Boxing
Terence Crawford defeats Israil Madrimov on points in chess match, wins WBA 154-pound title
Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov seek revenge in their WBA 154-pound title fight. Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Terence Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov on points in a tense, 12-round chess match on Saturday to win the WBA 154-pound belt and cement his place as a generational talent. But his latest victory, which gave the 36-year-old American a four-division title, didn’t come simple.
Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who went the distance for the first time in 11 fights in eight years, won by scores of 116-112 and 115-113 (twice), his first junior middleweight fight, in which The Ring ranks Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) as the No. 3 154-pounder in the world.
Most observers consider the fight, which took place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, to be very close and very tough to score. Some believe it could have been scored a draw or 115-113 for Madrimov (including Yours Truly). Madrimov applied extremely cautious pressure throughout, tiptoeing in and out of range, using more feints than consistent attack. Neither boxer let go of his hands in the opening rounds, but Madrimov, a Southern California native from Uzbekistan, troubled Crawford with his nervous rhythm and caused the American to miss more often than fans have ever seen.
Israil Madrimov had his moments in his fight with Terence Crawford. Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
In Round 6, Crawford’s right eye began to swell, but the wily two-hander also found range with jabs and body shots. Madrimov’s best punch was his sneaky, well-placed right hook, which landed just enough to create a sense of urgency in Crawford’s corner between rounds. In Round 8, the reigning Ring Magazine welterweight champion and future Hall of Famer stepped on the gas and initiated an exchange that the sold-out crowd of fans and celebrities in Los Angeles had come to expect.
It was retaliation for retaliation that led to back-to-back close calls in the pay-per-view main event. Madrimov continued to land right jabs and the occasional hook in rounds 9 and 10, while Crawford focused on the 29-year-old’s body in the championship rounds. The Nebraska native stayed on his feet but came back behind schedule in rounds 11 and 12, landing harder, cleaner punches.
Terence Crawford had to mobilize towards the end of his fight with Israil Madrimov. Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
“Israil was a tough opponent,” said Crawford, No. 3 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings. “He’s really powerful, strong, he beat me in 12 (rounds). He had quick feet, good rhythm up top and he was powerful. He had good discipline, like me.”
Madrimov has introduced Crawford to a different style of fighting. Crawford’s previous five fights, dating back to December 2019, have come against aggressive boxers and pressure fighters — Egidjus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas, Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, David Avanesyan and Errol Spence, whom Crawford defeated a little over a year ago. Crawford has fought just once a year since 2020, and one has to wonder if that inactivity (as well as his age) has played a part in Madrimov’s athleticism being tough to understand. Of course, Crawford says he was just being cautious.
“I saw (the style) right away,” he told DAZN’s Chris Mannix during his post-fight interview, “but I was very patient, I didn’t want to get caught. I just did my thing.”
Indeed, he did his part against a talented former amateur who has 11 professional fights. Can he do his part against super middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer Canelo Alvarez? This is the fight that His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh — the money behind Crawford-Madrimov and SuperCard on August 3 — and most of the boxing world, want to see next.
“If the money is right, we’ll have to fight,” Crawford said.
Alvarez is expected to take care of business with Edgar Berlanga in September, paving the way for a potential clash with Crawford in early 2025. When asked if his fight with Madrimov has made him consider moving up two weight classes, Crawford replied:
“Not at all. I’m pretty sure (Madrimov) could fight at 168.”
Madrimov is expected to remain at junior middleweight. There is plenty of action in the 154-pound division, including Saturday’s showdown between undefeated knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. and No. 4-ranked Serhiy Bohachuk, and the return of No. 2-ranked Tim Tszyu in September.
During the pay-per-view broadcast (broadcast on DAZN, ESPN+ and PPV.COM), Alalshikh said he would like to see Crawford fight Ortiz if Canelo is not interested.
“I fought the best non-weight fighter in the world and I think I did enough (to win) because I was the champion,” Madrimov said through an interpreter. “At least I deserve a rematch. I held back a lot too. I thought every round was competitive, that I was doing well in every round. I can push harder in the rematch.”
A rematch with Crawford is unlikely, but matchups with the Bohachuk-Ortiz winner, Tszyu, and No. 1-ranked Sebastian Fundora are welcome.
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