Terence Crawford’s trainer Brian McIntyre takes some time to talk to Fight Hub about how his fighter is acclimating to his novel weight class as he prepares for his fight against Israil Madrimov at 154 pounds. Below you can read some fragments of his speech.
McIntyre on how Crawford’s camp is going for Madrimov
“The camp is going well. Working demanding, as always. I’m just patiently waiting for the upcoming date when we can see a stronger, harder hitter like Terence do his thing.”
About the challenges Crawford faced to reach this weight class
“It’s not really a challenge because Terence has grown from 147 pounds, so his body is developing more now and gaining more power, so it doesn’t hold him back anymore. He needs to maintain a certain weight and just let it go and do his thing. He also has great strength coaches… everything is going well at this novel weight.”
About what Mardimov brings to this fight
“Seeing Madrimov, just watching him fight and just watching him as a person, I believe he will get a good, better performance out of Terence because the kid looks determined. I know he’s only had 10 fights, but he’s had a lot of amateur fights, he’s fought some great guys at the professional level, and he’s a champion. So he brings a lot to the table for Terence and I can’t wait to see that.
“I look at him as the ‘Mean Machine’ (Egidijus Kavaliauskas). Mean Machine was abrasive, the man and the dude were tough as hell. He had a good beard, but when Bud turned it up, he went in there and got the job done. So I look at Madrimov that way, with that decisive style, substantial good chin, just ready to go blow for blow and I think that’s what Madrimov will bring to the table.”
On whether they received any hints from Turki Alalshikh about a potential fight with Canelo
“Well, I guess it’s just one fight at a time now. So the fight that faces Bud is focused on that. Bud has never underestimated an opponent, never underestimated him, so now he’s only focused on Madrimov because this guy is risky, really risky. So that’s where his attention is.
“As for (Alashikh)… I’ve never talked to him, I think I’ve only seen him once, so I can’t tell you what his thought process is.”
On how he thinks Crawford will handle Canelo
“I look at Canelo as if he can be beaten. He had already been beaten, so Bud had the tools to beat him, that’s how I look at it. As for breaking him, when this fight appears on the radar or on the table, I will start studying his style more closely and how to break him, but right now my thoughts are on this risky Madrimov. I can’t slip on this guy.