Former WBA welterweight titlist James Page, who stepped up to junior middleweight for a comeback in 2012, has outlined the risks that face Terence Crawford as he rises from 147 pounds to 154.
Crawford, a three-division titlist and two-division undisputed champion, will fight WBA junior middleweight belt-holder Israil Madrimov on Saturday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, topping a Riyadh Season pay-per-view card.
When asked about the risks associated with Crawford moving up in weight to challenge a bigger titleholder, Page (25-5, 19 KOs) praised Crawford but also highlighted the potential challenges.
“The only risk I see for Crawford as far as moving up to 154 pounds is seeing how his body responds and seeing if he has the same speed,” Page said. “He is going to be hitting bigger guys, they might not go down as easy because they are bigger.”
Page, who defeated Andrey Pestryaev in Paris in 1998 to become the WBA welterweight titleholder, grew up boxing in Concord, Calif., and is from Pittsburg, Calif. Today, he helps run the Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in his hometown.
Page made three defenses of his title, defeating Jose Luis Lopez and Freddie Pendleton before the new millennium. He took 11 years off from boxing and returned at junior middleweight in a club show in Sacramento, but was unsuccessful.
He often speaks about the philosophy of fighting as an inner hunger and drive, which he believes you either have or don’t when called upon. He recently told BoxingScene that one of his greatest moments as a fighter was responding to adversity in the Jose Luis Lopez fight, where he hit the canvas twice but still won a unanimous decision. He emphasizes to the youth in his gym the importance of training not just for the fighter in front of you but for the caliber of a world title fight.
Page knows first-hand how tough boxing can be and that might be why Page holds Crawford in such high regard.
“Crawford is a great fighter, definitely an all-time great,” Page said. “He can box and he can fight.”
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