Terence Crawford became a four-weight world champion with a win over Israil Madrimov on Saturday, outpointing the Uzbek in Los Angeles.
Crawford entered the BMO Stadium as a three-weight champion, having reigned undisputed in two divisions, and he enhanced his already stunning legacy with a unanimous-decision win, claiming the WBA super-welterweight title.
Many of the rounds were closely contested, but the American’s experience told in the later frames, securing him scorecards of 116-112, 115-113, 115-113. With the victory, the 36-year-old stayed unbeaten at 41-0 (31 knockouts), while handing Madrimov his first professional loss (10-1-1, 7 KOs).
After Saturday’s main event, Madrimov said he felt he had done enough to win, while the 29-year-old’s promoter Eddie Hearn called the fight a “waste of time”, bemoaning a lack of “respect from the judges”. But while Madrimov competed impressively, especially considering his relative lack of pro experience, Crawford’s ability to increase his output and find the target in the later phases of the fight proved decisive.
Re-live fight updates and see all undercard results below.