Former three-weight champion gives bold prediction for Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr.
James Toney believes Terence Crawford will knock out Errol Spence Jr. later this month.
Later this month, 'Bud' and 'The Truth' will face off on Showtime pay-per-view. For fans, this fight has long been in the works, as the two have long been viewed as the two best in the welterweight division. Most are expecting a firefight in "Sin City" later this month.
However, former three-division world champion James Toney doesn't seem to agree. In a recent interview with Mill City Boxing, 'Lights Out' previewed the welterweight title clash. There, Toney made a bold prediction.
In the interview, the former titleholder predicted that Terence Crawford would win with ease. Toney stated that 'Bud' has the greater resume, despite talk that Errol Spence Jr. has faced tougher competition. Furthermore, he referenced Crawford's previous win over Shawn Porter.
In 2019, Spence Jr. scored a very close and contentious split-decision win over 'Showtime'. In comparison, Crawford earned a knockout win in 2021, after scoring multiple knockdowns. In the interview, Toney opined:
"I think he’s [Crawford] is too much for Spence, but we’ll find out, we’ll never know until they’re in that ring. I’m not being biased, Crawford is the better fighter, he’s fought the better competition, people say that Spence has but I don’t see it. I see a late-round stoppage – knockout! Spence has never dealt with anyone who’s just as fast as he is and who hits harder than he does. I love Shawn Porter, but Crawford beat the breaks off him.”
Terence Crawford shoots down fight with Keith Thurman
Don't expect to see Terence Crawford vs. Keith Thurman after July.
'One Time' played a pivotal role in the negotiations for 'Bud' vs. 'The Truth'. While that fight wound up being signed for later this month, it seemed for a while that it wouldn't happen.
As a result, the former welterweight champion was on standby and was even linked to a fight with Spence Jr. for this Spring. Ultimately, the deal got done, and Thurman has instead targeted a clash with Yordenis Ugas.
Some have speculated that the winner of Thurman vs. Ugas could face the winner of Crawford vs. Spence Jr. In a recent interview with The Last Stand, 'Bud' quickly shut down that idea as legitimate. He stated:
"Listen, everybody knows Keith Thurman is just talking... Keith Thurman is the same guy who has expressed that he’s not interested in fighting Terence Crawford. Now all of a sudden, out of the blue he’s fiending to fight Terence Crawford? Okay."