As fans know, pound-for-pound star and future Hall of Famer Terence Crawford will go for a world title at a fourth weight on August 3rd in Los Angeles when he will move up to 154 pounds to challenge Israil Madrimov for Uzbekistan’s belt. Some fans and experts see this as potentially the toughest fight yet for “Bud.” One such person is promoter (of Madrimov) Eddie Hearn.
Hearn, who spoke with Fight Hub, said he feels Crawford and his team are making the mistake of looking past Madrimov, of “underestimating” him as they look ahead to a massive fight with Canelo Alvarez. Hearn – who says Turki Alalshikh can and will make a Canelo-Crawford super fight if he so wishes, “the only person that can make that fight is His Excellency because of what Canelo wants for that fight,” Hearn said – thinks Madrimov stops Crawford.
“I think they’re underestimating him. He’s extremely tough and hits very hard. And it’s like, ‘Canelo after this.’ Don’t get me wrong, Crawford is the favorite in this fight, but Madrimov is a very, very tough fight,” Hearn said. “He’s got great movement, he’s a fit, strong guy in his prime, and as I said, he punches very hard, and that’s not an easy fight.”
We have yet to see Crawford tested to the limit, whereby he has had to dig deep and show us all his true greatness. Maybe this comes in the August fight? You must go back ten years to his June 28 battle with the superb but too-small Yuriorkis Gamboa for Crawford’s most brutal fight. That fight threatened to become a classic, with Gamboa managing to rock Crawford before the naturally bigger man took over and got the stoppage.
Madrimov, 10-0-1(7), can box, and unlike Gamboa, HE will be the bigger man against Crawford. It is a fascinating fight, and Crawford, already a great in the opinion of so many, is daring to be even greater. This is not a fight Crawford had to take at all, and Madrimov has nothing to lose and everything to gain, even though he is the defending champion.
As for Crawford Vs. Canelo, if Crawford wins next month, and if he looks great in doing so, Alalshikh will very likely be motivated to try and make the mega-fight. Canelo wants the big bucks, and Alalshikh has them. But first up comes Madrimov. Is Hearn right? Are Crawford and Bomac making the mistake of underestimating “The Dream?” Crawford, 40-0(31), is now 36 years of age, and one would think even he will begin to lose a step at some stage. Father Time, we all know, is undefeated.