Terence Crawford, the consensus best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, defeated Israil Madrimov by unanimous decision on Saturday night to become a four-division champion. Crawford won the WBA super welterweight title in his first fight at 154lbs, taking it 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 on the judges’ scorecards.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) had not fought since he stopped Errol Spence Jr in July 2023 to become the undisputed welterweight champion. He has also won titles at super lightweight and lightweight. The victory could set up a fight between Crawford and Canelo Álvarez, the reigning 168lbs champion.

“You know what I say, if the money is right, we got to fight,” Crawford said immediately after the fight.

The mostly unknown Madrimov (10-1-1) acquitted himself well on the highest-profile stage to date for the 29-year-old from Uzbekistan. “I fought the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I believe I did enough because I was the champion,” Madrimov said. “I was controlling the rhythm and felt very comfortable inside the ring. I believe that I did really well.”

The Fight

It started out as a cautious affair, with both fighters trying to establish position and feel out the other through the first three rounds. That approach did not agree with the capacity crowd at BMO Stadium. Having dealt with blazing temperatures and sunshine for most of the long card at the outdoor home of MLS team LAFC, they responded with jeers and whistles.

Crawford turned on the pressure in the fourth round, just missing on a fierce right hand in the closing seconds. “I didn’t want to rush in with anything because that’s how I got caught a couple of times, rushing in, trying to eat too soon,” Crawford said. “But I did my thing.”

Madrimov was energized in the fifth round after Crawford slipped and ended up on his backside. Madrimov came in with a series of aggressive punches to put his American opponent on the defensive. The flurry sent Crawford back into a careful posture for most of the next two rounds before he landed a rare effective combination to the body late in the seventh.

“He was waiting to counter me just like I was trying to counter him,” Crawford said. “He was very disciplined, he wasn’t coming in throwing them wild shots like I intended him to, and it was a very good fight.”

Madrimov reestablished momentum with three straight rights to the face in the eighth round. Crawford landed a shot of his own, forcing Madrimov to clench and break momentum and allowing him to come back with a right hook.

“I made a couple of mistakes, but I felt I did enough in each round,” Madrimov said. “I was holding myself back a lot too, so in the rematch I can make a lot more.”

The action picked up over the next two rounds, with both fighters seemingly trying to land power punches instead of attempting to string together longer periods of control.

Crawford came on in the last 30 seconds of the 11th round. The flurry energized him and carried over to the final round as he pushed unsuccessfully for a 12th straight win by knockout. Both fighters missed on wild throws in the final minutes, but it was Crawford who emphatically raised both gloves in the air when the bout ended.

The Aftermath

Crawford’s jab, activity, and a strong push in the championship rounds seemed to secure the fight and a title in a new weight class. Madrimov was a complex puzzle to solve. Madrimov’s movement, sneaky speed, and power were key factors that kept Crawford cautious throughout the fight. His straight right hand found a home during the early and middle rounds, further adding to the challenge. Crawford did enough to nullify Madrimov’s momentum with powerful shots to the body and some well-placed uppercuts.

Both men had a little mouse under their left eye from the other’s punches, but there was no other significant facial damage. Madrimov’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, echoed his post-fight sentiments on social media shortly after the bout.

Hearn believes Madrimov was disrespected on the scorecards and deserved more love as the defending champion. Longtime boxing journalist Dan Rafael gave a quick take on the result, pointing the finger at Madrimov’s lack of activity and throwing some cold water on Crawford’s desire to step up to fight Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds.

I disagree with Rafael on Madrimov’s inactivity. I agree Crawford outworked him down the stretch, but I don’t think it was Madrimov’s choice. It appeared Madrimov got a little tired down the stretch and ate some hard shots in the 11th and 12th rounds. Madrimov’s constant motion is part of what makes him tough to time, but it's also a taxing way to fight, and that might have contributed to his decreased work rate during the championship rounds.

I do agree with Rafael’s take on a potential Crawford-Canelo matchup. You could see Madrimov’s punches and overall strength had a little more impact on Crawford, and this was only one weight class up from welterweight. It’s tough to imagine Crawford absorbing some of the shots he took from Madrimov if they were coming from Canelo. Crawford could be rematching Errol Spence in his next fight by taking on another challenge at 154 pounds, but it is easy to see how his fans might be a bit nervous if he attempted to challenge Canelo.

A Night of Boxing

Saturday night’s scrap was an excellent tactical fight between two elite boxers, and Crawford won. The overall show was strong as Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season produced an outstanding first event in the United States, and there are likely more to come in the States. We saw two major upsets with Martin Bakole stopping Jared Anderson and Jose Valenzuela dethroning Isaac Cruz. Overall, it was an excellent night of boxing across multiple weight classes.