Terence Crawford says he’s focused only on his fight against Israil Madrimov on August 3rd, not on a potential future clash against Canelo Alvarez next year.
Crawford can make a lot of money if he’s victorious against Madrimov. Can Crawford defeat a fighter of Madrimov’s class after 13 months out of the ring and move up in weight at 36?
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) can’t afford to overlook WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) because he’s too young, powerful, and big for him to be counted on as a sure-thing win two weeks from now at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
We don’t know what to expect from Crawford at this new weight class because he didn’t face anyone remotely as talented as Madrimov at 147, unless you can count Errol Spence, but he looked like an awful mess after 17 months out of the ring, and having lost 40+ lbs in training camp.
The 36-year-old Craword wanted this fight against Madrimov, so he must feel confident that he will have his way in their twelve-round headliner on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV.
“My body is growing, getting older, and making 147 was tough. It was time for me to move up,” said Terence Crawford to the media about his move up to 154 to challenge Israil Madrimov on August 3rd. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t fought in the division yet. So, I don’t know the challenges.”
It would have been possible for Crawford to stay at 147 for the remainder of his career if he weren’t fighting just once a year. When you’re routinely taking 12+ months off between fights, staying in a weight class makes it difficult.
“I don’t know how my body is going to feel. I don’t know how things are going to go, but I’m looking forward to it,” said Crawford. “It was tough making weight at 147, and after becoming undisputed, there was nothing really for me to prove to kill myself to make the weight. So why not move up?”
There was only one person remaining at welterweight for Crawford to “prove” himself against, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, but he was dangerous, and he might have lost to him. Even if Crawford won, Ennis would put some miles on his odometer that would have made fighting at 154 more difficult if not impossible. He may not want to admit it, he was afraid to fight Boots.
“My mind is crystal clear, and that’s August 3rd against Israil Madrimov. I’m not thinking about or worrying about Canelo or anyone else for that matter. August 3rd is the only fight that is in the back of my mind,” said Crawford.
I think Crawford is disingenuous when saying he’s not thinking about Canelo. Of course, he is because he’s chasing that payday, and he’s likely the reason he moved to 154 to get closer to that money.
Crawford wasn’t about to move up to 168 and fight David Benavidez in his first fight to prove himself. So, he went for the safer but still dangerous test of fighting Madrimov, which would give him credibility in the eyes of fans. He still won’t have earned the Canelo fight in the true sense by beating Madrimov, but there will be a little less flak.
“He’s a decorated amateur. He has a lot of experience in the amateurs. He may only have 11 fights, but he’s a world champion for a reason. I have to respect everything about him just like I have to respect everything about every other opponent I’ve been in the ring with,” said Crawford about Madrimov.
Madimov fought better opposition in the amateurs than Crawford has fought in the pro ranks, and he has more experience against high-level opposition. That’s why Madrimov is already a world champion with just 11 fights under his belt.
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