[bigben]

NEW YORK (AP) With a cigar in hand and the WBA championship belt displayed above him, James Toney wasn't disappointed he didn't completely fulfill his promise.

Toney didn't knock out John Ruiz of Chelsea to win the heavyweight championship Saturday night. Instead, he outpointed Ruiz by dominating the second half of the fight and drove Ruiz into retirement.

And then it was time for Toney to celebrate.

''I'm enjoying my night,'' Toney said about an hour after his unanimous decision made him the fourth-oldest heavyweight champion. ''I'm having fun and smoking my cigars.

''I'm 36 and I feel like 26. Life has just begun for me.''

Toney, a former champion at three other weights who took his first title in 1991, won just his third heavyweight bout, becoming only the third one-time middleweight champion to take boxing's top crown.

One of the other middleweight-turned-heavyweight winners was Roy Jones, who also beat Ruiz. Jones was at ringside broadcasting the fight, in which Toney looked fearsome and flabby.

While the extra weight didn't look good on Toney, he never lost the swagger he carried into the Madison Square Garden ring. And as the fight swung his way, he grimaced in mock pain at Ruiz and even did a little shuffle after the eighth round.

''I didn't expect much from John, because he is an average fighter. John Ruiz is stupid, he can't change his style, he only knows how to fight one way,'' Toney said.

[Tommy]

The heavyweight class has gone down in good fighters. I hope some of these young guys coming up makr some noise in the near future to bring back Boxing to what it once was :D

[bigben]

i agree whole heartedly with ur views myself i gooo
way back in boxing as an astute fan and follower, ive seen them all
to name just a few here because there are sooooo many great ones
Marciano
Louis
Conn
Sugar ray robinson
j lamotta
R graziano
tony zale
etc etc :D :D

[naught33]

there aren't any good heavyweights...even klitshko who is considered probably the best right now sucks