Promoter Eddie Hearn got Terence Crawford on edge today during his face-off with Israil Madrimov ahead of their main event fight this Saturday at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
(Photo credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Hearn’s Showmanship
Hearn says he wanted to bring out Crawford’s personality because Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) wasn’t saying anything. Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) seemed agitated, and it wasn’t feigned. He was bothered by the things Hearn had said.
Hearn then had to defuse the situation, but the fans had seen what they needed to. Crawford is nervous about his fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov, and it’s understandable why.
Crawford doesn’t have much personality, even when he’s joking around. That’s one of the things that has held him back during his career: his inability to lighten up during interviews and get fans interested in listening to him.
The Nebraska native knows this is the hardest fight of his long career, and it’s coming at a bad time for him due to his age, inactivity, and climb in weight to 154.
There’s also the Canelo Alvarez fight that will be on the line. Crawford knows he can’t afford any slip-ups against Madrimov because he needs a win to keep his chances alive for a fight against Canelo in 2025.
“I’m under no illusion that Madrimov is a big underdog going into this fight, but when you look at the pro record, I would much prefer that Madrimov have 18 pro fights going into this fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Boxing King Media about this Saturday’s match between Terence Crawford and WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season event.
The number of professional fights Madrimov has had isn’t important because he had over 300 amateur fights. He actually has more experience than Crawford in the sport, despite only having 11 pro fights.
Most of Crawford’s fights during his 40-fight pro career have been against lesser fighters. Only Crawford’s last 18 opponents were at a truly world-class level. From 2008 to 2013, Terence’s opposition was marginal, not the killers.
“I bring the personality out of Terence Crawford, I really do,” said Hearn about how he got Crawford worked up during their meeting today. Sometimes, when Israil is quite quiet, I want to poke the bear a little bit.”
Hearn needed to do more of the talking for Madrimov because he has not done a great job of promoting the fight, and Crawford has not done a whole lot. It’s mostly been videos posted of Crawford sparring with Andre Ward, and that’s not been ideal. This fight would be nowhere if the media did not do the heavy lifting.
“I think when you get Crawford’s personality out, I think he has a huge personality,” said continued Hearn.”I think he’s really funny, and I’m able to get that out of him. So, my job this week is to poke him a little bit.”
The funniest bit I remember from Crawford is when one of his team members almost started crying when he was defending him from the criticism he’d been receiving. That was hilarious. Crawford was trying to console the guy. I almost died watching it. That was pure comedy.
“Whether that can put him on edge and unsettle him is not really on the agenda, but if it does, it’s great,” said Hearn about his getting Crawford worked up today. “I don’t think anything I say is going to change what happens on Saturday night, but I think it’s great for the buildup. I don’t think people understand that this is a game. It’s an act; it’s a great play.”
It was excellent acting on Hearn’s part, getting Crawford unsettled. It probably won’t change the fight’s outcome, but watching Terence blow a gasket was fun. Hearn’s comments about this being the hardest fight of his career and Madrimov knocking him out got Crawford unhinged.
“Sometimes, there’s a lot of real stuff, but my job is to be the showman, to get you guys [media] content, to see Terence Crawford unhinged or get those moments. I think that moment kind of went viral. It gets people captivated about the fight and gets to see what Terence Crawford is all about,” said Hearn.
Hearn did an admirable job today getting under Crawford’s skin, and hopefully, he can continue because this was the most entertaining part of the promotion thus far.
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