Terence Crawford, #3 P-4-P, will fight Saturday night against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov after a 12-month, 3-day layoff. He has moved up from 147 pounds to 154.
(Photo credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Very few boxers have taken their punches to higher divisions in the past. Other boxers could not withstand punches from heavier people and ended up on the canvas.
Terence Crawford won’t suffer on Friday as he did in the past to make weight, which is an advantage at his age. However, sparring sessions don’t get the rust off of you. Whether you like it or not, your body gets old, and older people aren’t as fast.
The body suffers some consequences due to the increase in muscle mass. Rehydration is different for each fighter. Some try to enter the ring on the night of the fight near the category’s weight, balancing speed and strength. But when you’re going up the weight ladder, sacrificing volume for speed doesn’t work.
Rehydration after weighing is a normal process for every boxer. They have over 30 hours to do it. However, as fighters age, they add pounds to their bodies. While the skills are always there, the mind knows how to execute them, but not as quickly as it used to.
On the other hand, when fighters move up in weight, they face bigger and stronger guys. Madrimov has slight physical advantages over Crawford, and the question is whether Bud can overcome them.
If the time of rest or age hasn’t taken something out of Terence, surely this will be a one-sided fight. We’ll see Bud imposing his best boxing skills that night and schooling Madrimov.
I try to be cautious when a great athlete like Crawford moves up in weight, especially in categories above 140 pounds—and much more if you are over 35. Madrimov, at 29, can easily weigh between 170 and 175 pounds on August 3rd, and it would be like Crawford facing a light heavyweight.
If Terence’s weight on Saturday night is about 170 pounds, we’ll have two unknowns. The first is whether those knees would be able to hold that weight to keep him agile for 12 rounds. The second is whether Bud’s jaw could take a blow from a heavy guy like Madrimov, who will probably be there all night.
Crawford’s technical skills and boxing IQ far surpass those of Madrimov. If weight and age don’t affect Crawford, the Saturday night fight will be a walk in the park.
If Bud’s body shows signs that this weight class affects him, the pounds in his body and the power in Madrimov’s hands could throw a wrench into the plans for a Canelo-Crawford fight in the future.
Can Bud’s jaw take a powerful blow from Madrimov and keep him standing? Be careful not to dismiss a surprise.
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