His next fight saw him lose to Montell Griffin at light heavyweight in February 1995. After the fight Toney blamed making the weight for his flat performance and the loss of his cherished unbeaten record. Jones used one of his "cockfighting" feints to lure Toney in, and as Toney mocked Jones, Toney got caught with a leaping left hook. Jones won a landslide decision over Toney, an upset at the time, briefly flooring Toney for the first time with a flash knockdown in the 3rd round. This win paved the way for his fight with undefeated 1988 Olympic silver medalist Roy Jones, Jr. Despite having a point deducted for hitting Williams after the bell in one round and having his left eye completely swollen shut, Toney knocked Williams out in the 12th and final round. His next defense was against former IBF Light Heavyweight champion Prince Charles Williams. During this bout, Toney suffered a bad cut which caused the referee and ringside doctor to intervene before round 4, allowing him one more round to try to end the fight. In his second defense, Toney beat the 24–0 Tim Littles by a 4th-round KO. Toney won five fights throughout 1993, then defeated Tony "The Punching Postman" Thornton in his 1st title defense in October, via a landslide points victory. After a dominating performance by Toney, the bout was stopped after 9 rounds by Barkley's trainer, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, due to Barkley suffering severe swelling around both eyes. On February 13, 1993, Toney challenged Iran Barkley for the IBF super middleweight title. The McCallum fight would be Toney's last as a middleweight. Toney also won a split decision title defense against Reggie Johnson in June 1991, retained his title with a draw against former WBA champ Mike McCallum in December 1991, and again against McCallum, this time by a majority decision, in December 1992. The decision was so controversial that it prompted United States Senator William Roth of Delaware to call for an investigation into possible corruption in the sport. The most noteworthy was Toney's split decision win over Dave Tiberi in a fight that many experts feel Toney lost. Toney continued a regular fight program over the next 18 months at middleweight, before outgrowing the division, where he made several successful yet disputed defenses. The win also earned Toney the Ring Magazine Fighter Of The Year award. Toney, who entered as a 20-to-1 underdog, was down on all three judges' scorecards, but landed a left hook that put Nunn on the canvas in the eleventh round, and eventually scored a stoppage victory. Toney won the IBF and lineal middleweight titles by knocking out Michael Nunn in eleven rounds in May 1991. Miller, a former boxer himself who worked in Detroit's famed Kronk Gym and assisted hall-of-fame trainer Emanuel Steward at times, is credited with developing Toney's famed "old school" or "throwback" style of fighting. Toney also employed the services of legendary Detroit-based trainer Bill Miller. Afterwards, Jackie Kallen was hired as his manager. In his 7th pro fight, Toney's manager, alleged drug dealer Johnny "Ace" Smith, was killed. His moniker of "Lights Out" was also given by either Gregory or his son. He was scouted and trained by Gregory Owens as a teenager, who also was his trainer through the mid-nineties. Toney had his first professional fight on October 26, 1988, beating Stephen Lee by a technical knockout in the second round. Toney had a brief but relatively successful amateur career, compiling a record of 33 wins (32 KOs) and 2 losses. But Toney said, "I wasn't a team player and wasn't good at taking orders. Toney said he received scholarship offers from Western Michigan to play quarterback and from Michigan to play fullback. Before entering the ring, Toney started on the gridiron.
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