Israil Madrimov: The Unassuming Champion Thrust Into The Biggest Fight Night Of The Year
When Israil Madrimov won his WBA super-welterweight world title in March, it’s highly unlikely he would have predicted that his first defense would headline the biggest American boxing event of the year against the best fighter on the planet.
Madrimov’s bout against Magomed Kurbanov for the vacant belt, which the Uzbek won with a fifth-round stoppage, was billed as only the fourth-most important fight of the ‘Knockout Chaos’ show in Riyadh, headlined by Anthony Joshua’s second-round destruction of Francis Ngannou.
It came before Joseph Parker defeated Zhilei Zhang by majority-decision to claim the WBO’s interim heavyweight title, and one fight before Rey Vargas defended his WBC featherweight world title in a controversial draw against Nick Ball.
The build-up coverage to the bout was practically non-existent, with so much focus on the main event, and to a lesser extent, the two supporting undercard bouts.
Except, that night in Saudi Arabia was arguably more consequential for Madrimov than any other fighter involved on the bill; it was then that the wheels started turning for the Uzbek to potentially defend his title against the great Terence Crawford.
Madrimov In Unfamiliar Territory
Eddie Hearn, Madrimov’s promoter, later revealed that Saudi Arabian boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, who was starting to get involved in Crawford’s career, contacted him about the possibility of matching the two fighters together.
Around six weeks later, it was announced that Madrimov would put his title on the line against Crawford as ‘Bud’ aimed to become a four-weight world champion. Not only that, but their bout would top one of the most stacked cards ever seen in the United States.
Even before the headline fighters take to the stage, the potential 22,000-capacity crowd (although reports claim ticket sales are lagging) and the millions watching around the world will be treated to a scintillating undercard.
Fan favorite Isaac Cruz defends his WBA super-lightweight title against the hard-hitting Jose Valenzuela in the co-main event; former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz makes his long-awaited return against the dangerous Jarrell Miller; rising heavyweight contender Jared Anderson takes on high-ranking rival Martin Bakole; the talented David Morrell fights for the WBA ‘regular’ world title on his light-heavyweight debut against the durable Radivoje Kalajdzic; and Andy Cruz continues his rapid rise up the lightweight standings against Antonio Moran.
Topping a bill ahead of so many big-name fighters must feel a little alien to Madrimov, whose bout against Crawford will be only his 12th as a professional, and unsurprisingly, his first in the main event of a pay-per-view show.
Crawford The Firm Favorite
The Uzbek may be a ferocious warrior inside the ropes, but he is a quiet and unassuming character, so all the added attention from media and fans is not something he will be used to. Madrimov and his team have always insisted that he will let his hands do the talking on Saturday, and while it has largely been billed as the Terence Crawford Show, the champion has ambitions of his own to dominate at 154lbs.
The Uzbek has displayed a calm and focused confidence throughout the build-up and now the fighters have arrived on site. His team believes Crawford, who first won world titles at lightweight, may have climbed one division too many; that the younger, bigger, hard-hitting Madrimov will shock the world.
Crawford, a pound-for-pound superstar and the first male boxer to be a four-belt undisputed champion in two divisions, is considered the strong favorite to secure the win; his unrivaled skillset and experience give him massive advantages.
How Madrimov handles the circus that surrounds such mega-bouts could also play a part in the outcome. He will hope that he can block out the noise and focus on the almighty task of handing Crawford his first professional defeat.
