Crawford Remains Confident He Will Fight Canelo
Terence Crawford is confident he can get the Canelo Alvarez fight if he beats Israil Madrimov on August 3.
Bud makes his debut at 154 after having stopped Errol Spence Jr. in his last fight at 147. It was the biggest win of his career, becoming the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. A win for Crawford makes him a four-division champion and takes him a step closer to getting a Canelo fight at 168 undisputed. However, Madrimov is not a pushover.
Crawford vs. Madrimov
He has an exceptional amateur record at 350-20. He won gold medals at the 2017 Asian Championships and the 2018 Asian Games. This was in addition to winning silver medals at the 2011 Junior World Championships, 2013 Asian Youth Championships, and 2014 Asian Games. He has also made a solid impression in the pro ranks, with a 10-0-1 record. He has seven KOs to his name.
Crawford has been out of the ring for over a year. At 36, he is at the tail end of his career, while Madrimov is in his prime at 29. Even if he gets past Madrimov, Canelo is reluctant to fight Bud. The Mexican first stated that he was uninterested in taking that fight since he would get no credit for beating a smaller man. However, given the growing pressure on Canelo to fight David Benavidez, a Crawford fight could be seen as an alternative. Alvarez has now suggested that remaining patient would be the key if they were to fight.
Crawford’s Aim
There is also a possible Jaron Ennis fight. He stopped Avanesyan in his last bout to retain his IBF Welterweight Title. After his win, Boots called out Crawford for a mega fight. The Saudis are reportedly keen on making that fight. Crawford responded by telling Ennis to fight a top-ten fighter before coming to see him. But Crawford remained focused on Canelo, stating that the fight was realistic.
“I think that’s a realistic fight. I think that fight can happen, and we shall see. [And] I feel as though boxing should dig up certain fights that should be made instead of saying, ‘Oh, this guy, he doesn’t sell” or ”This guy is not ready,” or ”This guy didn’t perform well in his last fight. Fighters should fight each other, and the best in the division should fight the best in the division,” Crawford said
Eddie Hearn has warned Crawford not to overlook Madrimov.
“I sent a message to His Excellency yesterday, saying, ‘I’m really sorry to ruin your plans for Terence Crawford because all that people are talking about is what happens next. Canelo Alvarez, Boots Ennis. Israil Madrimov is the toughest test of his [Crawford] career up at 154 pounds. He’s a huge, light middleweight, punches very hard, has tremendous movement, good boxing IQ, and has an outstanding amateur pedigree as well. This is a real, real fight. We like our spot in this fight, overlooked, the underdog, but with Uzbek power, and he’s ready to knock Terence Crawford out in Los Angeles,” Hearn stated
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