James Toney Calls Out Wladimir Klitschko: Boxing or Bare-Knuckle

Wladimir Klitschko hasn't thrown a professional punch since 2017, but the comeback rumors won't die — and now James Toney wants a piece of him. The former three-division champion told ES News he'd fight the Ukrainian in a boxing ring or under bare-knuckle rules, and he's confident he'd stop him either way. Klitschko, who held a heavyweight belt for a combined 12 years across two reigns, spent much of his career sidestepping Toney's persistent challenges.

The timing isn't random. At 50, Klitschko has floated a return that could shatter George Foreman's mark as the oldest heavyweight champion in history, set at 47. To do it, he'd have to peel a strap off one of four current titleholders: WBC champ Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO), WBO king Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KO), WBA holder Murat Gassiev (34-2, 27 KO) or Filip Hrgovic. That's a tall order for a man nearly a decade removed from competition.

Toney, for his part, isn't interested in the belts — he's interested in Klitschko. He said he fights to win and would knock Klitschko out just as he claims he would have done back in the day. He also repeated a line he's used for years: that the Klitschko brothers ducked him because, in his view, they had no talent and no heart.

Two Men Frozen in 2017

There's a symmetry here worth noting. Both fighters last competed in 2017, and neither has laced them up professionally since. Klitschko bowed out after an instant classic against Anthony Joshua, dropping the veteran but ultimately falling short in a bout that looked like the perfect finale. Joshua, meanwhile, has kept himself busy — his most recent win, a sixth-round KO of Jake Paul, sits on a 29-4 (26 KO) ledger.

The problem with Toney's callout is the calendar and the ledger. He's talking bare-knuckle as readily as boxing, which tells you where this idea realistically lives — closer to the spectacle circuit than a sanctioned title fight. Klitschko's name still moves the needle, and a bare-knuckle sideshow against a Hall of Famer is exactly the kind of nostalgia play that promoters chase.

For now, it's Toney doing the talking and Klitschko staying quiet on specifics. If 'Dr. Steelhammer' really does return, the far more compelling story is whether a 50-year-old can dethrone a titleholder in the current heavyweight scramble — not whether he'll indulge a grudge match that should have happened 15 years ago.