By Alex Trickett

TONEY FACT FILE Born: 24/08/1968 Turned pro: 26/10/1988 Division: Heavyweight Record: 68(43)-4-2 Alias: Lights Out Height: 5ft 11in Reach: 76in Trainer: Freddie Roach Manager: Himself Toney loses title after dope test

Put out that cigar, James Toney, you are no longer the heavyweight champion of the world.

What a difference a day makes in boxing.

One minute we are hailing "Lights Out" as a saviour for his win over John Ruiz.

The next, the division is plunged back into chaos with the news the he has been stripped of his WBA win for failing a drugs test.

For medical confidentiality reasons, New York State Athletic Commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens refused to name Toney's exact offence.

And Toney protested his innocence, saying: "I don't do drugs. Period."

But we may safely infer from the WBA's reaction, from the 90-day ban and from the �5,500 fine that there has been a serious infringement.

Not for nothing would boxing shame one of its more popular all-American champions.

Whatever happens to Toney, former WBC super middleweight champion Richie Woodhall is astounded by the 36-year-old's climb through the weights.

"There's no doubt about it, he can fight," said Woodhall, who started out boxing alongside Toney at middleweight.

"But genetically, he is not cut out for heavyweight. And it does beg the question 'how has he done it?'."

You can go on a weights programme, but Toney doesn't look like he'd been doing that Richie Woodhall Former WBC champion

Let's study some facts.

A flabby-looking Toney weighed 233lb against Ruiz on 30 April, a whopping 76lb more than he scaled when he won the IBF middleweight title from Michael Nunn in 1991.

If a 105lb strawweight - the smallest of the small in boxing terms - put on the same weight, he would find himself fighting at cruiserweight, Evander Holyfield's old stomping ground.

No strawweight could ever make that leap, but it does put Toney's incredible weight gain in some sort of context.

At between 5ft 9in and 5ft 11in - depending on who you believe - Toney falls short of your average heavyweight hero and almost a foot short of WBC holder Vitali Klitschko.

"Some middleweights can step up higher than others because of their frame," Woodhall told BBC Sport.

"But they can't add to their height, and height dictates weight to an extent. There's absolutely no way I could have fought at heavyweight, and I'm 6ft 2in.

Toney received medical treatment for recovery from his biceps and triceps surgery last year Toney camp statement

"There are exceptions. Tyson was short and stocky (at 5ft 11in) but tremendously powerful."

Woodhall believes that bulking up is possible to a point.

"You can go on a weights programme, but Toney doesn't look like he'd been doing that. He didn't look muscular against Ruiz. Cruiser was probably his limit."

Only two men prior to Toney made the grade at middleweight and heavyweight.

Bob Fitzsimmons boxed in a different age of smaller heavyweight champions while Roy Jones came in as a small - but still chiselled - heavy when he beat Ruiz in 2003.

I want to believe the Toney camp assessment that "a combination of medications used to control inflammation and tissue growth caused the positive test result."

Toney, like Jones, has the pure skills to beat a below-par heavyweight champion like Ruiz without illegal enhancement.

But rules are rules and positive tests are a serious business.

Ruiz reverses decision to retire

Ruiz, who mysteriously ended his short retirement hours before this storm blew up, may be re-instated by the WBA.

If so, he will be a discredited holder while Toney will have his legend forever tarnished and no-one will benefit from another black day for boxing.