James Toney says there is only one fighter in boxing history he ranks above himself when it comes to the debate over the sport’s greatest ever competitor.
The former three-weight world champion captured titles at middleweight, super middleweight, and cruiserweight before later testing himself among the heavyweights. During a professional career that spanned nearly three decades, Toney built a reputation as one of boxing’s most skilled defensive operators while compiling victories over several former world champions.
While Muhammad Ali is often regarded by many as the greatest fighter of all time, Toney believes another legend deserves that distinction.
“I’m an Ali fan myself, but I’m sorry, he is not the greatest fighter of all time. It’s [Sugar] Ray Robinson and James Toney second, period. If you look at how we did, we did it the right way. I fought, Ray Robinson, we fought. Where is he from? My hometown, Detroit. We do it like nobody else can,” Toney said during an appearance on WiseNuts.
Toney retired with a professional record of 77-10-3 with 47 knockouts. In addition to winning world titles across three weight classes, he defeated the likes of Mike McCallum, Iran Barkley, Vassiliy Jirov, Evander Holyfield, and John Ruiz.
His victory over Ruiz briefly earned him a share of the heavyweight championship before the result was later changed to a no contest following a failed drug test. Toney was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022 as well.
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Last Updated on 2026/06/10 at 9:45 PM
