Terence Crawford could be facing his moment of truth this Saturday, August 3rd, when he takes on Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles. The Crawford-Madrimov Riyadh Season event begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV and costs $79.99.
The mobility, power, youth, and pinpoint shots of Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) could present many problems for Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), emerging from another one of his long layoffs at 36. This could be a reality check for Crawford, facing a guy he can’t beat.
We’ll find out quickly on Saturday how well Crawford can take the power from the biggest puncher in the 154-lb division. Madrimov isn’t the fastest puncher, but his GGG-esque power makes him a nightmare for anyone he faces. I don’t see this ending well for Crawford.
Too many things are going against him, starting with his advanced age. He turns 37 in September, and he’s physically aged in the last year from enjoying the praise from fans after his biggest career win over Errol Spence in July 2023. The other problems that Crawford faces:
– Fighting at 154 with no experience
– Getting hit by the biggest career puncher
– Not entirely focused: Fixated on Canelo fight
– Semi-retired
– Returning for wrong reasons:
Crawford can’t afford to stand in front of Madrimov and fight him like he did his recent opponents at 147 without getting hurt; the clinching and wrestling that Crawford uses as his main neutralizing tool against power punchers isn’t likely to work against Madrimov because he knows how to fight those guys.
Crawford’s Potential Downfall
Coming out of his den annually may finally come back to bite Crawford on his backside this Saturday night. The Omaha, Nebraska fighter Crawford may discover that he’s reached too high by entering the 154-lb weight class that he wasn’t designed physically to compete at.
It’s a much different story for Crawford than fitting against smaller, older, past-their-prime fighters in the smaller weight classes
For the $79.99, there are a lot of excellent fights with these matches:
- David Morrell vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic
- Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
- Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole
- Andy Ruiz Jr. Vs. Jarrell Miller
- Andy Cruz vs. Antonio Moran
Once Crawford gets a taste of Madrimov’s GGG-like power, he could be in for a real shock in this fight. It could make him realize that he made a big mistake selecting this talent after 13 months of inactivity.
Crawford has been hit by punches in other weight classes, but they are nothing like what Madrimov will tag him with. This will immediately change the way Crawford fights, making him defensive. He hopes he can win an ugly decision by jabbing, moving, and holding all night.
That won’t work against Madrimov, who often fought those slick, hit-and-not-get-hit, point-scoring fighters during his long amateur career.
Madrimov, 29, has fought his entire career at 154. He looks and punches with the same power as Canelo Alvarez and could show that what Crawford did in the smaller weight classes at 135, 140, and 147 will be useless to him now.
A Cinderella Moment for Madrimov
Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts a knockout victory for Madrimov over Crawford that will transform the Uzbek fighter into a superstar. This is Madrimov’s Cinderella moment; unfortunately for Crawford, he’s the old lion he must tear apart to become the star.
All the pre-planning that Crawford, his team, and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh are doing, talking about wanting to do the Canelo fight or another mega-fight next, could evaporate on Saturday night under the power fists of Madrimov.
Crawford could be brought to earth in this fight and be made to realize that he hasn’t been putting in the work in his career the way he should by treating it like a part-time job with his once-a-year schedule.
The Risk of Inactivity
This is how famous fighters from the past, like Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya, came apart. They rarely fought towards the end of their careers, taking a long time off between fights, only looking for the big paydays, and getting beaten.
While most fans believe Crawford will win like he always does and make it look easy, I don’t think that will happen here. Unlike the fighters that Crawford has routinely beaten during his 16-year career, Madrimov is the real thing.
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