James Toney is set to defend his IBA heavyweight title on Nov. 5 in New Orleans, but he's not done with MMA.
Toney made that decision in the locker room of Boston's TD Garden moments after UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture tapped him out with an arm-triangle choke three minutes into his first real taste of the sport at UFC 118.
"They might have won the battle, but the war ain't over yet," recalled John "Pops" Arthur, Toney's trainer of 12 years, of the boxing champion's words after the fight.
Of course, a lot of MMA fans breathed a sigh of relief.
The bout drew a tremendous amount of interest based on its "boxing vs. MMA" angle, though observers from both sides of the aisle gave Toney little chance of succeeding. Instead, most in the know saw it as a payday for an aging boxing champion with few available opportunities.
Still, the matchup held its intrigue based on a simple question: If Toney had the chance to land one, clean punch before Couture closed the distance, would boxing show-up MMA?
That question was answered pretty quickly. Toney (0-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) didn't even get one punch off before Couture (19-10 MMA, 16-7 UFC) felled him with a low single-leg takedown and secured the choke after a few minutes of struggle on the mat.
Of course, Arthur is quick to defend his longtime associate and contends that in the nine months prior to the fight, Toney trained almost exclusively on "groundwork and kicks." He doesn't fault the trainers he assembled to usher the boxer into MMA – including Trever Sherman, an unheralded coach who replaced the more well-known trainer Juanito Ibarra.
"If a fighter doesn't respond – not just James, but anybody – to his coaches, what can you say?" Arthur on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).
The trainer contends Toney simply wasn't capable of listening because of something that happened backstage just prior to showtime. He won't say what it was – only that it altered the course of the night.
"James was so upset," the trainer said. "He was so mad, he just wanted to hit [Randy]. He wanted to get close enough to hit him one time because of so many things that happened that night that were going against us.
"There were some things happened that he wasn't happy with. It's personal. It drove him to a whole different level."
Arthur watched in dismay as the boxer's gameplan got thrown out the window. After all that preparation, Toney was gambling that Couture would run straight into his fists.
"I said, 'Whatever you do, don't stand in front of the kid because the kid's going to try and take you down,'" Arthur recalls. "[He's] going to take that lead leg. That's what he did.
"I told him he's got to move. I said, 'You've got to get out there and use your boxing skills.'"
Worse, the ankle supports that Toney sported only served to hasten his fall.
"He had those damn cufflinks on his feet; those damn things that keep you from sliding, and that's another bad thing," Arthur said. "He gave [Couture] something to grab onto."
The trainer said Toney did not attend the post-event press conference because he had difficulty producing a urine sample for the drug test mandated by the Massaschusetts State Athletic Commission. By the time he did, the press conference was over.
However, another source close to the event said that Toney stormed off after he unsuccessfully attempted to get some face time with UFC president Dana White prior to the presser.
White told reporters that he felt no need to put Toney in the octagon ever again after this past Saturday.
"I thought we answered this question in 1993, but James came out and he picked a fight," White said. "We answered the question again in 2010. I don't think it needs to be answered again. I don't care if it's (Floyd) Mayweather or anybody else."
That was news to Arthur.
"Well, then Dana needs to send me some release papers," he said. "If we don't plan on fighting in the UFC, send me the release paper and we'll take it to the next level. I know the UFC is the No. 1 [promotion] in mixed martial arts, but if Dana voiced that we don't fight for him anymore, send me the release papers. I don't have any problem with that.
"Once that happens, then I'll start working on stuff. But right now, we're focused on him defending his IBA heavyweight championship."
There are three opponents under consideration for Toney's Nov. 5 title defense, though Arthur did not have the names at his disposal when he spoke to MMAjunkie.com.
Toney is taking the rest of the week to relax but plans on working both his MMA and boxing skills when he returns to the gym.
"He's going to be doing groundwork and boxing," Arthur said. "He's going to be a two-sport athlete. The reality is that he wants to do it, and he will do it again. I think the next time I match him up, I'll make sure I'll matchup at least 50-50 equal. The cards were stacked against him."
But "Pops" is not giving up on his friend.
"I'm going to roll with him – good, bad, and ugly," Arthur said. "The first day I see James getting beat up or hurt, that's the first day he's going to stop fighting."
