THE CANADIAN PRESS
How hard does veteran boxer James (Lights Out) Toney hit? Trainer Trever Sherman knows firsthand.
"We put those (protective) chest shields on, he’s hitting us with those four-ounce gloves and I’ve got guys urinating blood," Sherman told The Canadian Press. "Myself included.
"He hits so hard to the body. Wow. I’m a big fan of Randy Couture and it’s sad that this is going to happen to him, but I’ll tell you what. He’s going to break him (Couture) up."
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The 42-year-old Toney, a former world champion several times over with a star-studded ring resume, makes his mixed martial arts debut Saturday night against Randy (The Natural) Couture in the co-main event of UFC 118 in Boston (available on pay-per-view).
Couture, 47, is a former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight title-holder. While probably no longer a championship-calibre fighter, he remains a popular draw and is coming off wins over fellow UFC Hall of Famer Mark (The Hammer) Coleman and Brandon (The Truth) Vera.
The Couture-Toney heavyweight matchup goes against UFC president Dana White’s long-standing aversion to "freak show" fights.
But the colourful Toney campaigned for a fight and White gave in.
Couture is an 8-1 favourite, with many thinking the fight could end within seconds if Toney is taken down to the ground. But it’s the ‘what if he isn’t’ factor that lends some intrigue to what on paper is a total mismatch.
"For every 10 seconds that the fight’s on its feet, Randy’s odds of winning decrease exponentially," Sherman said.
That’s because Toney is a mean, vicious "natural predator" who will destroy Couture if he hits him, according to the trainer.
"My goal is get him three to six inches and let him throw those hands," said Sherman. "Because within three to six inches, he can break things and hurt things. Nine inches, he’ll put Randy to sleep."
Added Sherman: "We’re going to hit him a couple of times and Randy’s going to do what’s completely human — he’s going to panic."
Sherman says Couture has been clipped in recent fights. "And he’s gone down."
Couture, predictably, sees it differently.
"I’ve really only been knocked out one time in my entire career and that was by Chuck Liddell the second time we fought," he told a media conference call. "Certainly been flashed (stunned) and knocked on my butt a couple times but I don’t think that that’s an indication that my chin is weak."
Toney says he opted to try his hand at MMA because "everybody in the boxing ring who calls themselves a big bad-ass is scared of fighting me."
"Here I am one, one of the reigning heavyweight champions of the world and I can’t get a unification fight with the Klitschko sisters (WBC champion Vitali Klitschko and IBF, WBO and IBO title-holder Wladimir Klitschko) or (WBA champion) David Haye.
"I saw the UFC, Dana White was putting on great fights every month. So I said let’s see what they’ve got."
He hopes to keep fighting both in boxing and MMA.
Toney made his pro boxing debut in October 1988 and holds a record of 72-6-3 with 45 knockouts and one no contest. He currently holds the lesser IBA heavyweight title and last fought in September 2008, stopping Matthew Greer by second-round TKO.
He weighed 217.5 pounds back then. He was 260 in training this time around but weighed in Friday at 237. Couture was 220.
"I look forward to welcoming James Toney to mixed martial arts," Couture said after weighing in.
Sherman says Toney, who has trained in MMA since late last year, has proved to be a fast learner. But the Toney camp is realistic about its game plan against Couture.
"We’re not going to try to submit him, we’re not going to try to wrestle him," said Sherman. "We’re going to try to knock him out, we’re going to try to rip him apart."
"All I’m doing is putting a few more tools in his chest," he added.
Couture (18-10) is also clear on his strategy.
"I have no illusions that I’m a world-class boxer or going to stand and trade with James. That would be pretty stupid," he said. "Given the rules of engagement of mixed martial arts I can tie him up, I can take him down and put him on the ground and do a lot of other things to kind of neutralize his strength which is his striking, most definitely."
In talking up the fight, Toney has portrayed the matchup as a showdown between boxing and MMA. Toney praises such MMA stars as Canadian Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Anderson Silva, calling them great athletes, but dismisses the quality of striking in MMA.
"Terrible, it’s terrible," he said. "My daughter swings better."
Couture, who denies that promotion responsibilities for his role in the hit action film "The Expendables" have cut into his training, has opted not to take the bait.
"It’s a mixed martial arts battle in my mind certainly," he said. "The question is what other skill sets and what other things is James going to be able to learn and try to execute in this fight."
Toney is keeping it simple, saying he will be a "hurricane in Randy’s face."
