Hearn Blasts Crawford Vs. Madrimov Scorecards – ‘A Waste Of Time’
Eddie Hearn has slammed the scorecards for Terence Crawford vs. Israel Madrimov.
Bud beat Madrimov via a unanimous decision to become a four-weight world champion with the WBA 154-pound belt. While the fight was competitive, Crawford pulled away in the latter parts of the fight to take the decision: 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113. Hearn was unhappy. He represented Madrimov and talked up a big game coming into the fight. Hearn’s main point of contention was that Crawford had not done enough to win the belt from the champion since it was a lot closer than it seemed. Therefore, the benefit of the doubt should be given to the champion.
Hearn Reacts
“Because it’s a waste of time. It’s not a 116-112 fight. He [Madrimov] was in the fight. He’s coming into the fight as a champion, but because he’s fighting Terence Crawford. All the effective punches were coming from Israil Madrimov.
“Crawford had a good flurry in the last round. It was a super close fight. I believe when you come into that ring as a champion, you’ve got to take the belt off the champion. Terence Crawford didn’t do that, and I love him. He’s brilliant,” Hearn said
The Compubox numbers give more clarity on the make-up of the fight. During the fight, Crawford threw more than 158 punches than Madrimov. That showed he had a higher output, which may have swayed the judges. However, it was only 11 more punches that landed from Crawford, as he was not as accurate as he usually is. When the pair entered the last two rounds, only around four punches separated them.
Stats
Crawford connected with 21 more jabs than Madrimov. However, Madrimov did better in the power punch department. He landed 10 more power punches than Crawford, playing into the narrative that he had more effective aggression. Before the fight, Madrimov spoke about not wanting to get robbed. With Hearn backing his fighter, the Uzbek will feel that he may have been harshly treated.
“For me, he [Madrimov] deserves to be a champion tonight. It was a fight that could have gone either way. You hear the scorecards, and it’s a ‘Why you bothered’ kind of thing. You lose by four rounds on two of the scorecards. It wasn’t that kind of fight.
“I was sitting in the corner. They [Team Crawford] were so quiet the whole fight. They knew. The 12th round, ‘We need it.’ They knew this fight was on a knife edge, and you get zero respect from the judges because it’s Terence Crawford. He’s an amazing fighter. It was a very close fight,” Hearn stated
Crawford’s win now sets up a potential Canelo Alvarez fight. Hearn has addressed that publicly, saying Crawford would come unstuck against the Mexican. The Matchroom Boxing promoter simply highlighted that weight classes exist for a reason. If Bud were to get hit flush on the chin by Canelo, he might not have the same punch resistance he showed against Madrimov. However, Bud did say if the money is right, he is willing to take that challenge as Hearn must now regroup with Madrimov.
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