Boxing coach Roy Jones Jr. says the reason Terence Crawford underperformed in his last fight against junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov last August is because he was fighting a guy with only ten fights, who was supposed to beat. He states that Madrimov wasn’t dangerous enough for Crawford to get excited enough to mentally prepare, and that’s why he struggled so badly against him.
Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) came close to beating Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), losing a 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 115-113, 116-112, and 115-113.
Rather than a motivational issue causing Crawford problems against Madrimov, it looked like age kicking in and facing a guy with size and power that he’d never faced before. Also, Crawford had never fought great opposition during his career.
He glided through three divisions like Adrien Broner did, capturing titles against fighters like Errol Spence, Jeff Horn, Julius Indongo, Ricky Burns, and Viktor Postol. Those are not great fighters. So, when Crawford went up against Madrimov, he got exposed a little. It had nothing to do with Crawford not being motivated.
Jones Jr. says Crawford, 37, won’t have the same problems getting motivated for a fight against Canelo Alvarez at 168 because it’s a much bigger match-up.
Fans would have a better time buying Roy’s argument if Crawford would show some ambition by moving up to 168 and fighting David Benavidez, David Morrell, Christian Mbilli, or Caleb Plant to show that he can win in this division. The belief that fans have it Crawford just wants retirement money and doesn’t actually believe he can beat Canelo. This is all about a bank heist.
“Madrimov is a good fighter. 10-0, how much pro experience does he really have? Does that make Bud get really up? No, it doesn’t. You’re 10-0. Bud is supposed to beat you,” said Roy Jones Jr. to Fight Hub TV about why Terence Crawford fought poorly against Israil Madrimov in their fight on August 3rd.
“There was no pressure on Bud. The pressure on Bud was not to let you beat him, because Madrimov was the one who could have pulled off an upset because he’s the one with only 10 pro fights. He doesn’t have a lot of experience. So, he wasn’t supposed to beat Bud, but he did better than people expected. The guy has an immaculate amateur background.” said Roy.
The reason why Crawford looked so bad against Madrimov is because he was fighting someone good for a change, and he’s gotten older. When you’re as old as Crawford, and you only fight on an annual basis for four straight years, you degrade.
“So he is a pro. 300 [amateur fights for Madrimov]. He had 10 pro fights, but he had 300 amateur fights. Most pros don’t have that. So, you are dangerous enough to where Bud has got to worry about you to make sure he stays on his A-game, but you’re not experienced enough to be so concerned, ‘Oh, I got to make this the best fight of my life.’
“No, he don’t, but when he fights Canelo, he does, because Canelo is big, and has just as much experience as Bud has. He’s been a bigger fighter for years now and has only gotten bigger and stronger as he goes.
“So, that’s a fight where Bud has got to say, ‘Okay, now my hands are full. Now, I got to get my mind right and focus and get myself to the best that I can be because if I’m not at my very best, I’m not going to beat this guy.’ That’s a different mentality,” said Jones.
It sounds like Roy is carrying water for Crawford, trying to help him get that retirement fight against Canelo without having to work for it like normal fighters. No one thinks Crawford had any chance of beating Canelo because he showed that he could barely beat 154-pounder Madrimov. He easily could have lost that fight to Madrimov if the champion had put his foot on the gas pedal in rounds 10 through 12.
“So, the mentality is what makes it interesting to me. Do I think Canelo can beat Bud? It’s a tough fight to call. I think his size is his best going factor, but if he goes out and boxes Bud, he’s not going to beat Bud boxing,” said Jones Jr.
It doesn’t matter what Jones Jr. says. It’s whether the money will come from His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to meet Canelo’s asking price because without the $150 million that he’s asking for, the fight isn’t going to happen. Fans don’t believe what Roy says because Crawford isn’t showing any desire to risk his hide by moving up to 168 to prove himself first that he’s legit by fighting Benavidez. This is just about retirement money for Crawford.
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