James Toney Says He Would Have Knocked Out Canelo Alvarez Unlike Terence Crawford

The Hall of Fame champion praised Terence Crawford’s historic victory over Canelo Alvarez but believes his own style would have produced a stoppage

James Toney gave Terence Crawford credit for defeating Canelo Alvarez, but the Hall of Famer believes he would have finished the Mexican superstar instead of settling for a decision. Toney argued that his pressure, inside work and finishing instinct would have produced a knockout where Crawford boxed his way to victory.

“He looked good, alright, but it wasn’t no James Toney performance, you know that. Every time that I fought on the big stage, [Iran] Barkley, [Evander] Holyfield, John Ruiz, and countless others. I am dominating them.

“Terence Crawford, I love Terence Crawford, but he doesn’t even do what I did. He didn’t do it, but he won 12 rounds. I did damage, I stopped people, I knocked people out, that is why they called me ‘Lights Out,'” Toney said during an interview with FightHype earlier this year.

Toney captured the IBF super middleweight title in 1993 by stopping Iran Barkley before making three successful defenses. Known for his elite shoulder roll, counterpunching, and ability to fight effectively at close range, he later won world titles at middleweight and cruiserweight while also challenging some of the biggest heavyweights of his era.

Some longtime boxing fans consider Toney-McCallum a higher-level technical contest than Crawford’s victory over Canelo, citing the sustained exchanges between two elite operators in their primes.

Whether Toney could have backed up his prediction against Canelo is impossible to know, but his comments highlight the contrast between his pressure-based style and Crawford’s more measured approach. Crawford controlled the fight from start to finish with timing, movement, and accuracy, while Toney believes he would have broken Canelo down and ended the contest inside the distance.

Although the interview was recorded several months ago, Toney’s opinion continues to fuel debate among boxing fans about how one of the sport’s greatest technicians would have matched up with Canelo during his championship reign.

For fans who haven’t seen Toney at his peak, his first fight with Mike McCallum remains one of the best examples of his ability. Many boxing historians still regard it as one of the highest-level technical fights ever contested.

McCallum never enjoyed the kind of financial opportunities available to today’s elite fighters. Despite being one of the sport’s most avoided champions, he spent much of his career chasing opportunities against bigger names rather than receiving the lucrative paydays now common at the highest level.

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