James Toney suspects he was intentionally avoided by two fellow world champions in 1993, back when he held the IBF super-middleweight title.

Prior to that, the defensive wizard had become a world middleweight champion by dethroning fellow future Hall of Famer Michael Nunn with an 11th-round finish.

He then successfully defended his IBF title against the likes of Reggie Johnson and Mike McCallum, before claiming the same belt up at 168lbs by toppling Iran Barkley.

Just a few months earlier, Nigel Benn had also become a two-weight world champion at 168lbs, with a third-round stoppage of Mauro Galvano earning him the WBC strap.

A unification match between ‘The Dark Destroyer’ and Toney therefore seemed possible, only for both champions to pursue alternative opportunities.

For Benn, it was a case of defending his title against Lou Gent before entering a rematch with Chris Eubank, who put his WBO belt up for grabs in October 1993.

With their fiercely-anticipated sequel ending in a draw, however, the two Brits came away with their respective titles while Toney remained the IBF champion until November 1994, when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Roy Jones Jr.

Over three decades later, though, Toney has told FightHype – while also speaking with Ryan Garcia – that there were ample opportunities for either Benn or Eubank to face him.

“For years, I was trying to get his [Conor Benn’s] dad to fight me. They all were [ducking me].”

With Garcia defending his WBC welterweight title against Benn on September 12, Toney expressed his surprise that Nigel’s son actually agreed to face the champion at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.