175lbs. Toney, an ATG but not at his best in this weight class, vs the Russian beast. Both stoic killers. Both habitually self destructive. How do the styles clash?
I think prime Kov takes a decision. Toney would struggle with Kov's jab and athleticism, and Kov's power would keep JT in a bit of a shell.
Exactly how I see it. You need to be a bit of a mauler to beat Sergey with Toney-esque moves imo, but Toney was a very clean fighter. Factor in Toney being a bit lacklustre at 175lbs and I don't see how he gets inside enough to be truly effective.
It's true that toney was underwhelming at 175, butnif he trained seriously and come in motivated, i think he beats kovy
I thought about this matchup more. Yeah, JT does have a chance. I tend to still favor Kov, just because of his better body of work at light heavy, but Toney stopping him wouldn't be a huge shock. JT had more pop than Ward, and 400-year-old B-Hop. I also remembered that Pascal was touching Kov up in their first fight, despite getting stopped. I'd go with Kov by decision though. Toney likely matches up better against Michalczewski. On paper, DM seems made for him.
I just dont trust Kovalev chin enough to beat toney. While the stoppage was disgraceful, ward hurt him bad in the rematch, and alvarez (who isn't a ko puncher) khtfo. Sure he might have been a bit past it, but i think it showed he wasnt a very durable guy.
