Rahman vs. Toney II In July

toney33345331.jpgBy Nate Anderson: According to boxingtalk, former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (45-6-2, 36 KOs) will be fighting a title elimination bout on July 16th, which will be shown live on ESPN. Both Rahman and Toney are getting up there in age, with Rahman now 35 and Toney a ripe 39, so this may turn out to be a last ditch attempt for either of them to get a title shot. However, you can never say never and as bad as the current heavyweight scene is, even the loser may eventually find his way back into a title shot if only because of the lack of talent and big named fighters in the division.

Toney, 39, previously faced Rahman in March 2006, fighting for Rahman’s then WBC heavyweight title, with the fight turning out to be a controversial draw that left both fighters unsatisfied. Most people felt that Rahman had won the fight given his superior work rate during the fight. However, it was all for naught as the fight was ultimately ruled a 12-round draw. Rahman would turn around and his heavyweight title some five months later in a 12th round TKO loss to Oleg Maskaev in August 2006. Since that time, Rahman has beaten a string of mostly 3nd tier fighters, Taurus Sykes, Dicky Ryan, Cerrone Fox and most recently Zuri Lawrence, leaving many people to wonder when Rahman would eventually step it up against top level opposition once again.

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James Toney: Can He Still Be A Factor In The Heavyweight Division?

toney3334533.jpgIn the latest boxing news, former three-time champion James Toney (70-6, 43 KOs) is reportedly planning on making a March comeback against an un-named opponent. Toney, now 39, has been out of action for almost a year since winning a 10-round split decision against Danny Batchelder in May 2007.

After the bout, however, Toney tested for a banned substance and was subsequently suspended from boxing for a year. Though the suspension was later lowered to six months, it’s still a lot of time for a boxer as old as the 39 year-old Toney, who hasn’t looked good in the ring since losing a controversial 12-round split decision to Samuel Peter in a World Boxing Council title eliminator bout in September 2006. Since then, Toney came back and fought Peter once again, this time looking in even worse shape and losing a lopsided decision in January 2007.

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