Israil Madrimov looked powerful today in a sparring video posted of his training for his fight against Terence Crawford on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
During the sparring, WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) switched from southpaw and back to orthodox, moving constantly, fighting with his hands down by his sides, and throwing powerful shots with a Golovkin-like impact.
Crawford may have made a mistake in choosing to fight Madrimov for his debut at 154. It’s a risky move for Crawford, the most unorthodox, powerful fighter in his first match in the division after a layoff and not having fought a solid fighter in years.
Crawford hasn’t fought near Madrimov’s ability, and you can’t count Errol Spence Jr. because he’s not the same guy he once was.
The footage showed clearly what the soon-to-be 37-year-old Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) will be up against when he challenges Madrimov for his WBA title in his first fight at 154 after 13 months out of the ring.
Crawford vs. Madrimov will be shown on ESPN+ PPV with a price tag on the card of $79.99 from the BMO Arena in Los Angeles. The undercard is stacked with top talent recruited by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh for the event.
It’s arguably the best undercard in the last 20 years because you don’t see accumulated talent like this on cards nowadays like there was in the past.
“Everybody’s dreams is to fight the best fighters. I’m thinking about the task ahead of me, Terence Crawford,” said Israil Madrimov to Ringside Intel when asked if hie’d like to fight Canelo Alvarez if he’s victorious against Terence Crawford on August 3rd.
“I see all the talk about Canelo-Crawford. Maybe it’s time to talk Madrimov-Canelo. After the fight, of course, I’m going to look for the biggest fights. The opportunity to fight Canelo would be a special one. I’d love that one right after Crawford.
It would be a shock if His Excellency let Madrimov face Canelo in 2025 if he defeats Crawford because many fans believe Terence will get the fight even if he loses on August 3rd.
Undercard:
Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
Jared Anderson vs. Martin Bakole
David Morrell Jr. vs. Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic
Andy Cruz vs. Antonio Moran
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Jarrell Miller
