James “Lights Out” Toney’s status in the world of boxing should be secure.
His career record stands 72-6-3 with two no contests and 44 wins coming by way of knockout. He’s a former world champion in four weight classes, and he’s the current NABO and IBF heavyweight champion.
And he’s the newest member of the Ultimate Fighting Championships.
Since the sport of mixed martial arts started gaining in popularity and mainstream exposure, there’s been a debate about which combat-sport was better: boxing or MMA.
And the natural follow-up question — would a boxer beat an MMA fighter and vice versa in each respective sport?
The answer of “it depends on the rules” didn’t seem to appease many. If an MMA fighter competes in a boxing match, the odds should favor the boxer, and if a boxer competes in MMA then, in theory, the MMA fighter should have the advantage.
Another former heavyweight champion, “Merciless” Ray Mercer, also has ventured into the MMA world. He had an exhibition fight against Kevin Ferguson, aka Kimbo Slice, and was submitted in the first round in June 2007. Mercer then fought former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and duked Sylvia within the first 10 seconds of the first round.
Mercer’s bouts were on smaller shows. Toney is jumping right into the deep end of the sport with the UFC.
Toney’s first fight date and opponent have yet to be named, but odds have Toney’s debut being sometime this summer.
Now, Mercer showed the obvious, that a boxer’s punching power can translate very well from the ring to the cage. He also displayed this against Sylvia, who hasn’t scored a takedown since 2004.
Toney possesses KO power. But will he develop the other skills necessary to make it in mixed martial arts?
Indianapolis’ Chris “Lights Out” Lytle has been famous for stand-up wars in his recent outings. But in his last fight at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 21, Lytle scored a submission victory on Brian Foster via kneebar.
Lytle has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He’s also a former pro-boxer, but he started out as a wrestler in high school.
Arguably the UFC’s most famous fighter is former light-heavyweight champion “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell. Liddell’s preferred style of fighting is called sprawl and brawl. During his title reign, Liddell won five straight fights by either KO or technical knockout in a 20-month stretch.
While Liddell’s bread and butter is kickboxing, he also has a background in wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
The point here is that you cannot be one-dimensional and hope to have a continuous streak of success.
Toney is 41 years old and has been boxing his entire professional fighting life. Can he make the transition? Time will tell.
Contact Quintin Harlan: 640-4835, quintin.harlan@heraldbulletin.com.
