitschko knows how a fight with me will finish. After the fight, he would definitely need the help of a doctor because I would brutally abuse Klitschko. The first [brother] and then on to the second. To do this, all they have to do is forget their fear and step in the ring against me.”
Just one year later, ahead of his fight with Damon Reed, Toney continued his attack on both Wladimir and Vitali, branding them both as ‘garbage’.
“Everybody talks about the Klitschkos are great. People who know boxing for real know they’re garbage … I’ve got the best skills in the game. Nobody can touch me. You know why the heavyweight division is so terrible? Because all these supposed world champions are cowards. They let these Klitschkos fight nobody over there. I’ve been chasing them for seven years. Even now, they won’t fight me.”
The Klitschko brothers enjoyed outstanding success during their respective professional careers, with many fans and analysts regarding them as being two of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
During ‘the Klitschko era’, Vitali held the WBC heavyweight title for most of his career (2004–2013), while his younger brother Wladimir unified the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, reigning from 2006 to 2015. Together they dominated the heavyweight division, rarely challenged and never fighting each other, creating a long period of near-total control marked by discipline, skill, and strategic mastery.
