“They were saying that MMA fighters are better than boxers. Hold on, I thought. I'm a gladiator, too.”

American former professional boxer

James Nathaniel Toney is an American former professional boxer, active from 1988 to 2017. He is known for winning world titles in three weight classes and for his long career across several divisions. Toney held the IBF and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to 1993, the IBF super middleweight title from 1993 to 1994, and the IBF cruiserweight title in 2003. He also fought for a world heavyweight title twice, in 2005 and 2006. In all, he took part in fifteen world title fights across four weight classes.