Promoter Eddie Hearn has his doubts about Terence Crawford defeating WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov if their fight gets made for August 3rd in Los Angeles.
Eddie feels it’s a mistake for fans to assume Crawford will defeat Madrimov because he’s facing a different kind of beast from anyone he’s faced before during his 16-year career.
Crawford is a good fighter, but his resume is thin. He has no one other than a car crash-wrecked Errol Spence to show for his long career. Once you get past Spence, Crawford’s resume is filled with a lot of washed-up fighters, like Amir Khan, Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, Ricky Burns, and Julius Indongo.
Hearn mentions the size and punching power of Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) will be a problem for Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), who has never fought at 154 during his 16-year career and isn’t a spring chicken at a weathered 36.
Age, inactivity, facing a young bulldozer of an opponent, Madrimov, and being a newbie at junior middleweight could prove to be too much for Crawford on August 3rd.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is interested in making a fight between Crawford and 26-year-old Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, but that fight can’t happen unless Terence gets through the match with Madrimov.
Crawford’s Underrated Challenge
“We’re in discussions for the next fight. Not us on behalf of Terence, but us on behalf of Israil Madrimov, and I’m not sure Terence beats Israil Madrimov,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fighthype, talking about negotiations underway for a fight between Terence Crawford and WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
We’ll soon see if the Crawford vs. Madrimov fight gets made. Even with His Excellency’s deep pockets, Crawford could price himself out if he asks for too much money. Crawford is a good fighter, but he’s never been a draw.
If he’s asking for Canelo Alvarez-type money to fight Madrimov, his Excellency may look in another direction toward one of the many talented contenders at 154.
“Up at 154, against a massive puncher, when you’re talking about rehydrating and all this kind of stuff, Madrimov is going to come in like a monster in that fight,” said Hearn. “I probably rate Crawford as pound-for-pound #1, but I think it’s very naive to start looking at other fights for Terence Crawford until he faces and comes through Israil Madrimov if that fight gets made.”
Madrimov’s obstacles to beating Crawford:
- Inexperience against elite competition: Madrimov hasn’t fought against anyone nearly as talented as Crawford.
- Reach: Terence will enjoy a six-inch reach advantage over Madrimov, and he’ll likely use his jab to get the fight long.
- Low work rate: Madrimov is a potshot fighter, and he’s not busy enough to defeat an aging fighter like Crawford. He’ll have to adopt a Gennadiy Golovkin-type attack style to beat Crawford because throwing occasional single punches won’t do the job.
- Stamina problems: Madrimov has looked tired in some of his fights, even with the pace being slow and his work rate being low.
Eyes on Jaron “Boots” Ennis
“If he does come through that fight, Crawford against Jaron Ennis is probably one of the biggest fights in the sport, and His Excellency wants to make the best and the biggest fights. We met with His Excellency on Friday with Jaron, and he told him, ‘I want to make you against Crawford.’ Jaron Ennis’ answer was, ‘Yes, please, I’m ready, anytime you want.’”
Some boxing fans believe that Crawford wants nothing to do with fighting Jaron Ennis, and will resist it when the negotiations start if he gets past Madrimov. The fight that Crawford wants is Canelo Alvarez for that magnificent payday.
But Crawford hasn’t seemed eager to earn it the hard way by moving up to 168 and swimming with the sharks in the division. Interestingly, Crawford is not even interested in taking on Boots Ennis, either. He wanted to fight Tim Tszyu before he lost his title, and then he reportedly wanted to fight Sebastian Fundora.
“So, he [Boots] has to defend his title first [against Cody Crowley], and who knows what happens later this year? Without a doubt,” said Hearn when asked if Boots is on Crawford’s level.
