Two-time undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is without a doubt one of the toughest/most durable boxers in the current generation. Despite appearing in some of the most difficult fights, the 34-year-old has never been dropped. But does that make him the toughest boxer ever? James Toney thinks otherwise!
Alvarez is scheduled to lock horns with two-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford on September 13th, with Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York City leading the charge for preferred venues. However, ahead of the blockbuster clash of two boxing greats, Canelo’s toughest/most durable persona seems to have been put to the test.
The Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority-owned Ring Magazine shared a post on social media recently, asking their fans who the toughest boxer is. “Who do you think is the most durable boxer of all time? ,” they captioned the post alongside an image of ‘Cinnamon,’ suggesting Canelo would be their pick.
This was swiftly contested by James ‘Lights Out’ Toney, who, after toppling Canelo, proclaimed himself and the legendary Marvin Hagler as the rightful holders of boxing’s toughest crown in one line. “Lights out, baby[.] And marvelous Marvin Hagler[,] y’all stop playing with the rest,” he warned in the comment section of the post.
It’s worth noting that, unlike Canelo, Toney was knocked down twice in his extraordinary boxing career. Once, against Reggie Johnson in 1991, and then against Roy Jones Jr. in 1994. However, Toney appeared in a lot more fights than Canelo, with a record of 77-10-3. Meanwhile, Marvin Hagler, the former undisputed middleweight champion, was dropped once.
In his 1984 fight against Juan Domingo Roldan, Hagler was ruled knocked down in the first round of the fight, the only knockdown he suffered in his career with a record of 62-3-2. This suggests that despite Toney’s one-line warning, Canelo is still the most durable boxer. However, this doesn’t mean he never came close to getting dropped.
In Canelo’s fight against Jose Miguel Cotto in May 2010, the latter seriously hurt the then 19-year-old Canelo Alvarez in the early rounds, which left Canelo with noodle legs. However, he recovered to win the fight via 9th-round technical knockout. Regardless, it appears Canelo might have found his next opponent after Crawford.
Jermall Charlo wants to revisit the Canelo Alvarez fight
With Caleb Plant’s surprising loss to Jose Resendiz recently, the planned Jermall Charlo fight has come into jeopardy, forcing the older Charlo brother to look elsewhere for fights. And his prime choice seems to be Canelo Alvarez, the man who defeated his twin brother Jermell Charlo.
After dominantly stopping Thomas LaManna, Charlo expressed his renewed desire to face the Mexican superstar.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 07: Jermall Charlo of the United States celebrates his WBC World Middleweight Championship against Dennis Hogan of Ireland at Barclays Center on December 07, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
“I think that I should just keep fighting, and hopefully I can get the Canelo fight,” Charlo said. “I’d rather fight Canelo than Plant at this point.” The former WBC middleweight champion was once in line to face Alvarez but stepped away due to personal issues, leading to his twin brother, Jermell Charlo, taking the fight in 2023.
Now 35 and competing at super middleweight, Jermall believes the timing is finally right. “It’s all about the time,” he noted. “If it happens, it happens. If it [doesn’t], it [doesn’t].” With Alvarez set to face Terence Crawford in September, a potential bout with Charlo in 2026 could be next. “I wanna fight Canelo… I just wanna be great,” Charlo added.
Having said that, even though James Toney might not think Canelo Alvarez is the toughest/most durable boxer ever, the stats seem to suggest otherwise. And as Charlo said, he wants to be great by fighting Canelo Alvarez, which says a lot about who Canelo is. Do you agree with Toney?
The post James Toney’s One-Line Warning Challenges Canelo’s Place Among Boxing’s Toughest appeared first on EssentiallySports.
