Promoter Eddie Hearn went on a classic rant, reacting to his fighter, Israil Madrimov losing his WBA Junior middleweight title to Terence Crawford by a questionable twelve round unanimous decision on Saturday night in a fight that easily could have gone their way at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Hearn screamed bloody murder after the fight, pointing out that Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) landed the more effective punches. That’s true. I watched the fight and had Madrimov winning 117-111 by a nine-round to three margin. The judges saw it differently and tainted the evening.
Madrimov’s punches were similar to a vintage Gennadiy Golovkin in terms of power, and Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) didn’t show anywhere near the same kind of pop on his shots.
The scores were 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.
Crawford’s Star Power: A Factor in the Decision?
Chris Mannix: “When you heard those scorecards read out, what did you think of the decision?”
Eddie Hearn: “Because it’s a waste of time. It’s not a 116-112 fight. He [Madrimov] was in the fight. He’s coming into the fight as a champion, but because he’s fighting Terence Crawford. All the effective punches were coming from Israil Madrimov.
“Crawford had a good flurry in the last round. It was a super close fight. I believe when you come into that ring as a champion, you’ve got to take the belt off the champion. Terence Crawford didn’t do that, and I love him. He’s brilliant.”
The problem is Crawford is a star, and he’s got a potential big-money fight on the horizon against Canelo Alvarez at 168 in 2025. With the money is going to generate, do you honestly think Madrimov had any chance of winning a decision?
“For me, he [Madrimov] deserves to be a champion tonight. It was a fight that could have gone either way. You hear the scorecards, and it’s a ‘Why you bothered’ kind of thing. You lose by four rounds on two of the scorecards. It wasn’t that kind of fight.
“I was sitting in the corner. They [Team Crawford] were so quiet the whole fight. They knew. The 12th round, ‘We need it.’ They knew this fight was on a knife edge, and you get zero respect from the judges because it’s Terence Crawford. He’s an amazing fighter. It was a very close fight,” said Hearn.
I agree with Hearn. Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, was sweating bullets in the corner during the later rounds, sounding like he knew how bleak his situation was.
“As a champion, he deserves respect on those scorecards. It was a fight that could have gone either way, and it feels like it was a waste of time when you lose 116-112. It’s like they were already filled out before.
“Everyone knows. His Excellency was coming up to me, ‘Ah, you ruined our plans,’ and it was that kind of fight. Then you hear the scorecards, and it’s a waste of time,” said Hearn.
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