Eddie Hearn says Israel Madrimov is ready to knock out Terence Crawford on August 3 and “spoil” His Excellency Turki Alarcik's plans for a fight between the Nebraska native and Canelo Alvarez scheduled for early next year.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is using the WBA junior middleweight champion Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) as a stepping stone to move up to 154 pounds with the aim of becoming the undefeated champion in his third weight class with a title fight against four-division world champion Canelo in the first quarter of 2025.
Celebrity matching possible?
Crawford moving up two weight classes from 154 to 168 pounds and immediately getting a title fight with the unbeaten super middleweight champion Canelo is celebrity-level talk that won't make sense to the average boxing fan, who will have no idea that Terence is breaking the rules of how boxing is normally done.
If Madrimov ruins the celebrity fight plans, it would be a good thing for the boxing world, and the 168-pound challengers will be the first to thank him for his good deed.
If Crawford wants to fight Canelo for the belt, he'll have to do what other 168-pound contenders do: fight his way through the salt mines against tough opponents like David Benavidez, Christian Mbili, David Morrell Jr., Caleb Plant and Diego Pacheco to earn it.
Normally a fighter competes in a weight class, works their way up the rankings to get a title fight, and if they're good enough they get a chance to fight a world champion. Crawford doesn't have to do that. He's just given a title fight against Canelo, which is totally unfair to the challengers that will be ahead of him.
Again, Canelo vs. Crawford is a high-profile celebrity fight, but Madrimov is the obstacle standing in the way of the farce, able to knock out Crawford and send him back to his original 147-pound level, ruining Canelo's plans.
Madrimov spoils the party
“Yesterday I sent a message to His Excellency saying: 'I am so sorry for ruining your plans for the Terence Crawford fight. All everyone is talking about is what happens next. Canelo Alvarez, Boots Ennis,'” Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing about his belief that Israel Madrimov will beat Terence Crawford in their ESPN+ PPV bout on August 3 in Los Angeles.
If the 36-year-old Crawford loses to Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3, it will be a big defeat for him, but it will also serve as a lesson for other fighters.
If you want to fight for a world title, you don't take a full year out of the ring, come back 13 months later and immediately challenge for a world title in a new weight class at 36 years old and in a weight class you've never fought in before.
“Israil Madrimov is his toughest test. [Crawford] “He finished his career at 154 pounds. He's a big light middleweight, he's got great punching power, great movement, a high boxing IQ and a great amateur resume. This is a real fight,” Hearn said.
Crawford's best opponents were all ones that Madrimov dominated within 5 rounds. There was not a single fighter in Crawford's 16 year career that Madrimov did not knock out and he has an illustrious 40-0 record with 40 knockouts and 24 gold medals. This is one of the best records of all time and would be Madrimov's if he were to fight Crawford's opponent.
“We feel good about where we are in this fight, the overlooked, underdog but powerful Uzbek, ready to knock out Terence Crawford in Los Angeles,” Hearn said. “He's going to have to be smart, but he's also going to have to use his strengths, his movement, his angles and his power.”
Casual fans, but not boxing aficionados, don't see Madrimov as a threat to Crawford. They know who Crawford is up against, and so do Crawford and trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre. Otherwise, they wouldn't be training so hard or going back in time to find someone young enough to win this dangerous bout.
“Crawford is an outstanding fighter. Israel Madrimov is obviously going to lose this fight by a large margin, but he's a living underdog,” Hearn said. “He's very calm and confident in the ring, he believes in himself and believes the victory is his. He has great teammates and the whole country behind him.”
Whether Madrimov is an underdog or not is not the issue. The key things to consider are Crawford's age, inactivity, the level of his past opponents and whether Crawford sees Madrimov as a stepping stone to earning a big-money fight with Canelo in 2025.
Hearn didn't say if the Madrimov fight was Crawford's idea, but I believe it was Crawford's choice, otherwise, if he was offered the fight with no strings attached, he would take it in a heartbeat for the money.
“Every time Madrimov comes home he is like a prince, but this fight will make him the king of Uzbekistan. The whole country is rooting for him and preparing for August 3. This fight will make him a global star. This fight will make Israel Madrimov a superstar,” Hearn said.
The aftermath of Crawford's defeat
A win for Madrimov over Crawford would make him the champion of Uzbekistan, a star in the United States and open the door to a matchup with Canelo, which would be a high-profile Canelo-GGG bout and one that would generate a lot of interest from boxing fans.
It's unclear where Crawford will go after his knockout loss to Madrimov, with the obvious option being to return to welterweight to face Boots Ennis in a bout that many boxing fans are still eagerly awaiting.
