In 31 days from now, Terence Crawford will be trying to become a four-division world champion at the ancient age of 36 against Israil Madrimov, the WBA junior middleweight champion, on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Crawford Moves into Madrimov’s Territory
It’s an ambitious thing for Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) trying to accomplish at this late stage of his 16-year career, fighting for the first time at 154 after beginning his career at 135, and taking on what many believe to be the most powerful puncher in the weight class, Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs).
Crawford moving into Madrimov’s territory, or should I say, hunting grounds, is a situation that would end badly for the Nebraska native, who has been basking in the afterglow of his win over Errol Spence Jr on July 29th, 2023, and slow to return to work.
Choosing to stay home without returning to work for an entire year puts Crawford in a difficult position, especially with him moving into Madrimov’s land at 154 at near 37.
A Legacy on the Line
If Crawford fails in his attempts at greatness, you can’t fault him for at least showing the courage to try something that few fighters in his class would do. He’s already done so much in his career, putting his legacy and the mega-payday against Canelo Alvarez at risk by moving up to face ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov on August 3rd.
Crawford could stay at 147, play it safe, fighting champions Mario Barrios and Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. Instead of standing pat and waiting for the day that he’s blessed with the Canelo fight in 2025, he’s looking to make history by moving to 154 to go after his fourth division world title before moving up to 168 to go after an almost unheard of fifth division title.
If Crawford succeeds against Madrimov and Canelo, it would be exciting to see if he can win a sixth-division world title by moving down to 160 or up to 175.
A Place Among the Legends
- Oscar De La Hoya: Six division world titles
- Floyd Mayweather Jr: Five division titles
- Manny Pacquiao: Eight division titles.
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— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) July 3, 2024
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