Terance Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision to win the WBA super welterweight championship Saturday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.
The three judges had it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 all for Crawford, I scored the fight 116-112 for Crawford.
Meanwhile winning the belt is Crawford’s fourth different weight class. Madrimov was very tough and had a very difficult to figure out. This was the first time that Crawford has actually went the distance since July 2016, when he outpointed Viktor Postol in a 140-pound title match. The fight going all 12 rounds, it snaps an 11 fight knockout streak that Crawford had coming into the fight.
“Israil was a tough competitor,” Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) said. “I knew he was going to be tough, he’s real strong, he’s durable, he took a lot of good shots and he got me to Round 12, he had fast feet, good rhythm upstairs. … He was waiting to counter me just like I was trying to counter him.
“He was disciplined; he didn’t come in throwing wild shots like I intended him to. And he fought a good fight.”
Terance Crawford neutralized Madrimov signature left hook to the body by fighting him southpaw throughout the fight. But Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) unorthodox style gave Crawford problems throughout the fight. Neither fighter was able to separate themselves from each other. But it was Crawford’s championship experience that carried him through the championship rounds. Winning those rounds were the difference in a very competitive fight.
“I fought the best pound-for-pound tonight,” Madrimov said. “I was holding myself back a lot too, so in the rematch, I can do more.”
Canelo next?
Terance Crawford made his intentions know about who he wants to fight next. “If the money is right, we got a fight, but at the same time he’s got a fight that he’s focused on. I’ll go back to my family relax enjoy this win and enjoy all the accomplishments that I made in the sport of boxing.”
Bud Crawford thoughts on potential match with canelo Álvarez after defeating israil Madrimov #CrawfordVsMadrimov #boxing #canelo Terrance Crawford pic.twitter.com/6qG8WZVId2
— PNWFightTakes (@PNWFightTakes) August 4, 2024
Without a doubt a lot of fight fans were looking forward to seeing a superfight between Crawford vs Canelo. After last night some fight fans are less confident in Crawford being able to manage the challenge against the face of boxing in Canelo Alvarez. But when it comes to boxing, styles makes fights and most still think this fight will be a must see. Crawford going up two extra weight classes might just be more than he can chew. There’s a huge offer in play by Turki Alalshikh to make the fight happen. The ball is in Canelo’s court at this point.
“I will give Canelo what I think is a fair price,” Alalshikh said. “If he accepts it, he deals directly with me to finish the deal. I don’t want anyone in the middle. I guaranteed Crawford a big fight, I want Canelo for Crawford and Crawford wants Canelo. But if Canelo is crazy [with his financial demands] I will still guarantee Crawford any fight he wants.”
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
