James Toney Lingers on, Will Fight Mike Sheppard on May 13

Boxing is crowded with stories about champions hanging on when they are supposed to be already enjoying the fruit of their hard labors in retirement, at the comfort of home. A primary reason behind this apparent human blunder is that a fighter who had been used to the glamours of fame cannot simply give them up.  For another a boxer has possibly become broke from a lavish life style indulged at the heights of fame and fortune - therefore hanging on for dire need of money.

Most prominent members of the club would include Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bernard Hopkins, and Roy Jones, Jr. Shane Mosely, at 43, is presently making entrance.  James Tony, a former three-time world champion, is the most recent to have caught the attention of boxing fans about a fighter who should be in the first place happily retired by now.

No, James Tony, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is not really retiring yet. He has a world title fight coming against journeyman and equally fossil fighter in 41-year-old Mike Sheppard at the Convocation Center of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan on May 13. In this fight, the World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight title is on the line putting the winner in a proposition to fight on.

James Tony, 48, in his heyday had fought - and won some of them - in his prime the whos who in boxing. At one time Toney (76-10, 46 KOs) , who started boxing in 1988, shared the ring with Hashim Rahman, John Ruiz, Iran Barkley, Samuel Peters, Evander Holyfield, and Roy Jones, Jr., you name it. Only in the last four years or so that he begun frequenting the loss column which is understandable given his age and his interest to keep moving up in weights from middleweight all the way up to the limitless ( in weight) heavyweight division.

Mike Sheppard (24-20, 10 KOs), who in his 20-year professional career, did fight notable names like Antonio Tarver, Gerald Washington, and Vinny Madallone.  But two years have passed since he tested victory. He beat China Smith in 2015. On Oct. 2016 he lost via 1^st round knockout at the hands of Sergey Kuzman.