LOS ANGELES – Round by round, Israil Madrimov kept coming, winging right hands with the kind of force that made even Terence Crawford’s staunchest supporters nervous. For 16 years Crawford had been mowing down opponents, collecting 40 wins, the last 11 coming by knockout. Now here was the 29-year-old Madrimov, an 11-fight veteran entering the championship rounds with a chance to end it all.
“That dude,” said Crawford’s trainer, Brian McIntyre, “is tough as s---.”
None of this surprised Crawford, of course. The buildup to Crawford-Madrimov—the headliner for yet another Saudi Arabia sponsored mega card, this time in Southern California—had focused on what comes next. Specifically, a fantasy showdown between Crawford and Canelo Alvarez, a fight that would pit two pound-for-pound greats against each other—and one Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi official bankrolling these events, is eager to make.
Crawford rarely engaged with any of it. For years, Crawford had studied Uzbek fighters. He watched as Madrimov, Shakhram Giyasov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev collected medals at international tournaments. In 2019, while vacationing in Uzbekistan, Crawford developed a deeper appreciation for them, Madrimov in particular. Many considered Madrimov a stepping stone. Crawford knew better.
If there was a concern with Madrimov, it was how he would handle the spotlight. Madrimov had never been on a stage like this. He has never headlined in the U.S., much less fought in front of a crowd like the one jammed into BMO Stadium. He won his world title on an undercard. During the pandemic he fought in a literal street intersection in Tulsa. Strategy was important, Madrimov’s trainer, Joel Diaz told me during the week. But Madrimov needed to match Crawford’s confidence.
And he did. From the opening minutes it was clear Madrimov was not going to be an easy out. Madrimov is well schooled, a decorated amateur with more than 300 amateur wins, who packed up and moved to Indio, Calif., six years ago with several of his countrymen to learn the pro game from Joel Diaz. He’s a fighter in constant motion, feinting with his feet, hands and body, striking only when he has a clean shot.
“He was just patient,” said Crawford. “He'd feint, feint, feint and just keep feinting until he got a little closer, a little closer. He wasn't rushing in with nothing. He was very disciplined.”
That discipline resulted in a methodical pace. The two landed a combined three punches in the first round, 13 in the second and 11 in the third. The crowd, expecting a shootout between two heavy-handed punchers, quickly grew restless. “He was doing a lot of movement,” said Crawford. “But at the same time he was trying to counter me like I was trying to counter him. So it was a mixture of counter to counter.”
In the eighth round, in my capacity as a DAZN reporter, I approached Diaz in Madrimov’s corner. Diaz was animated. The fight was competitive, Diaz told me, but too much of a chess match. One of the two fighters was going to open up. Madrimov, Diaz insisted, needed to be first.
Ultimately, neither did. Crawford cracked double digits in punches landed in three rounds, according to CompuBox. Madrimov did it just twice. In 11 of the 12 rounds the two fighters were separated by four or fewer punches landed. Crawford’s best weapon was a sharp jab, which he connected on 21 more times than Madrimov. “I think my jab was beating him up,” said Crawford. Madrimov connected on 10 more power shots, most frequently the straight right hand.
In the end, for Madrimov, it was not enough. One judge scored the fight 116-112 for Crawford. Two others gave him a narrow 115-113 edge. The closer cards had the fight even after 10 rounds. Sensing that, McIntyre told Crawford after the 10th: We got to work. Crawford needed to sweep both to win. And like any great fighter, he did just that.
“I wouldn't say it was my toughest fight,” said Crawford. “I think Mean Machine [Egidijus Kavaliauskas] was a tough fight, tougher fight than that. I think [Yuriorkis] Gamboa was a tougher fight than that. I think [Jose] Benavidez was a tougher fight than that. I might've got the knockout [in those fights], but those [were] tough fights in their own right.”
The win established Crawford as a four-division world champion and now the question is, should he chase one more? During the show Alalshikh reiterated his intention to make Alvarez an offer to fight Crawford. “If he is smart,” Alalshikh said, “he will accept.” Crawford wants it, for legacy and the career-high payday that will come with it. And while acknowledging the challenge Canelo presents, McIntyre believes the team can come up “with a game plan to beat his ass.”
“Probably [have] to box a little bit more,” McIntyre said. “But towards the end [of the Madrimov fight] I told Bud, ‘step to this mother------.’ I don’t know if you can do that to Canelo or not. He’s big, strong. We’ll see.”
Prudent or not, if an Alvarez offer is presented to Crawford, he’ll likely take it. Crawford will turn 37 next month. Around him, everyone acknowledges that the end is coming. There will be no rematch with Madrimov, no showdown with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, no unification with Bakhram Murtazaliev. It’s money fights—big money fights—for Crawford from here on out and there is no bigger one than Canelo.
Even without Canelo, Crawford’s legacy is complete. Few fighters have achieved what Crawford has, moving from 135 pounds to 154, collecting titles along the way. Floyd Mayweather, Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya—that’s the company Crawford keeps now. He’s undisputed in two weight divisions, has defeated his lone rival, Errol Spence Jr., and remains at the top of his game. Some believed Madrimov would be too much for Crawford, that 154 pounds would be too big. Crawford, as he has done countless times, simply would not be denied.
“It was one of those missions that we was on,” said Crawford. “And we wasn't going to let nobody or nothing take it away from us.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Boxer Terence Crawford Cements Legacy With Latest Win.
