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JAMES "LIGHTS OUT" TONEY

IS THE NEW

WBA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

By Michael Amakor

Becoming the third  man to step up from the Middleweight Division and the seventh man  to win a recognized title in four Weight divisions,  Lights Out Toney beat John "the Quietman" Ruiz by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 twice and 115-111 according to the three  judges at ringside.

The fight was memorable for a few things, there were very few clinches by John Ruiz who dispensed with his characteristic wrestling style opting, instead, for a more crowd pleasing style as he threw a record number of punches which failed to connect against the mangoose posturing body of James Toney. He may also have been discouraged from forcing clinches due to James Toney reputation as an excellent inside fighter.

Ruiz seemed to be formidable in the first few rounds as he delivered some hard body shots against James rib cage, but Toney eventually wore him down with body shots and clean counter punches leaving the former champion exhausted in the final rounds. James scored a knockdown in the seventh round and had John hurtling into the ropes from a slippery canvas latter on in the eight round.

A distraught Ruiz who is the only Heavyweight Champion to have twice lost a belt to a blown up middleweights announced his retirement from the locker room after the fight, and even though the boxing world wanted him out you you still had to acknowledge that he did what he could but was simply outclassed by a superior boxer.

Repeatedly punctuated by remarks "I told you so" Lights Out Toney continued his well deserved trash talking claiming Ruiz was stupid and he did not know what trash can Don King found him from and he immediatly began issuing threats to the other Heavyweight Champions; Vitali Klitchko, Chris Byrd and Lamont Brewster in that order vowing to clean out the division and become the next  undisputed Heavyweight Champion.

Let the Games Begin