First off I need to state that I'm totally against James Toney Stepping into the octagon. The whole reason that it took me so long to write about the subject is that the thought of James Toney in the UFC makes me sick to my stomach. I don't write about mma because I'm not a fan of the sport. I don't hate it or think it should be banned. People can like any sport they want including mma, remember this is America. Many people never talk about religion or politics because the subjects are so explosive. I wont engage in the whole boxing vs. mma argument for the same reasons. I'm not hating on James he can make his money anyway he likes. I'm his biggest fan, I have never wrote about him in a negative light. Growing up in Detroit I have seen him box in person many times, and have followed his career from the beginning. As we know boxing and mma are 2 totally different worlds. The only thing James will accomplish with his UFC contract will further the divide between mma and boxing. All the hardcore boxing people will say there sport is better, and the same will be said for mma. Mma fighters can't just get their boxing licenses and just step in there with top competition, they would get crushed. The only thing James has going for him is a puncher's chance. If anyone stands with him they will get knocked out. No one in mma history has even a tenth of the boxing skill the James once had. Having said that if the fight goes to the ground it will be the other way around. Boxers and other sports figures have failed when they have tried other sports. Remember how silly M.J. looked when he tried his hand at baseball. They have faced and failed many times against fighters from other disciplines. Many ex-champions have tried there hand at pro wrestling after they ran out of money, including Primo Carnera, and even the great Joe Louis. Don't get me wrong I'm not comparing mma to pro wrestling, no actually I am. I'm just pointing out that when the money is gone and they can't get any more fights they do things that can be degrading, embarrassing, ridiculous, and have no business doing. There have been many rumors concerning James Toney and who he may fight in his UFC debut. It looks like Randy Couture could be the man to step in the octagon with James in UFC 118. I think this fight is purposeless and it wont help either fighters legacy, it will only hurt it. So what is James gets a KO against Randy it will be meaningless because he is a boxer and that is what he is supposed to do. If James wins you will have the boxing guys say I told you we are better then mma. The same goes for Randy if he grounds and pounds James it wont mean anything either because he is a Greco-Roman Wrestler. The same will be said for the mma community, they will be claiming dominance over boxing. Randy is a legend in the mma world and has done many things to further the sport as a whole, so why would he want to be involved in a freak show like this. James Toney is a sure-fire International Boxing Hall of Famer. So why would he make a move to mma? Either he needs money or he can't give up the fact he is old and passed his prime, and can't give up the spot light. Fighters think they are invincible and that is what gets them into trouble. It is hard for people to leave behind the sports they love, it is much harder for fighters. Sports stars from other sports can hang on and hide their loss of skill behind their team members. You can't do this in boxing, or fighting in general. This whole signing of James Toney to the UFC is simply about money and PPV buys. It doesn't matter if people are talking positively, or negatively about this situation, The important thing is they are talking period. Publicity in any form is good, because publicity is money. It is so funny to me that Dana White tries to distance himself from the mistakes that boxing has made in the past. He is using the same underhanded tricks that crooked boxing promoters have used in the past. Trying to control fighters with their contracts, and capitalizing on it for his own good while the fighters suffer. What I'm trying to say is that it is all b.s., it is all about you can get the biggest pile of money. Maybe Freddie Roach was right when he said that the people at UFC were just using James as a pawn to argue mma is better than boxing. I'm sure James will barley train for his UFC fight. He is one of the most stubborn fighters in recent history. He is well known for his lack of training, so why would it be different in the UFC. Since he has signed with the UFC Jonathan Banks has called him out. This whole thing is just a publicity stunt to get James name back in the headlines so he can get another big fight. The only thing is it could do more damage then good.
2 comments:
what if toney takes couture down? what if couture knocks toney down? i think you are under the assumption that mma fighters have no boxing skills. mma has come a long way in terms of producing very well rounded fighters. not every mma fighter's boxing will be at the level of a professional boxer's, but that certainly doesn't mean that if couture stands with toney he will get knocked out. i'm sure that toney is training wrestling and jiu jitsu as well if he plans to fight someone like couture. he would be a fool not to.
It certainly does, Toney has about the best chin in boxing, and Randy has a weak chin. Toney hasn't even been seriously hurt in 80 fights, where Randy has been knocked out multiple times. Some mma fighters have some boxing skills, not at a pro level. Trust me he is not training that hard.
Post a Comment