James Toney wins in the 5th round by stoppage because Bobby Gunn breaks his hand

By: Boxing Writer Tony Stewart

On April 7, 2012 in Landers Center, Mississippi, James “Lights Out” Toney battled game, but under talented, challenger Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn for what was to be determined a non-sanctioned title fight for the vacant IBA Heavyweight Championship. This was a non-televised, non-Internet streamed fight with reportedly no more than 350 – 400 in attendance.

The fight was stopped at the request of Gunn’s corner before the start of the 6th round due to a hand injury suffered during the bout. James Toney entered the fight at a weight of 248 lbs while Gunn carried his largest weight of 210 lbs.

Toney ballooned up 50 lbs for this fight following a lopsided point’s loss to Dennis Lebedev last November for Lebedev’s interim WBA Cruiserweight title. The Celtic Warrior came into this fight off of a 3-year hiatus from the ring. His last outing was against Tomasz Adamek for the IBF Cruiserweight Championship where the bout was stopped on the advice of the ringside physician after four rounds. Following that loss Gunn then pursued his interest in the resurging underground sport of Bareknuckle Boxing and won its version of the Heavyweight crown.

The 43 year old Toney improved his record to 74-7-3 (45 KO) while Gunn suffered his second straight loss in the ring with a 21-5-1 (18 KO) record. The James Toney we see today is a far cry from the former three-division world champion and the man who was once regarded as pound-for-pound the best in the world. The dwindling audiences, the dismal performances, and speech deterioration are but a few signs of yet another great figure of the sport seeing the twilight of his career, but refuses to go quietly into the night.

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