Boxing
Terence Crawford defeats Israil Madrimov on points in chess match, wins WBA 154-pound title
Published
6 months agoon
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.
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.
“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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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
1 week agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
1 week agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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