Last weekend, one of the best boxers in the world, Terence Crawford, scored another victory in a title fight. The American defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision and won the WBA championship belt and the interim WBO junior middleweight title.
Crawford won the fourth weight class and increased his professional record to 41-0. But Terence still has questions. For the first time in eight years, Crawford failed to finish his opponent. This in itself is not critical, since in boxing decisions are often made even with the total superiority of one of the fighters.
How was the fight between Crawford and Madrimov?
Crawford conquered the fourth division! The legend took the belt from Madrimov
But in Terence’s case, even visually it was clear that he was having a hard time in the new weight class. It is clear that he had to maintain a balance between speed and power. In the end, Crawford moved well overall, but his power was no longer enough. In addition, the opponent was extremely strong and big, Madrimov even beat him with powerful punches. Israel is not such an experienced fighter if we look at his experience in professional boxing, but he has a great amateur base, and Crawford understood that.
Only in the second half of the fight did Terence finally adapt to Madrimov, find the keys and work through experience to win. A beautiful fight, a good victory, but it was clear that there was no point in going higher. Against this background, Crawford’s obsession with a possible fight with Saul Alvarez is even frightening. If before the fight with Madrimov the mentions of Canelo could be considered part of the promotion, immediately after the victory Crawford again announced his intention to fight the Mexican.
Saul Alvarez
Photo: Fake Images
And Canelo has finally responded to Crawford’s constant challenges. First he said he didn’t see Terence winning, and then he said he was ready for a face-to-face fight: “As for me, Crawford lost. Or maybe it’s a draw. This is a fight where the victory could go either way. Crawford understands why weight classes are needed, right? He kept mentioning my name. He just wanted to sell his fight with Madrimov to the fans. If there were no talks about me, they would never have sold anything. Am I ready to fight him? If the offer is worth it…
Why not? Don’t get me wrong, Crawford is a great fighter. But, considering the weight difference, for me it will be an easy fight, easy money. So, if the offer is worth it, then I accept.”
And Crawford’s opponent Madrimov is also unsure of Terence’s prospects at super middleweight: “It all depends on what weight they will fight at. But if they are going to fight in Canelo’s weight class, then I think it will be very difficult for Crawford. Canelo is still much more massive.”
Canelo was stripped of one of his titles:
Canelo is no longer the undisputed champion. He found a new opponent and lost the belt.
The size difference is very important here. Canelo is big and strong for his weight. And he was recently in Crawford’s position when he decided it was a good idea to fight Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight. There Alvarez was clearly shown what the difference in weight classes means. Absolutely the same situation could arise in the situation with Crawford. He is too small for a super middleweight and too small for Canelo specifically. There is a risk of losing zero in the loss column, there is a risk of losing the unofficial title of the best boxer in the world.
Crawford’s best bet is to try to make history at junior middleweight. That is, to get a third absolute championship. The American boxer has a much better chance of achieving this, and this is better than competing with Canelo. Of course, Alvarez is a guarantee of a huge paycheck. The question is, what is Crawford’s priority right now? If it is a legacy, then a fight with Canelo, as paradoxical as it may seem, is not an option.
