James Toney vs. Thomas Hearns?

Question

At 168.

Answer 1

Would have been a good fight but the give away here is that Hearns chin is suspect and Toney may have one of the better chins in boxing history.  

This is Toney's fight to lose.  If he isn't busy he loses.  If he pressures Hearns, Hearns is KO'd before the end of the fight.

I'm a Hearns fan so I would like to see Hearns win this one but Toney has a major chin advantage.

Answer 2

Hearns is royalty in my circles, and always will be.  At his last fight, I sat with his family at ring side, and we all breathed a sigh of relief when the fight ended, I actually got a kiss on the cheek from Tommy's Aunt, just a peck on the cheek from an old lady, chaste and honorable under the watchful eye of her husband in relief at the fact that the fight ended in Tommy's favor without any injury to either fighter, but it illustrates the feeling talk of Hearns invokes in me.  Everyone there knew Tommy had no business in the ring at his age.  When your fans and family care more about your personal safety than they do the outcome of the fight, it's really time to retire.  We respect James Toney in Detroit, we love Thomas Hearns.  This is why most of Tommy's fans hope to never see Hearns fight professionally again.  One Holyfield in a lifetime is enough, boxing is not an old man's profession.  

James Toney is exactly what he presents, a gifted and brash, abrasive fighter who tends to let his mouth outrun his brain sometimes.  When he told Don King to kiss his A$$ after the Nunn fight he was just being James and it cost him millions.  Few if any ever got any kind of respect out of him, the obnoxious attitude plagued an otherwise spectacular boxing career.  He passed up a golden opportunity to repair his reputation with the public after the Holyfield fight, all he had to do was show Evander some love, thank Evander for the opportunity to fight him and all would have been forgiven, but instead James took the thug route and simply called "Next:".  I shook my head and remembered the brand new middle weight champion of the world who got chased around the Galaxy gym with a curling bar by an irate father because of his disrespectful attitude.  Same James, he hadn't changed a bit.  James was a gifted boxer, a 9 time world champ from middleweight to heavyweight, and is a legitimate hall of famer in his own right, much respected for his boxing accomplishments, but he never dropped the punk attitude, and it hurt him from time to time worse than Tarick's dad would have with the bar.  Politeness was not one of Jame's strong suits, but in the boxing ring it is not an issue, it only matters before or after, not during a boxing match.

At 147 Tommy was the hardest punching welterweight in history, and knocked out Dennis Andres at 175 for a light heavyweight title, so at 168 Tommy was still dangerous.  But if James could take Samuel Peter's shots at heavyweight, odds are good James could take Tommy's as well.  There is no question Tommy at 168 against James at 168 would have been a spectacular fight between two master boxers.  Tommy's ring skills were often over looked because of that booming right hand of his, but Hearns was every bit the elite boxer that James was.  The Barkley comparison is the deciding factor, and while Iran beat Tommy twice, James destroyed Iran, so as much as I hate to admit it, I lean towards James Toney in this one.  James gave  Roy Jones Jr. a tough close fight when Roy was all but invincible, and is still a force in boxing even now.  I think James would have been too strong for Tommy.  If Iran Barkley could KO then decision Hearns, so could James Toney.

Answer 3

at there prime its gotta be "the motor city cobra" all day long.

Toney was great but Hearns was and is a legend whilst still fighting in prime and has cmented himself in the hall of fame in my eyes.

any1 who can knock out Duran the way he Hearns did in 2 rounds is gonna knock Toney out in 4

Answer 4

I Like The Name Kieran So I'll Say Toney Would Win

Answer 5

James Toney KO 11 Thomas Hearns.

Answer 6

Nah, I cant give this one to Hearns.

Hearns is more natural below 160, his edge in power shaves off more and more. Think about the blows he threw at Marvin Hagler...had he thrown those kinds of bombs at Sugar Ray Leonard, he may have detached his eye earlier...at a smaller weight.

Id have to nod this one off on Toney.

Answer 7

Very good question and not easy to answer.  As much as I am a huge Hearns fan I think Toney would have the edge at 168.  At 160 I like Hearns.  However, by the time he rose to 168 Hearns struggled in fights he would have won otherwise.  

Toney was as destructive as Iran Barkley but a much better technician.  At 160 Michael Nunn easily out boxed Toney.  He had better foot work than Hearns but Hearns was better in all other areas.  Nunn was faster but Hearns threw straighter and harder punches and worried none about being ''cute'' (which is what got Nunn KO'd).  Toney wasn't yet the seasoned pro he would later become.  

Toney killed himself to make 160.  He, like Benitez, was young and didn't have the best dicipline.  He was much more comfortable at 168.  Hearns was great up to 160.  Past that he was good enough to get the job done (and beat Leonard, though he didn't get the decision).  Most of the guys Tommy fought at 168-175 were good but not potentially great.  

At 160 Hearns by KO in 6

At 168 (if Toney trains) Toney by KO in 11

Answer 8

At middleweight tommy would have had the physical advantages and a better offense with James having the better defense for sure.  At the end of the day Tommy was a master boxer who could punch and Toney was a master counterpuncher with a good chin but he could be dropped and Tommy didnt let many guys off the hook throughout his career.  Tommy wins by senational KO or by comfortable decision (Toney was no Wilfred Benitez).