Terence Crawford attempts to win a world title in the fourth weight class of his career when he takes on WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov on Saturday in Los Angeles. The fight is Crawford's first at junior middleweight after winning a world title at lightweight and becoming undisputed champion at both junior welterweight and welterweight.
While Crawford has long been seen as one of the elite fighters in the sport, his most recent performance vaulted him to one of the top two spots on nearly every pound-for-pound list in the sport. In that fight, Crawford dominated Errol Spence Jr. in a long-awaited clash to crown an undisputed welterweight champion, scoring a ninth-round TKO.
Crawford has not returned to the ring since his July 2023 thrashing of Spence. It was originally expected the two would meet in a rematch but Spence underwent cataract surgery, allowing the time to expire on the contracted rematch clause.
With Crawford already planning a move up in weight, he was then able to focus on conquering new ground and land in a fight with Madrimov.
"I feel great, come Saturday I got a treat for y'all," Crawford said this week. "I'm expecting him to do anything he can to throw me off, but I said it before and I'll say it again, this is the Terence Crawford era and I'm taking that belt.
"I'm just so competitive that when I think I've reached my ceiling, there's always that extra push to do something that I haven't done before."
Madrimov comes from a solid amateur background, having won multiple championships. He turned professional in 2018 and has rattled off a 10-0-1 record, with the lone blemish on his resume a technical draw against Michel Soro in July 2022 after a clash of heads caused a cut over Soro's eye. The Soro fight was a rematch of a 2021 fight that Madrimov won by TKO in controversial fashion after a punch that landed after the bell caused the stoppage.
In his most recent bout, Madrimov stopped Magomed Kurbanov in the fifth round to win the WBA title. That fight nearly didn't happen after a pre-fight medical test revealed an issue that required a second MRI to be cleared. With Jermell Charlo having been named "champion in recess" by the WBA, Madrimov and Kurbanov were fighting for the vacant belt.
"I feel great, I've waited for this moment for a long time," Madrimov said. "My dream is coming true. Saturday night I'll show every boxing fan a great fight.
"I'm only thinking about the victory, and I will show everything that I have inside the ring."
One of the primary storylines heading into the fight actually looks past Saturday's action as Crawford has been chasing a fight with unified super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Despite the weight difference between the two, a clash of two of the best fighters of their generation would be a huge fight and the most financially lucrative option as both men wind down their careers.
While Alvarez initially blew off the idea, he has warmed to it some in recent months, meaning Crawford needs to avoid a misstep to keep the possibility of landing the fight in play.
Saturday has one of the deepest undercards, by boxing standards, of the year. Despite losing a great matchup between Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz Jr., there's plenty of action that should draw interest before we reach the main event. Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz looks to defend his WBA junior welterweight title against Jose Valenzuela in the co-main event. Former unified heavyweight king Andy Ruiz returns from a two-year layoff to take on a man known more for his transgressions out of the ring in Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller. Plus, rising American heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson gets his toughest test to date against Martin Bakole. And former WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell makes his debut a light heavyweight when he takes on Radivoje Kalajdzic.
Let's take a closer look at the rest of the undercard with the latest odds before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event.
Madrimov is not some light touch brought in to give Crawford an easy welcome to 154 pounds, he is perhaps the best fighter currently active in the division. That said, Crawford is one of the best fighters on the planet and should be expected to win this fight. Where Madrimov is good, Crawford is great and that is almost always the deciding factor.
Where things could get interesting is if age (Crawford is closing in on his 37th birthday) and the year out of the ring catch up to Crawford. We've seen almost every great fighter in boxing history suddenly hit a wall where age catches up and they lose a step and suddenly lesser fighters are able to keep up.
That probably doesn't happen to Crawford on Saturday. Instead, Madrimov will likely have some success at times in the early rounds before Crawford locks in his plan of attack and takes over. Once Crawford gets rolling, it's nearly impossible to stop that momentum. Pick: Terence Crawford via TKO8
Crawford's Fight IQ Should Be Enough
It's wholly unsurprising that Crawford is a sizable favorite despite another move up the scale for him. This is Crawford's first fight since he put on a dominant show against Errol Spence to briefly unify all the welterweight belts.
Spence is a much bigger star than Madrimov, but the move up to this weight class could be the bigger hurdle for Crawford. The 36-year-old captured his first world title at 130 pounds. Even some of the greatest fighters of all time have found a limit to how far they can go up and still be dominant.
Still, Crawford has a much bigger potential opportunity in his sights if eh can make the weight and fight well.
"I think that's the biggest fight in boxing; I think me and Canelo colliding is like [Floyd] Mayweather and Canelo at that level," Crawford said, per Mike Coppinger of ESPN. "... I just feel I'm definitely not going to be doing this for much longer. I can assure you that."
If there's a narrative to sell that this could be an upset it's that Crawford has been willing to take about a future opponent and impending retirement while moving up another weight class. Those could all work against him from a preparation standpoint.
Madrimov has not had a whole lot of professional fights to build a reputation. After a stellar amateur run he only has 11 bouts, but he's a world champion in the weight class.
Madrimov's power punching makes the move up for Bud all the more intriguing. Crawford has been able to neutralize power puncher in the past, but Madrimov will be bigger than anyone else he has fought.
Still, the prediction here is that we won't see judges' scorecards and Crawford will take Madrimov out.
The looming Canelo possibility could serve as a distraction, but it could also be fuel. Crawford knows that a dominant performance at 154 pounds will only drive up the interest (and payout) for a fight with Alvarez.
Expect Crawford's superior Fight IQ, ability to play the role of counter-puncher or aggressor and his timing should be enough for him to neutralize Madrimov's attack while firing back with enough stuff to set up a mid-round finish.
Is Madrimov Too Much Too Soon For Crawford?
After conquering every weight class he’s been in, Terence Crawford is moving up to a new division again. And like usual, he’s taking on the best fighter he can find. But is Israil Madrimov too much too soon for Crawford? Here’s everything you need to know about Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
Crawford, my No. 1 pound for pound fighter in the world, won a world title at 135 pounds before he moved to 140 pounds and cleaned out the division to become the undisputed champion. Then, he moved to 147 pounds and did the same thing. At lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight, Crawford has managed to showcase his supreme technical skills and his nasty power.
But now as a 154-pound junior middleweight who’s closer to 40 years old than 30 and who’s trying to take Madrimov’s title on Saturday night in a PPV showdown, will his skill and power continue to sustain him at this higher weight class?
"Whenever boxing’s consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter takes the risk of moving up in weight, mainstream fans see drama. Even if the opponent lacks big-time identity, the extra pounds compute to mystery,” said famed boxing analyst Jim Lampley, who will be part of the PPV.com team that’s broadcasting the event. “Do Crawford’s lengthy unbeaten record and last year’s rampant knockout destruction of perceived elite opponent Errol Spence combine to assure us that a move from 147 to 154 pounds is safe for the unbeaten star? Or will he become just the latest in a long line of stars to follow the allure of money and status into the path of punches that affect him in ways beyond what he expects?
Crawford destroyed Spence a year ago—his most significant victory—and though he probably won’t get the same kind of recognition for beating Madrimov, a relative unknown, this could still be one of his toughest fights. Madrimov is talented, and he has good power. At 154 pounds, it’s unclear how many clean punches Crawford can take from a legit junior middleweight.
"He doesn’t have any weaknesses. I haven’t seen any of those, but I will try to discover some,” Madrimov said. “ . . . I’m not Errol Spence Jr. I am Israil Madrimov. This is my division. He's moving up in weight. I'm the world champion here.”
For Crawford’s part, he says he’s just having fun (and if he wins, he might get a chance at facing Canelo Alvarez).
“I’m ready to fight but all my people always try to remind me to enjoy the moment because one day it’s all going to be gone, so embrace it while you can,” he said.
Time, Odds, Prediction & Undercard
Here’s more info on the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on PPV.com (no subscription required) for $79.99 beginning at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, Crawford is a large betting favorite at -800 (bet $800 to win $100), while Madrimov is the +500 underdog (win $500 on a $100 wager). Last month, Crawford was more like -500 and Madrimov was +350, so I certainly see some value in taking Madrimov’s money line now (to make it worth it, you’d have to think Madrimov could beat Crawford 17 times if they fought 100 times). If you like Crawford, I like the idea of taking him to win by stoppage at -138 (and I like it even better if you take him to win by stoppage in rounds 7-12 at +150).
If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Crawford to beat Madrimov by stoppage at -138, Jared Anderson to beat Martin Bakole at -190 and Andy Ruiz to beat Jarrell Miller at -320. If you hit all of those, you’d make a $249 profit on a $100 wager.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) doesn’t fight very much any more, but he never seems to show any ring rust. He fought once in 2023, once in 2022, once in 2021 and once in 2020. Boxing would be better off if he competed more often, but considering he’s coming off a one-sided destruction of Errol Spence, Crawford, even at the age of 36, still seems to be in his prime.
Yes, Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) only has 11 pro fights, but there’s a reason he’s not as big of an underdog as you might think. He certainly hasn’t been protected. The first fight of his career came against Vladimir Hernandez (who has wins vs. Julian Williams and Alfredo Angulo), and Madrimov also has victories against Michel Soro and the undefeated Magomed Kurbanov to win his junior middleweight title.
Plenty of boxing observers have cautioned fans that this will be a much tougher fight than the two boxers’ records might indicate. I can agree with that. Crawford is moving up in weight and fighting perhaps the best in the division, after all. But Crawford is a special fighter. Perhaps the first half of the bout will be even, but Crawford will pull away in the later rounds and finish Madrimov in the 10th round.
Israil Madrimov, a Real Threat to Crawford?
Terence Crawford is back in the ring to face Israil Madrimov tonight, as the pound-for-pound great looks to add a world title in a fourth weight division to his long list of remarkable achievements.
Rumours of a unlikely massive ‘super fight’ between with Canelo Alcaraz have swirled in recent weeks, but two of boxing’s biggest superstars in ‘Bud’ and Canelo must first gets past Madrimov and Edgar Berlanga respectively.
While Crawford has talked up a potential clash with the Mexican as well as several other top names from different divisions, he is first focused on attempting to become a four-weight world champion in Los Angeles tonight.
The ultra-skilled American southpaw, whom many would have above the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue as the current P4P No1, is heading up to super-welterweight to challenge for the WBA title at 154lbs - stripped from former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo in March - that has been held by Uzbekistan’s Madrimov since he stopped the previously undefeated Russian Magomed Kurbanov on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s win over Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. The vacant WBO ‘interim’ title is also on the line.
It is Crawford’s first fight since last July, when he produced arguably one of the greatest performances in recent boxing memory with a one-sided, systematic, ruthless nine-round beatdown of Errol Spence Jr in Las Vegas that saw him become the first undisputed welterweight champion of the four-belt era, having also previously been undisputed at light-welterweight.
He will be the strong favourite to now stay unbeaten and move to 41-0 against Madrimov, who is undefeated himself at 11-0-1.
However, he will not want to overlook the hard-hitting Uzbek, AKA ‘The Dream’, an accomplished former amateur whom promoter Eddie Hearn says will provide the toughest test of Crawford’s career to date.
Ring walks for the main event are expected at 4:30am BST in the early hours of Sunday morning, 8:30pm PDT and 11:30pm ET.
There is plenty of other intriguing action coming up on Saturday night’s card, including big heavyweight showdowns between Andy Ruiz Jr - fighting for the first time in almost two years - and Jarrell Miller plus Jared Anderson and Martin Bakole.
Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz also defends his WBA super-lightweight world title against Jose Valenzuela.
Crawford vs Madrimov: The Undercard
Here are the full fight card listings:
- Israil Madrimov vs Terence Crawford
- Andy Ruiz Jr vs Jarrell Miller
- Jared Anderson vs Martin Bakole
- Isaac Cruz vs Jose Valenzuela
- David Morrell vs Radivoje Kalajdzic
- Andy Cruz vs Antonio Moran
- Steven Nelson vs Marcos Ramon Vazquez
- Ziyad Almaayouf vs Michal Bulik
How to Watch Crawford vs Madrimov
TV channel: Crawford vs Madrimov is being shown live on DAZN pay-per-view at a cost of £24.99 in the UK.
Live stream: Those who have bought the fight can watch it live online via DAZN’s website and app.
The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Madrimov is being too easily overlooked by many.
The Uzbek carries real threat and power in both hands and is a smart fighter capable of exploiting an off-night from Crawford if the latter is guilty of looking past him and to greater riches down the line against the likes of Canelo.
The trouble is, Crawford just doesn’t really do off-nights or take his eyes off the prize, while he should have little trouble in moving up another weight class.
His utter destruction of a fellow great champion in Spence last summer was truly jaw-dropping and deserves to be ranked among the very best performances seen in a boxing ring in recent times.
If ‘Bud’ gets anywhere near those levels again, he will surely claim another rousing victory on Saturday night.
Crawford to win via late knockout.
Both men took to the scales in LA on Friday. Madrimov weighed in at 154lbs exactly, with Crawford a fraction lighter at 153.4lbs.
Crawford to win: 1/7
Madrimov to win: 9/2
Draw: 20/1
Crawford to win on points or by decision: 9/4
Crawford to win by knockout or technical knockout: 4/6
Madrimov to win on points or by decision: 11/1
Madrimov to win by knockout or technical knockout: 15/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
When Is The Crawford vs. Madrimov Main Event?
Terrance Crawford will be looking to add another belt to his record as he takes on Israil Madrimov. Here is what time to catch the main event.
The main event ring walks are expected around 11:30 pm ET on Saturday, August 3, 2024.
