‘I saw triple’ – James Toney names the hardest puncher he faced – it isn’t Evander Holyfield or Roy Jones Jr

James Toney was one of the most defensively adept boxers to grace the ring, but one shot that penetrated his guard left him ‘seeing triple’.

The punch in question came from heavy-handed Puerto Rican Merqui Sosa, who locked horns with Toney in January 1991 when both men were undefeated hopefuls looking to make a name for themselves.

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It was a fight that showcased early flashes of the pugilist Toney would become, with ‘Lights Out’ getting the better of almost every single round.

Toney’s crisp counters and superior athleticism proved too much for Sosa, but that didn’t deter the rugged fighter from trudging forward like a man possessed.

In the third stanza, Toney decked Sosa with a perfectly-placed flurry of shots.

But, to his credit, the underdog climbed back to his feet to wobble Toney in the same round.

Years later, during a Ring Magazine ‘best I faced’ feature, Toney hailed Sosa as the hardest puncher he ever faced.

“Pound-for-pound, it’s Sosa because he hurt me the most,” said Toney.

“I’ll never forget that fight, we fought on an ESPN show in Atlantic City on a Sunday.

“I went at him like I did everyone back then, and that mother f***** hit me so hard in the third round I was seeing triple for the next three rounds.

“He knew how to hit, and he was so awkward that I couldn’t time him, and he caught me high on the head.”

The result seemed like a foregone conclusion at the final bell, but one judge bizarrely scored the bout in favour of Sosa by a margin of 114-113.

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Luckily, the other two were paying attention and rightfully handed the win to Toney.

What did James Toney achieve during his legendary career?

In the years that followed, Toney carved out a Hall of Fame career that saw him pick up world titles in three separate weight classes (middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight).

He was also initially victorious in a WBA heavyweight title fight against John Ruiz in 2005.

However, he was stripped of the title after failing a post-fight drug test, which subsequently led to the result being overturned to a no-contest.

Among his notable triumphs is a pummelling stoppage win over an ageing Evander Holyfield, a pair of victories over the exceptional Mike McCallum and boxing clinics against Iran Barkley and Vassiliy Jirov.

He also took Roy Jones Jr 12 rounds in 1994, although he lost the fight convincingly.

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What did Merqui Sosa go on to achieve?

Sosa’s career was far less successful than Toney’s, but he did build up a reputation as a formidable puncher who was capable of springing an upset.

His best night as a professional came in 1995 when he wore down and stopped former long-reigning IBF light heavyweight champion ‘Prince’ Charles Williams.

He would also beat ex-lineal 175lbs champion Glen Johnson and challenge unsuccessfully for the WBA super middleweight title against Michael Nunn in 1993.