Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov: Who Wins?

Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) will seek a world title in a fourth weight class. The 36-year-old snagged his first major championship in 2014, defeating then-WBO 135-pound titleholder Ricky Burns in a 12-round unanimous decision victory. The following year, Crawford became a junior welterweight titleholder. He made six defenses, culminating in him becoming just the second male boxer of the four-belt era to unify the four major sanctioning organization titles with a third-round knockout win over Julius Indongo.

After cleaning everyone out at 140, Crawford, a Golden Gloves silver medalist, set his eyes on becoming a two-time undisputed champion as a welterweight. As a result of promotional politics, it took Crawford a while to accomplish that goal. In his debut at 147 pounds in 2018, he knocked out Jeff Horn to claim the WBO title. Following six defenses of the title, Crawford left Top Rank to become his own man and was finally able to challenge then-three-belt titlist Spence for all of the marbles last year, a bout that he dominated from the onset. Now, he looks to conquer yet another weight class.

A two-time gold medalist in the unpaid ranks, Madrimov turned pro in 2018. Although he has just 11 professional bouts, the 29-year-old Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) beat Magomed Kurbanov in a fifth-round TKO in March to claim the vacant WBA 154-pound title.

Crawford vs. Madrimov: The Analysis

This will be a tough fight for Crawford while it lasts. Madrimov’s footwork is incredible; he’s elusive and has the power to hurt him. Although he typically exhibits good defense, Madrimov can get reckless and has been touched up in a few of his fights, but who hasn’t? We have to keep in mind, once again, that Madrimov only has 11 pro bouts. He’s been on a fast track to stardom since his debut in 2018. The better the competition, the more likely future opponents will offer stronger resistance and Crawford will undoubtedly be his most formidable opponent to date.

Let’s break this down in a few ways. Madrimov is sensational in some ways, and Crawford is scintillating in many ways.

The first couple of rounds will tell us a lot. Crawford’s ability to remain composed under pressure is a key characteristic of his style. He studies his prey closely and analyzes their movements, habits, and vulnerabilities. He downloads data faster than nearly any fighter in the sport today. He strategically uses his straight left hand to goad his opponents into countering. As they come forward, he times them with the right hook. Who fell victim to that? Spence. The entire fight. From the second round on, it was only a matter of time until Crawford finished the fight.

Crawford also doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his southpaw jab. It’s strong, long, and very effective. Leading up to the fight with Spence, the latter was praised for having supposedly one of the best jabs in boxing, and Crawford neutralized it with ease with his jab. Madrimov has a very aggressive style, typical of most Eastern European fighters. Once Crawford figures Madrimov out, expect him to freeze him in his tracks consistently behind that jab. It was the key to beating Spence, and it will be the key to putting Madrimov in the dirt on fight night.

But until that moment, expect a very intriguing, technical, and exciting fight between a bona fide hall of famer and a very good champion in Madrimov. Boxing doesn’t discriminate. The interval between an all-time great and a decent fighter could determine whether a fight goes the distance and is competitive throughout or ends in a vicious knockout.

Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov Fight Prediction

Eastern Europeans are largely all about war, fighting on the front foot and with their pride on the line. But that pride will get Madrimov hurt. He doesn’t know any other way to fight, and he’s up against a monster, a demonic finisher in Terence “Bud” Crawford. I expect Crawford to hurt and drop Madrimov near the conclusion of the sixth round. From that point forward, he will fight with that same intensity and ferocity, but there won’t be any strategy or thinking to his approach, and that will allow Crawford to finish the fight off in devastating fashion. I’m taking Crawford in a seventh-round knockout.

TERENCE CRAWFORD VS ISRAIL MADRIMOV ODDS

Per DraftKings SportsBook, Terence Crawford is the favorite at -700, and Israil Madrimov is the underdog at +475.

Terence Crawford: TKO/KO -145; Decision +200

Draw: +2000

Israil Madrimov: TKO/KO +900; Decision +1100