Crawford Beats Madrimov by Unanimous Decision in Close Fight; Full Los Angeles Card Recap
Despite a valiant effort from Israil Madrimov, Terence Crawford captures a world title in his fourth weight division in his junior middleweight debut Saturday night.
By Austin Gage | Contributing Sports Writer
Despite a valiant effort from Israil Madrimov, Terence Crawford captures a world title in his fourth weight division in his junior middleweight debut Saturday night.
It was far from easy, but arguably boxing’s number one pound-for-pound fighter Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) was able to grab the unanimous decision victory against previously undefeated Israil Madrimov (10-1, 7 KOs) to take the WBA junior middleweight title in his debut in the 154-pound weight division.
Despite the three judges scoring in favor of Crawford, the fight itself was far from a clear one to score. Against the wishes of a majority pro-Crawford crowd at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, the Uzbekistanian fighter Madrimov was able to neutralize “Bud” for 12 straight rounds. In doing so, the fight would become Crawford’s first to go the distance since 2016, when he defeated Viktor Postol by unanimous decision.
From the opening bell, Madrimov, nicknamed “The Dream”, made it clear that he was not going to lie down to the heavily favored Crawford. Madrimov’s herky-jerky style presented a challenge to the 36-year-old and Crawford did not show true signs of success until the later rounds, when he was able to execute a clean left uppercut in the eleventh round along with a three-punch combination.
Dictated by a dominant jab, Crawford was able to steal some of the middle rounds while Madrimov continued to frustrate the superstar with quick feints and ring mobility. As the rounds passed by and the decision loomed in the balance, Crawford was able to take control of the fight beginning with a stellar showing in that eleventh round.
Then, in the twelfth, Crawford continued on his new-found momentum to throw a combination that included a body shot followed by two straight uppercuts. And although Madrimov was able to respond in the round with a pair of swift right hands, it was pretty clear that the older fighter by seven years had taken the last two rounds, the “championship rounds”, of the fight.
As the decision fell into the hands of the three ringside judges, some seeds of doubt lingered in the Los Angeles crowd as valid questions formed regarding whether Crawford had truly done enough to dethrone Madrimov from the WBA title.
With that said, with an official scorecard of 115-113, 116-112 and 115-113 all in favor of the American fighter, Crawford became a world champion in his fourth weight class (lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight and now junior middleweight).
“Israil was a tough competitor. He’s real strong, he’s durable, he took a lot of good shots and he got me to round twelve,” Crawford said after the fight.
For many boxing fans, who have recently clamored for a super-fight for Crawford against current WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez, “Bud”‘s performance was less than superb. Alvarez, who fights at the 168-pound mark, would present the ultimate challenge for Crawford, who made his 154-pound debut in the fight Saturday night.
Talking about the potential bout with Alvarez in the future, Crawford seemed to downplay the gravity of it.
“It’s not so important to me. It’s just another milestone to greatness I suppose and financially wise,” said the Nebraska native.
Despite the loss, Madrimov earned the respect of many boxing eyes in attendance and around the world thanks to his competitive nature. Although a champion no more, the Eastern European fighter certainly will have a chance to get back to world champion status.
“I fought the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I believe that I did enough because I’m a champion, I was defending the belt, controlling the rhythm and felt very comfortable inside the ring. At least I deserve the rematch,” Madrimov said through a translator post-bout.
The exciting junior middleweight matchup capped an exciting seven-fight card, one that included a few notable upsets and well-known fighters.
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Notes From the Undercard
JOSE VALENZUELA UPSETS ISAAC CRUZ FOR WBA BELT
Despite entering the fight as a big underdog, Jose “El Rayo” Valenzuela was able to shock Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and grab hold of the WBA junior welterweight title via split decision.
Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs), a Mexican fighter who earned the attention of the boxing world back in 2021 in a close loss to superstar Gervonta Davis, needed this victory to set up bigger bouts in the future, potentially against Davis in a rematch. However, with smooth footwork and smart use of his longer frame, Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) boxed a clean fight against the aggressive “Pitbull”.
With two judges scoring the fight in favor of Valenzuela 116-112 and the other favoring Cruz 115-113, the 25-year-old walked away with the belt. It is now Valenzuela who eyes gaudy unification fights at the 140-pound level, and for Cruz, the future is much murkier.
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ANDY RUIZ AND JARRELL MILLER DRAW IN FORMER’S RETURN
In a battle of two heavyweights nearing the homestretch of their careers, Andy Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) and Jarrell Miller (26-1-2, 22 KOs) fought to a majority decision draw.
For Ruiz, who hadn’t stepped in the ring for almost two years, ring rust was apparent. Despite a solid start in the first few rounds, the “Destroyer” looked visibly gassed around round five and just couldn’t find a supercharger for the rest of the fight minus a few moments that included right crosses to the head of Miller. After the fight, Ruiz relayed that he had hurt his right hand during the fight as he showed what seemed to be a dislocation or fracture to the broadcast.
However, despite Ruiz’s lack of a gas tank, Miller could not take advantage fully to grab control of the fight. Although Miller, who himself was criticized for his conditioning after his last fight, provided more output in the second half of the fight, two of the judges did not see it as enough to win the fight. A 116-112 score in favor paired with two other scorecards of 114-114 clinched the draw.
Both men, who have had tastes of heavyweight greatness in the past, now seem to be stuck. Their next fights, if not a rematch, surely do not align to be the big ones they desire.
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MARTIN BAKOLE KNOCKS OUT RISING STAR JARED ANDERSON
Maybe the stunner of the night belonged to heavyweight Martin Bakole, who knocked down Jared Anderson three times en route to a knockout victory in the fifth round as the referee stopped the fight.
Anderson (17-1, 15 KOs), who was touted as the next great American heavyweight, had begun his professional career with an undefeated record. However, a matchup against the bigger Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) proved to be a step too big.
Beginning with a right uppercut in the first round, Bakole made Anderson hit the canvas for the latter’s first time in his career. Although the American bounced back after the disastrous first round, Bakole was able to finish the job in the fifth with a pair of knockdowns that showcased his dominant right hand. Once Anderson got up off the floor and could not respond to Bakole’s offensive avalanche, the referee stepped in and called the fight.
Bakole now puts himself in the conversation to fight for a world title in the heavyweight division. For Anderson, despite the disappointing defeat, the still 24-year-old has plenty of boxing ahead of him to put this bout behind him and continue his climb to the top.
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DAVID MORRELL UNDERWHELMS IN LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT
Although David Morrell was not able to showcase much of the boxing prowess that made him dangerous at super middleweight, he was able to improve to 11-0 (9 KOs) with a unanimous decision victory over Serbian fighter Radivoje Kalajdzic.
Scores of 118-110 and 117-111 twice noted the victory for Morrell, who is one of the many fighters who wants a shot at boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez.
Despite speed and a punching output that propelled a quick start, Morrell could not truly crack Kalajdzic. The aggressiveness was continuously present throughout the fight but the Serbian’s composure and accuracy allowed him to stay competitive through the middle and final rounds.
For Morrell, the debut at light heavyweight is one he will surely learn from. Similar to high-profile fighter David Benavidez, who recently made the same jump to light heavyweight, Morrell struggled to showcase the power that he used in the lower division. Fights with Benavidez and current division title holders Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol loom in the balance if Morrell wishes to crown the 175-pound weight class.
