For many, James Toney is one of the greatest boxers of his generation, but the man himself has just cited a current boxer who reminds him of himself.
American Toney held world titles across his career from 1988 to 2017 including middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight. He was a defensive boxer who used the shoulder roll technique, mastered the art of counterpunching on the inside and often liked to fight with his back on the ropes. In total, he took 77 wins out of his 92-fight career.
Speaking to K9 Boxing, he was asked if anyone in boxing today reminds him of himself.
“Yeah, Terence Crawford. He fight southpaw just like I used to. He’ll punch, slick boxer. He the best in the game right now.”
It’s fair to say that Terence Crawford sits atop many people’s fantasy pound-for-pound rankings. He has been in the discussions for years having unified all the belts at light welterweight before then moving up. His record sits at 40 fights, and 40 wins with big names on his CV like Shawn Porter, Kel Brook, Amir Khan, Jeff Horn and David Avanesyan.
But his comprehensive win over Errol Spence Jr in their undisputed welterweight clash in Las Vegas back in July sealed it for many.
Crawford looked imperious on his way to a knockout victory in the 9th round and has since been linked with plenty of big fights, but most recently ruled out facing Jermell Charlo after what he saw was a weak showing in his loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
A Spence rematch is most likely next for ‘Bud’ although he’s made it clear he wants to chase hostory and step up three weight classes and take on Canelo for his undisputed super middleweight titles.