James Toney suspects he was intentionally avoided by two fellow world champions in 1993, back when he held the IBF super-middleweight title.<\/p>\n
Prior to that, the defensive wizard had become a world middleweight champion by dethroning fellow future Hall of Famer Michael Nunn with an 11th-round finish.<\/p>\n
He then successfully defended his IBF title against the likes of Reggie Johnson and Mike McCallum<\/a>, before claiming the same belt up at 168lbs by toppling Iran Barkley.<\/p>\n Just a few months earlier, Nigel Benn had also become a two-weight world champion at 168lbs, with a third-round stoppage of Mauro Galvano earning him the WBC strap.<\/p>\n A unification match between \u2018The Dark Destroyer\u2019 and Toney therefore seemed possible, only for both champions to pursue alternative opportunities.<\/p>\n For Benn, it was a case of defending his title against Lou Gent before entering a rematch with Chris Eubank<\/a>, who put his WBO belt up for grabs in October 1993.<\/p>\n With their fiercely-anticipated sequel ending in a draw, however, the two Brits came away with their respective titles while Toney remained the IBF champion until November 1994, when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Roy Jones Jr.<\/p>\n