Hearn Picks Madrimov To Punish Crawford – ‘Madrimov Is In His Prime’
Eddie Hearn expects Israil Madrimov to beat Terence Crawford on his return.
The pair will square off on July 1 in their WBA Junior Middleweight Title bout on August 3. Madrimov is the champion, as Crawford has his first fight at the weight class. Bud is coming off a ninth-round stoppage win against Errol Spence Jr. last year. The victory made him the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era. It also made Crawford undisputed in a second weight class.
As for Madrimov, he has an impressive amateur record, standing at 350-20. Madrimov’s pro record is 10-0-1. He stopped his last opponent, Magomed Kurbanov, via a fifth-round stoppage. Madrimov will have seen every style during his time as an amateur. This will be vital since Crawford is a switch-hitter with knockout power. During his time at 147, Crawford stopped all his opponents. This included the wins over Spence, Shawn Porter and Jeff Horn. He also neutralized Spence, who was in a much bigger fight than him. And yet, Hearn expected Crawford to come up short on August 3.
Hearn Reacts
“I think they’re underestimating him. He’s extremely tough, he hits very hard, and it’s all like, ‘Canelo after this.’ Don’t get me wrong. Crawford is the favorite in the fight, but Madrimov is a very, very tough fight. 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,” Hearn said
Some of the factors that Crawford must overcome are as follows. He will box at 154 for the first time. Will he be able to carry his power up the weight class and earn the respect of Madrimov, who is heavy-handed? Crawford is also 36 and at the latter end of his career. He has achieved what most boxers never will, possibly securing a place in the Hall of Fame.
Crawford’s Vision
He has also been inactive for over a year since the Spence win. That becomes much more problematic at the tail end of a career. There are also suggestions that Crawford may be overlooking Madrimov. Team Crawford has openly said they want to box Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds for the right to become undisputed in a third weight class. That can only happen if Crawford continues winning, meaning he cannot dismiss the threat of Madrimov. Based on his prior comments, Crawford said only he can beat himself.
“My mindset is always, win at all costs. Make sure I’m coming in at 110% shape and prepared for whatever the opponent brings to the table. Make sure that I’m at the best of my abilities going into a fight so I don’t have to worry about anybody else. A lot of people ask me ‘what have you got to do to win a fight’, and I always say, ‘just be myself’. I always say that because I obviously feel that I’m Terence Crawford and can’t nobody beat me unless I beat myself,” Crawford stated
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