Boxing: Toney vs. Booker: Toney’s Last Pass

It was reported last week in The Detroit Free Press that former IBF Middleweight, Super-middleweight, and Cruiserweight Champ James "Lights Out" Toney (67-4-2, 43 KOs) will be fighting later this year. His opponent is Cruiserweight Rydell Booker (22-0, 12 KOs) and the fight is scheduled for September 23rd. The bout will take place at the Pechanga Casino outside of San Diego and will be shown on Fox Sports. At stake will be the IBA Heavyweight title.

This will be Toney's first bout since stopping a severely eroded legend named Evander Holyfield last year. Since beating Holyfield, Toney has made Boxing headlines for two reasons. The first being that he ruptured his Achilles Tendon while training for a scheduled bout with Heavyweight contender Jameel McCline, the other is because he's been calling out every top fighter in Boxing from Middleweight to Heavyweight. No doubt when James Toney is on his verbal game, he's every bit as funny as he is good in the ring. However, I'm somewhat disappointed in Toney's choice of Booker for his opponent. Although after suffering a serious injury like an Achilles tear, maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe in his first fight back he shouldn't fight an upper-tier fighter, just in case he's not completely healed. It's just that Toney talks so much trash, that when you hear that he's fighting, you're let down if it's not against Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson, Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, or even Jameel McCline. At least I know I am.