Eddie Hearn says Israil Madrimov is ready to knockout Terence Crawford on August 3rd and “ruin” His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s plans for a fight between the Nebraska native and Canelo Alvarez for early next year.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is moving up to 154 with the idea of using WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) as a launch pad to get a title shot against four-belt 168-lb champion Canelo in the first quarter of 2025, hoping to capture his third division undisputed championship.
A Celebrity Match in the Making?
There’s a celebrity-level to Crawford moving up two divisions from 154 to 168 and getting an immediate title shot against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo, but that’s going to go over the head of casual boxing fans, who would be none the wiser that Terence is breaking the rules of how the sport is typically conducted.
Madrimov would be doing the sport a good turn if he ruined the plans for the celebrity match, and the contenders at 168 would be the first to thank him for his good deed.
If Crawford wants to fight Canelo for his belts, he should earn it like other hard-working contenders at 168 by slogging through the salt mines against killers like David Benavidez, Christian Mbilli, David Morrell Jr, Caleb Plant, and Diego Pacheco.
Usually, fighters compete in a weight class, work hard to earn a title shot by climbing the rankings, and get a chance to fight a world champion if they’re good enough. Crawford won’t have to do that. He’ll just be given the title shot against Canelo, which is utterly unfair to the contenders that he’ll be jumping ahead.
Again, Canelo-Crawford is a gloried celebrity match. However, Madrimov is the roadblock that stands in front of the farce, and he can ruin His Excellency’s plans by knocking out Crawford, sending him back to 147 from whence he came.
Madrimov to Spoil the Party
“I sent a message to His Excellency yesterday, saying, ‘I’m really sorry to ruin your plans for Terence Crawford because all that people are talking about is what happens next. Canelo Alvarez, Boots Ennis,’” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about his belief that Israil Madrimov will defeat Terence Crawford on August 3rd in their fight on ESPN+ PPV in Los Angeles.
If the 36-year-old Crawford is beaten by Israil Madrimov on August 3rd, it would be a big comedown for him, but it would be a good lesson for other fighters to learn.
When you want to fight for world titles, you don’t sit out of the ring for an entire year and then return after 13 months to get an immediate world title shot in a new weight class that you’ve never competed in at 36.
“Israil Madrimov is the toughest test of his [Crawford] career up at 154 pounds,” said Hearn. “He’s a huge, light middleweight, punches very hard, has tremendous movement, good boxing IQ, and has an outstanding amateur pedigree as well. This is a real, real fight.”
Crawford’s best opponents were all guys Madrimov would wax in within five rounds. There’s no name on Crawford’s 16-year resume that Madrimov wouldn’t knockout and be sitting on a gleaming 24k gold 40-0 record with 40 knockouts. That would be one of the best records of all time, and Madrimov would own it if he fought Crawford’s opposition.
“We like our spot in this fight, overlooked, the underdog, but with Uzbek power, and he’s ready to knock Terence Crawford out in Los Angeles,” Hearn said. “He has to be smart, but he has to use his assets, his movement, his angles, and his power as well.”
Casual boxing fans overlook Madrimov as a threat to Crawford, not the hardcore ones who follow the sport. They know what Crawford is up against, and he and his trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, do too. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be training feverishly, trying to turn back the clock to find enough youth to win this dangerous fight.
“Crawford is an outstanding fighter. Make no mistake, Israil Madrimov is a big underdog in this fight, but he’s a live underdog,” said Hearn. “He’s someone who is very comfortable and confident in that ring, believes in himself, and believes victory is upon him. He has a great team of people as well and a whole country behind him.”
It doesn’t matter whether Madrimov is an underdog or not. What’s important to factor in is the age of Crawford, inactivity, his past level of opposition, and how he views Madrimov as a stepping stone to get the lucrative fight against Canelo in 2025.
Hearn didn’t say whether it was Crawford’s idea to face Madrimov, but I believe His Excellency chose this fight. If not, Crawford would go straight to the Canelo fight for the payday if it were offered to him for the taking without any strings attached.
“Every time Madrimov goes home, he’s like a prince, but this is going to turn him into a king in Uzbekistan, and the whole country is behind him, ready for August 3rd. This is the one that takes him global. This is the fight that turns Israil Madrimov into a superstar,” said Hearn.
The Aftermath of a Crawford Loss
A victory for Madrimov over Crawford would transform him into a king in Uzbekistan, turn him into a star in the U.S., and open the door to a fight against Canelo. That would be a Canelo vs. prime GGG match-up, creating much interest from boxing fans.
Where Crawford would go after a knockout loss to Madrimov is unclear. The obvious choice would be for him to return to welterweight to face Boots Ennis in a fight many boxing fans would still be anxious to see.
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