Jan 21 - ESPN2 6:00 pm
James Toney vs. Terry McGroom
James Toney is looking to continue his rebirth as a cruiser weight. The man deemed
"Lights Out" has done quite well in his last 2 outings. This past July I had him
losing to the much experienced Adolpho Washington. I expected to see an overweight James
come out and look lackluster as in his previous outing (prior to his 2 year layoff), but
James turned over a new leaf and STOPPED Adolpho in 10! Then in his latest outing against
Ramon Garbey last Oct, he gave a decent performance, although he had a tendency to lay on
the ropes and counter ( a sign of fatigue). I suspect he has worked on conditioning and
hand speed.
Terry is an up and coming cruiser who has not seen the same level of combat James has
experienced, and in his only loss was a stoppage by Kirk Johnson. James is still eyeing a
rematch with Roy Jones and he needs impressive wins to look attractive for one. Expect
just that (although Roy has no reason to fight him again).
Toney inside 8
Jan 22 - HBO 9:45 pm
Shane Mosley vs. Willy Wise
Shane was one of the most dangerous light weights in the division, and in my opinion, was
the reason Oscar De La Hoya jumped up to welter. (to avoid this heavy handed banger) It's
not well known, but Shane was one of the 5 to beat Oscar in the amateurs. (Oscar had a
223-5 amateur record) Shane had nothing left to prove as a light weight, so he too has
jumped up to welter, and this will be his second fight at 147. In his welter debut he
stopped the unstoppable Wifredo Rivera in 10 rounds (a feat that took Oscar 8) last Sep.
He will have no problem with Willy.
Willy is coming off the biggest win of his career when he out hustled and out pointed
Julio Cesar Chavez this past Oct for a 10 round nod. So what! In Sep 98 he was stopped in
the 9th round vying for the NABO welter championship by Santos Cardona, and may I add will
be stopped with prejudice this Saturday by Shane =)
Mosley inside 6
Vernon Forrest vs. Vince Phillips
Vernon is on the rise, and steps up in competition against the former champion Vince. The
former Olympian sports an impressive 30-0 record with 25 KO's. That's a damn impressive
win to KO ratio, and he maintains this against ranked opposition. Vince is a former IBF Jr
welter champ, and had some impressive stoppages against Kosta Tszu (KO 10 May 97) and
Freddie Pendleton (KO 10 Dec 97). But the problem is, he is a hot and cold fighter, and
when he loses, it's usually against NOBODY'S! Last Feb he was stopped by unknown Terron
Millet in 5 rounds, took the rest of the year off and stopped Angel Beltre in 3 rounds
this past Dec. Who??
Reality is, Vince is past his prime. His better days are behind him and the younger and
faster Vernon will give the "has-been" a boxing clinic that will have Vince
contemplating retirement. Look for an action packed first few rounds then the age will
show. He will survive, but look horrible doing so.
Forrest by Decision
In Retrospect:
James Toney vs. Terry McGroom
Almost as expected. James built an early lead and coasted to a split decision. I
can't take James seriously as a viable contender if he doesn't prepare for fights. This
split decision was against a virtual NOBODY, and he can't take care of business? I don't
believe the hand speed and timing didn't follow James up in weight. Certainly the stamina
hasn't, but that point can be debated, because his stamina was questionable at mw. We'll
see how James fares in his next matchup.
Shane Mosley vs. Willy Wise
Exactly as expected! Shane went in and established his power early to score a lop
sided 3r round KO over the wanna be Wise. Shane continues his campaign in a dominating
fashion. All those welter weight title holders out there better be quaking in their boots!
There's even talk of a Mosley vs. De La Hoya bout on the horizon. a matchup I'd like to
see . . .
Vernon Forrest vs. Vince Phillips
Exactly as expected! Vernon stood in front of an old looking Vince, and as
expected, held a boxing clinic on his face. As predicted, he looked bad losing and if he
announces his retirement, I'm starting an #900 psychic line =)
Keep an eye on this former Olympian.
