Yawns

Toney v Rahman started off great, with both fighters working hard. The punch output was very high for a heavyweight bout.

Toney showed up fat and out of shape. Freddie Roach (Toney's trainer) has acknowledged that he cannot control Toney's weight, and that Toney's training regimen was almost exclusively sparring. That regimen did not work. Toney's sloth, combined with his lack of "heavyweight-caliber power", led me to expect a Rahman victory, particularly once I'd heard that he weighed in at 237 lbs.

Rahman looked to be in the best shape of his career, though he is still not a good boxer. He fights in a more disciplined manner than he did early in his career, but that is not saying much. Rahman has power, and he certainly has the ability to take a punch, but without speed OR good technique, he will never be a dominant champion.

The fight ended in a majority draw, with one judge scoring the fight in favor of Rahman. I thought that Toney looked to be winning halfway through, but Rahman outworked the huffing and puffing trash-talker during the last six frames. Toney ended up with nary a mark on his face, while Rahman bled from his nose, mouth, and a small cut over his eye.

Neither of these guys are the heir to the heavyweight division, and I won't watch their re-match, unless I'm bored beyond belief.

I'll be looking forward to the Chris Byrd v Wladmir Klitschko fight next month.