Israil Madrimov said today during his grand arrivals in Riyadh that he’s got a game plan for his fight against WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr that he believes will “entertain the fans” at the Kingdom Arena.
Learning from Crawford
The former WBA 154-lb champion Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) says he gained a lot of experience in his recent close loss to Terence Crawford on August 3rd last year, and he’s learned from that defeat and retooled his game. The only thing that kept Madrimov from beating the 37-year-old Crawford was his low punch output, especially in the championship rounds from 10 through 12.
That’s where he won it by throwing more punches. His shots were nowhere near as powerful as ”Little GGG’ Madrimov, but he was busier. If Madrimov’s corner had lit a fire under him, telling him to throw more, he would have followed their instructions and beaten Crawford.
He plans to come better against the unbeaten Vergil Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) in their 12-round fight on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2. The event will be shown live on DAZN PPV.
“I can’t see many people beating Israil Madrimov. I think he’s that special. I think he surprised a lot of people how good he was against Terence Crawford. I think he surprised Crawford with how good he was,” said Ade Oladipo to DAZN Boxing, discussing how Israil Madrimov pushed Terence Crawford to the edge, coming close to defeating him on August 3rd in Los Angeles.
“Having spoke to him yesterday, I think he surprised himself,” said Darren Barker about Madrimov. “He’s a very good fighter and can do a bit of everything. His stock rose in defeat against Crawford, that’s for sure. He takes a lot of confidence away from that defeat and so he should.
“Contrasting styles. He can do a bit of everything. We saw against Kurbanov how spiteful, how aggressive he can be, and how big of a puncher he is. We’ve seen in times in patches he’s a very sharp boxer as well. So, there’s a lot of strings to his bow. His confidence is high. There’s a good future for this young man,” said Barker about Madrimov.
If Madrimov can beat Vergil Jr. by being a little busier than in his last fight, he would have to be viewed as the #1 fighter in the division. That includes Crawford. A more amped-up version of Madrimov would be a nightmare for any of the top fighters at 154.
“After Crawford, I learned more experience,” said Madrimov. “I want this fight for a better show for everybody. He’s [Vergil Ortiz] a tough fighter. We’re going for this challenge after Crawford. It’s a big challenge.
“I have a plan for Saturday in the ring. It’s important for me to get the title again, but at the same time, I show myself from the Crawford fight. Many fans know me after that. So, it’s all important for me,” said Madrimov.
