James Toney has little doubt how tonight’s Sin City spectacular between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford plays out.
Canelo will step through the ropes at the Allegiant Stadium the favourite to keep his four belts, having fought at super-middleweight in 2018 and beaten the likes of Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Jaime Munguia since. He also dropped and decisioned Jermell Charlo, who, like Crawford, had moved up two divisions for the challenge.
Despite having his first fight at 168lbs and facing a man with an apparent granite chin who has only lost twice in 67 fights to two of the very best, ‘Bud’ Crawford is absolutely confident in making history by winning and becoming undisputed in his third weight class.
Toney, who himself was a super-middleweight world champion back in 1993, shares that feeling, telling Not Just Boxing that he believes the naturally smaller man will be the first to hurt, drop and stop Alvarez.
“It should be a great fight for nine rounds, and Crawford will win by knockout … Crawford by brutal knockout, nine or ten rounds.”
Toney laid out what his gameplan would be had he been in the American’s corner, telling him to stick and move to combat the pressure of Canelo.
