Promoter Eddie Hearn thinks that when Terence Crawford fights WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd in the main event of the Riyadh Season in Los Angeles, he may be in for a major shock because to Madrimov’s stature, power, and movement.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) will be making his 154-inch debut in this fight, and it’s impossible to predict how well he’ll perform against a boxer of Madrimov’s caliber at this weight class.
Crawford fought eight successful fights at 147, although his opponents were not really good. He moved up to 154 without facing a great opponent since maybe his July 2016 matchup with Viktor Postol. Crawford’s opponents at 147 were decrepit, disreputable hasbeens. Therefore, it would have been preferable if Crawford had faced Madrimov after getting his start at 154 against one of the skilled opponents, such as Erickson Lubin.
If Crawford loses against Madrimov, a lot of people will question his decision to enter a fight right away, underestimate his opponent, come back to the ring after a one-and-a-half-year break, and not have faced a good opponent in eight years since 2016.
Crawford is the archetypal illustration of a person on the wrong path. The 36-year-old “Bud” Crawford’s rash choice to take up the formidable WBA 154-lb champion Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) does have one benefit, though: if things go wrong, he will have an explanation to offer the supporters.
Crawford can explain that he was coming off a 13-month layoff and blame it on not gaining experience first. Crawford will have cover thanks to those two justifications, and His Excellency may still be able to award him the Canelo Alvarez fight.
If Crawford is handed the championship fight against Canelo at 168 after losing to Madrimov, it looks awful from a sporting standpoint, but this is just entertainment. Crawford’s popularity among casual boxing fans would still above that of Madrimov, which would be sufficient justification for him to receive the golden ticket instead of his opponent.
“Crawford is obviously the favorite in that fight, but Madrimov is very good. You’re talking about a strong Eastern European [fighter],” said Eddie Hearn in media reports.
“Madrimov is a really strong Eastern European fighter with great movement, with great ring IQ and with a tremendous engine. He was an outstanding amateur as well. So, for me, I’m looking at it and saying this is a banana skin for Terence Crawford,” added Heran.
