Terence Crawford told the media on Thursday that they are overlooking his punching power in his fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on Saturday night.
(Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Is Crawford Overcompensating?
Crawford says he keeps hearing about Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) being bigger and stronger than him. He states that he heard the same things when he fought Jose Benavidez Jr., Errol Spence, and Jeff Horn. Terence says fans changed their tune about his power after he beat those fighters.
These comments from Crawford suggest that he lacks confidence heading into Saturday’s fight. Those three fighters that Crawford uses to make an argument that he possesses equal or greater power than Madrimov make him appear insecure. He would be better off admitting that he’s facing a guy with more power, size, and youth.
If Crawford possesses better power than ‘Little GGG’ Madrimov, he’ll have the opportunity to show the fans by standing in the center of the ring and slugging on Saturday night. Crawford won’t show he’s a better puncher if he uses his usual movement.
“A lot of people forgetting that I punch hard, and I’m strong too. A lot of people are over-thinking this whole fight, like, ‘He’s the bigger guy, he’s the stronger guy,’ since I’m moving up in weight,” said Terence Crawford at the final press conference on Thursday, taking issue with people viewing WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov having more power than him.
It sounds like Crawford is trying to convince himself that he matches up against the younger, bigger, and stronger Madrimov because he’s starting to worry.
The former WBO 147-lb champion Jeff Horn has never been a puncher and was mostly known for his boxing skills and roughhouse tactics. You wouldn’t expect Horn to have better power than Crawford because that wasn’t his forte.
“But we always have the same questions from Jeff Horn, Errol Spence to [Jose] Benavidez,” said Crawford. “All these big guys that’s naturally bigger than me. When they get in the ring with me, everybody says, ‘Wow, Terence Crawford is stronger than we thought.’ I think on Saturday, people are going to be saying the same thing.”
A Closer Look at Crawford’s Knockout Streak
Errol Spence
David Avanesyan
Shawn Porter
Kell Brook
Egidijus Kavaliauskas
Amir Khan
Jose Benavidez Jr
Jeff Horn
Julius Indongo
Felix Diaz
John Molina
Jose Benavidez Jr. had recently been shot in the leg before fighting Crawford, and he was never a power guy before that. It’s common knowledge that Errol Spence had lost a lot of weight in his training camp for his fight against Crawford and looked weak, and nothing like the fighter he’d been in the past.
Don’t underestimate the power of Bud 🥊@terencecrawford addresses the doubters of his punching power as he moves up in weight. #RiyadhSeasonCard | #CrawfordVsMadrimov
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