“Lights Out” is coming out of retirement to take on a former WBO title challenger.
The trend of boxing stars of yesteryear competing in 2021 continues.
Former IBF boxing champion and one-time UFC fighter [autotag]James Toney[/autotag] (77-10-3) is the latest to reenter competition. “Lights Out,” who turned 53 in August, will compete against former WBO title challenger Jeremy Williams (43-5-1) at an upcoming Celebrity Championship Boxing event.
The card is expected to take place on Oct. 23 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the promotion recently announced. MMA Junkie confirmed with a promotion official the fight will be an exhibition with six two-minute rounds. The event will stream on FITE TV pay-per-view.
A full lineup for the event is expected to be announced in the coming days.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTz-DaWPyw1/
Toney has not competed in boxing since May 2017 when he won the vacant World Boxing Foundation heavyweight title against Mike Sheppard and promptly retired. Since his lone MMA fight, a first-round submission loss to former two-division UFC champion Randy Couture at UFC 118 in August 2010, Toney has boxed nine times, going 5-4.
Williams, 49, has only competed once since 2007. The lone match during that stretch came against since-deceased UFC alumnus Travis Fulton.
Boxing Junkie was able to link Mike Tyson to one of his idols, Jack Dempsey, in only seven steps.
Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.
In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.
We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”
Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.
In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, we decided to link Mike Tyson — who is set for a comeback against Roy Jones Jr. on Nov. 28 — and a fighter he has always admired, the legendary Jack Dempsey.
Tyson and Dempsey had a lot in common in the ring. They were both ferocious, powerful knockout machines who captured the imagination of fans worldwide and have evolved into legends.
Even their records were similar. Dempsey finished 54-6-8, Tyson 50-6. And, believe it or not, they both had 44 knockouts.
The question for the purposes of this feature: Could we link them by opponents even though Tyson retired 78 years after Dempsey did? Turns out we could. And, remarkably, it took only seven steps.
Check it out:
Jack Dempsey fought …
Jack Sharkey, who fought …
Joe Louis, who fought …
Rocky Marciano, who fought …
Archie Moore, who fought …
Muhammad Ali, who fought …
Larry Holmes, who fought …
Mike Tyson
For fun, we wanted to know how many steps it would take to connect Jones with Dempsey. We did it in nine. Have a look:
Jack Dempsey fought …
Jack Sharkey, who fought …
Joe Louis, who fought …
Rocky Marciano, who fought …
Archie Moore, who fought …
Muhammad Ali, who fought …
Larry Holmes, who fought …
Evander Holyfield, who fought …
James Toney, who fought …
Roy Jones Jr.
Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!
Boxing Junkie was able to link Mike Tyson to one of his idols, Jack Dempsey, in only seven steps.
Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.
In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.
We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”
Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.
In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, we decided to link Mike Tyson — who is set for a comeback against Roy Jones Jr. on Nov. 28 — and a fighter he has always admired, the legendary Jack Dempsey.
Tyson and Dempsey had a lot in common in the ring. They were both ferocious, powerful knockout machines who captured the imagination of fans worldwide and have evolved into legends.
Even their records were similar. Dempsey finished 54-6-8, Tyson 50-6. And, believe it or not, they both had 44 knockouts.
The question for the purposes of this feature: Could we link them by opponents even though Tyson retired 78 years after Dempsey did? Turns out we could. And, remarkably, it took only seven steps.
Check it out:
Jack Dempsey fought …
Jack Sharkey, who fought …
Joe Louis, who fought …
Rocky Marciano, who fought …
Archie Moore, who fought …
Muhammad Ali, who fought …
Larry Holmes, who fought …
Mike Tyson
For fun, we wanted to know how many steps it would take to connect Jones with Dempsey. We did it in nine. Have a look:
Jack Dempsey fought …
Jack Sharkey, who fought …
Joe Louis, who fought …
Rocky Marciano, who fought …
Archie Moore, who fought …
Muhammad Ali, who fought …
Larry Holmes, who fought …
Evander Holyfield, who fought …
James Toney, who fought …
Roy Jones Jr.
Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez, which takes place Saturday, is one of the best-possible matchups in boxing.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Vasiliy Lomacheko (right) and Teofimo Lopez will meet again on Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I don’t usually look ahead in Good, Bad, Worse but I couldn’t resist this week.
Last month, the talented Charlo brothers gave us high-level performances to remember on a pay-per-view doubleheader. This coming Saturday, we have another mouth-watering main event to savor. And you don’t have to pay for it if you get ESPN.
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez is about as good as it gets, a matchup of a seasoned boxing magician from Ukraine against a fiery young American with his own gifts who believes his time is now.
Lomachenko, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, fought for a world title in his second pro fight (losing to Orlando Salido) and hasn’t slowed down. Every one of his 13 subsequent fights has been for one world title or another.
Yes, you read that correctly: 14 of Lomachenko’s 15 outings have been title fights. He said when he turned pro that he wanted to take part only in meaningful fights and he meant it.
Some believe that the 32-year-old has shown signs of vulnerability over the past few years, specifically in victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell at lightweight that might’ve been more difficult than expected.
If he has slipped, age could be a factor. So could size. Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) progressed rapidly from 126 to 130 to 135. He’s arguably a small lightweight, which Lopez believes will work in his favor when they’re face to face inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.
Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) has the same number of pro fights as Lomachenko but hasn’t faced the same level of opposition, although he’s coming off a second-round knockout of Richard Commey to win one of the 135-pound titles. And while Lopez had a good amateur career, Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic champion, is considered one of the best amateurs ever.
Lopez, 23, has youth and a combination of other attributes – skill, speed, punching power, hunger – working in his favor. Many believe he has what it takes to beat this, perhaps slightly less formidable version of Lomachenko.
I, for one, can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
***
BAD
Emanuel Navarrete (right) got the job against Ruben Villa done but didn’t look as good as some expected. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I wouldn’t say that Emanuel Navarrete’s performance against Ruben Villa on Friday was bad. It just wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from him. And he might never be the fighter at 126 pounds that he was at 122.
Navarrete (32-1, 27 KOs) got off to a strong start at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, putting Villa (18-1, 5 KOs) down twice in the first four rounds but then did just enough to hold onto his lead and win a vacant featherweight title. Two judges scored it 114-112, six rounds a piece. The third scored it 115-111.
Villa arguably outboxed in the majority of rounds in which he wasn’t knocked down, demonstrating that a good, experienced technician with some resilience can give Navarrete trouble.
The Mexican stalked his opponent from beginning to end but, aside from the knockdowns, didn’t do much damage. Had Villa countered more often when Navarrete missed the mark – and he missed a lot – he might’ve earned a draw or victory.
Can you imagine what fellow 126-pound titleholder Gary Russell Jr. would’ve done to the version of Navarrete we saw on Friday?
To be fair to Navarrete, he beat a good fighter to win a major title in a second division. That’s a laudable accomplishment.
And it was only his second fight as a full-fledged featherweight, at which Villa has fought his entire career. Navarrete could still grow into the division and become more dominating as he moves forward.
***
WORSE
Few have the Hall of Fame credentials of Floyd Mayweather (left). AP Photo / John Locher, File
I wasn’t a fan of the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s decision to lower the induction threshold from five to three years, which I believe can create a glut of candidates. Hopefully, another change will save the day in voting for the Class of 2021.
Only the top three vote getters are guaranteed induction. The additional change, made the same time the threshold was altered, allows anyone else receiving votes on 80 percent of ballots to also get in.
This year, in my opinion, five first-time candidates are no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famers: Floyd Mayweather, James Toney, Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward, all of whom happened to retire in 2017. There are other worthy names on the list – Rafael Marquez, Diego Corrales and Tim Bradley, for example – but they are a notch below the Top 5.
My hope is that 8 of 10 voters – who are limited to voting for five candidates — will agree with me and place check marks next the names of Mayweather, Toney, Klitschko, Cotto and Ward.
We don’t have to go into Floyd Mayweather’s credentials. He’ll be on the ballot of every responsible voter. Toney, a gifted boxer with a great chin, was a force between middleweight and heavyweight. Cotto, a four-division titleholder, was at the pinnacle of the sport for around 15 years. And Ward, my No. 1 fighter of the 2010s, faced a long list of elite opponents yet retired undefeated.
Of course, any of my five who fail to appear on 80 percent of the ballots this year could still be elected next year or beyond. However, that could create the glut mentioned earlier, where so many deserving candidates are on a single ballot that one or two are left out in the cold.
Vote Mayweather, Toney, Klitschko, Cotto and Ward!
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez, which takes place Saturday, is one of the best-possible matchups in boxing.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Vasiliy Lomacheko (right) and Teofimo Lopez will meet again on Saturday. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I don’t usually look ahead in Good, Bad, Worse but I couldn’t resist this week.
Last month, the talented Charlo brothers gave us high-level performances to remember on a pay-per-view doubleheader. This coming Saturday, we have another mouth-watering main event to savor. And you don’t have to pay for it if you get ESPN.
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez is about as good as it gets, a matchup of a seasoned boxing magician from Ukraine against a fiery young American with his own gifts who believes his time is now.
Lomachenko, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, fought for a world title in his second pro fight (losing to Orlando Salido) and hasn’t slowed down. Every one of his 13 subsequent fights has been for one world title or another.
Yes, you read that correctly: 14 of Lomachenko’s 15 outings have been title fights. He said when he turned pro that he wanted to take part only in meaningful fights and he meant it.
Some believe that the 32-year-old has shown signs of vulnerability over the past few years, specifically in victories over Jorge Linares and Luke Campbell at lightweight that might’ve been more difficult than expected.
If he has slipped, age could be a factor. So could size. Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) progressed rapidly from 126 to 130 to 135. He’s arguably a small lightweight, which Lopez believes will work in his favor when they’re face to face inside the MGM Grand “bubble” in Las Vegas.
Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) has the same number of pro fights as Lomachenko but hasn’t faced the same level of opposition, although he’s coming off a second-round knockout of Richard Commey to win one of the 135-pound titles. And while Lopez had a good amateur career, Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic champion, is considered one of the best amateurs ever.
Lopez, 23, has youth and a combination of other attributes – skill, speed, punching power, hunger – working in his favor. Many believe he has what it takes to beat this, perhaps slightly less formidable version of Lomachenko.
I, for one, can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
***
BAD
Emanuel Navarrete (right) got the job against Ruben Villa done but didn’t look as good as some expected. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
I wouldn’t say that Emanuel Navarrete’s performance against Ruben Villa on Friday was bad. It just wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from him. And he might never be the fighter at 126 pounds that he was at 122.
Navarrete (32-1, 27 KOs) got off to a strong start at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, putting Villa (18-1, 5 KOs) down twice in the first four rounds but then did just enough to hold onto his lead and win a vacant featherweight title. Two judges scored it 114-112, six rounds a piece. The third scored it 115-111.
Villa arguably outboxed in the majority of rounds in which he wasn’t knocked down, demonstrating that a good, experienced technician with some resilience can give Navarrete trouble.
The Mexican stalked his opponent from beginning to end but, aside from the knockdowns, didn’t do much damage. Had Villa countered more often when Navarrete missed the mark – and he missed a lot – he might’ve earned a draw or victory.
Can you imagine what fellow 126-pound titleholder Gary Russell Jr. would’ve done to the version of Navarrete we saw on Friday?
To be fair to Navarrete, he beat a good fighter to win a major title in a second division. That’s a laudable accomplishment.
And it was only his second fight as a full-fledged featherweight, at which Villa has fought his entire career. Navarrete could still grow into the division and become more dominating as he moves forward.
***
WORSE
Few have the Hall of Fame credentials of Floyd Mayweather (left). AP Photo / John Locher, File
I wasn’t a fan of the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s decision to lower the induction threshold from five to three years, which I believe can create a glut of candidates. Hopefully, another change will save the day in voting for the Class of 2021.
Only the top three vote getters are guaranteed induction. The additional change, made the same time the threshold was altered, allows anyone else receiving votes on 80 percent of ballots to also get in.
This year, in my opinion, five first-time candidates are no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famers: Floyd Mayweather, James Toney, Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward, all of whom happened to retire in 2017. There are other worthy names on the list – Rafael Marquez, Diego Corrales and Tim Bradley, for example – but they are a notch below the Top 5.
My hope is that 8 of 10 voters – who are limited to voting for five candidates — will agree with me and place check marks next the names of Mayweather, Toney, Klitschko, Cotto and Ward.
We don’t have to go into Floyd Mayweather’s credentials. He’ll be on the ballot of every responsible voter. Toney, a gifted boxer with a great chin, was a force between middleweight and heavyweight. Cotto, a four-division titleholder, was at the pinnacle of the sport for around 15 years. And Ward, my No. 1 fighter of the 2010s, faced a long list of elite opponents yet retired undefeated.
Of course, any of my five who fail to appear on 80 percent of the ballots this year could still be elected next year or beyond. However, that could create the glut mentioned earlier, where so many deserving candidates are on a single ballot that one or two are left out in the cold.
Vote Mayweather, Toney, Klitschko, Cotto and Ward!
The International Boxing Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed out. And it’s loaded with worthy candidates. The list includes for the first time Floyd Mayweather, who is a shoo-in to be elected. Among others who are in their first year of …
The International Boxing Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed out. And it’s loaded with worthy candidates.
The list includes for the first time Floyd Mayweather, who is a shoo-in to be elected. Among others who are in their first year of eligibility are Wladimir Klitschko, Andre Ward, James Toney and Andre Ward.
Voters can check off five candidates but only the three top vote getters are elected. Others can get in but they must receive votes on 80% of the ballots.
In this episode of the Ak & Barak Show, DAZN commentators Akin Reyes and Barak Bess reveal the five fighters for whom they plan to vote and explain why.
The Ak & Barak Show is available on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation, Channel 156.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed out. And it’s loaded with worthy candidates. The list includes for the first time Floyd Mayweather, who is a shoo-in to be elected. Among others who are in their first year of …
The International Boxing Hall of Fame ballots have been mailed out. And it’s loaded with worthy candidates.
The list includes for the first time Floyd Mayweather, who is a shoo-in to be elected. Among others who are in their first year of eligibility are Wladimir Klitschko, Andre Ward, James Toney and Andre Ward.
Voters can check off five candidates but only the three top vote getters are elected. Others can get in but they must receive votes on 80% of the ballots.
In this episode of the Ak & Barak Show, DAZN commentators Akin Reyes and Barak Bess reveal the five fighters for whom they plan to vote and explain why.
The Ak & Barak Show is available on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation, Channel 156.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame might have too many qualified candidates for its Class of 2021.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame could have a problem.
The IBHOF has released its list of candidates for the Class of 2021. And there arguably are five no-brainers on the ballot, guys who could receive check marks without doing much research.
They are (in alphabetical order): Miguel Cotto, Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather, James Toney and Andre Ward. And that’s not counting other fighters some believe are worthy of induction, such as Tim Bradley, Diego Corrales and Rafael Marquez.
The problem?
Only the top three vote getters are guaranteed election into the Hall. More could get in but they would have to receive votes on 80% of the ballots, which is far from sure thing. Only three were elected last year.
And, in this case, you can’t blame the change in the retirement threshold – from five to three years — instituted before last year’s voting, which could potentially create a glut of worthy candidates depending on the year.
All five of the no-brainers happened to fight for the last time in 2017, which makes them eligible in this year’s voting.
So who gets in?
Mayweather is a slam dunk. No discussion needed. I think the other four are essentially in a dead heat. I hope Nos. 4 and 5, whomever they are, get to that to 80% level but I’m not optimistic.
Of course, they could be elected next year or beyond but they’ll be in competition with the coming crops of eligible fighters.
We’ll see how this plays out.
Here is the full list of candidates (in alphabetical order): Yuri Arbachakov, Jorge Arce, Paulie Ayala, Nigel Benn, Timothy Bradley, Vuyani Bungu, Ivan Calderon, Joel Casamayor, Sot Chitalada, Diego Corrales, Miguel Cotto, Chris Eubank, Carl Froch, Leo Gamez, Ricky Hatton, Genaro Hernandez, Chris John, Mikkel Kessler, Wladimir Klitschko, Santos Laciar, Rocky Lockridge, Miguel “Happy” Lora, Rafael Marquez, Henry Maske, Floyd Mayweather, Dariusz Michalczewski, Sung-Kil Moon, Michael Moorer, Orzubek Nazarov, Sven Ottke, Vinny Paz, Gilberto Roman, Gianfranco Rosi, Samuel Serrano, Antonio Tarver, Meldrick Taylor, James Toney, Fernando Vargas, Israel Vazquez, Wilfredo Vazquez, Ratanapol Sor Vorapin and Andre Ward.
Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley were elected last year but the induction weekend, normally in June, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. They will be inducted with the Class of 2021 next year.
Also last year, Barbara Buttrick, Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker became the first women boxers to be elected.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame might have too many qualified candidates for its Class of 2021.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame could have a problem.
The IBHOF has released its list of candidates for the Class of 2021. And there arguably are five no-brainers on the ballot, guys who could receive check marks without doing much research.
They are (in alphabetical order): Miguel Cotto, Wladimir Klitschko, Floyd Mayweather, James Toney and Andre Ward. And that’s not counting other fighters some believe are worthy of induction, such as Tim Bradley, Diego Corrales and Rafael Marquez.
The problem?
Only the top three vote getters are guaranteed election into the Hall. More could get in but they would have to receive votes on 80% of the ballots, which is far from sure thing. Only three were elected last year.
And, in this case, you can’t blame the change in the retirement threshold – from five to three years — instituted before last year’s voting, which could potentially create a glut of worthy candidates depending on the year.
All five of the no-brainers happened to fight for the last time in 2017, which makes them eligible in this year’s voting.
So who gets in?
Mayweather is a slam dunk. No discussion needed. I think the other four are essentially in a dead heat. I hope Nos. 4 and 5, whomever they are, get to that to 80% level but I’m not optimistic.
Of course, they could be elected next year or beyond but they’ll be in competition with the coming crops of eligible fighters.
We’ll see how this plays out.
Here is the full list of candidates (in alphabetical order): Yuri Arbachakov, Jorge Arce, Paulie Ayala, Nigel Benn, Timothy Bradley, Vuyani Bungu, Ivan Calderon, Joel Casamayor, Sot Chitalada, Diego Corrales, Miguel Cotto, Chris Eubank, Carl Froch, Leo Gamez, Ricky Hatton, Genaro Hernandez, Chris John, Mikkel Kessler, Wladimir Klitschko, Santos Laciar, Rocky Lockridge, Miguel “Happy” Lora, Rafael Marquez, Henry Maske, Floyd Mayweather, Dariusz Michalczewski, Sung-Kil Moon, Michael Moorer, Orzubek Nazarov, Sven Ottke, Vinny Paz, Gilberto Roman, Gianfranco Rosi, Samuel Serrano, Antonio Tarver, Meldrick Taylor, James Toney, Fernando Vargas, Israel Vazquez, Wilfredo Vazquez, Ratanapol Sor Vorapin and Andre Ward.
Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley were elected last year but the induction weekend, normally in June, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. They will be inducted with the Class of 2021 next year.
Also last year, Barbara Buttrick, Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker became the first women boxers to be elected.
Michael Nunn, who was released from prison after 16½ years last year, reportedly will face a former MMA star in a kickboxing fight.
Pat Miletich isn’t done. And, apparently, neither is former boxing champion Michael Nunn.
According to longtime MMA promoter and manager Monte Cox, UFC Hall of Famer Miletich (29-7-3 MMA) will compete in a fight after the coronavirus pandemic clears up.
However, Miletich’s return won’t be an MMA bout. Instead, Miletich, 52, is targeted to fight Nunn, 56, in a kickboxing match.
Cox, who managed Miletich for much of his career, revealed the booking will take place after the pandemic during a recent episode of the “IT’S TIME with Bruce Buffer” podcast. The fight was originally being discussed for April but has been pushed back because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“[There’s] one big show I’m working on,” Cox said. “You’ve probably heard rumors of this, but Pat Miletich is going to fight again. He’s fighting Michael Nunn, a great boxer. It’s an incredible [fight]. This thing will draw. We could draw 7,000-plus in the Quad Cities. They are the two greatest professional athletes or fighters out of that area.”
“Michael has been in prison,” Cox said. “He just got out six months ago. It was a cocaine thing. The feds set him up to buy a kilo of cocaine for 100 bucks. It’s just ridiculous. … It was entrapment at its best. But anyway, what he did when he went to prison was he took all the people who came in overweight and didn’t know about nutrition. [He] taught them how to get back in shape, eat right, and put them through workouts and stuff. He really did good.
“He’s a good guy. I know him really well. I traveled with him all over the world when he was fighting. At one time, he was pound-for-pound the best boxer in the world at 35-0. He was untouchable.”
Both fighters have built up notable resumes in their respective combat sports. In 10 UFC appearances, Miletich compiled an 8-2 promotional record. Miletich won the UFC 16 tournament in 1998. Later that year, he earned the UFC welterweight title when he defeated Mikey Burnett at UFC 17.5. In 2014, Miletich was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. In recent years, Miletich has extended his resume as an MMA commentator for AXS TV and UFC Fight Pass.
In July 1988, Nunn won a middleweight title when he knocked out Frank Tate. Nunn would defend five times before losing his belt to James Toney in May 1991. Nunn then won a super middleweight title in September 1992. He defeated then-champion Victor Cordoba by split decision. Nunn would eventually lose the title to Steve Little in February 1994.
Nunn last fought in 2002, easily outpointing Vinson Durham in a 10-round cruiserweight fight.
