Crawford Victorious, but Event Lacks Punch
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Ricky Horne, Jr.
Contributing Writer
On Thursday, August 1, from the Hollywood Theater, Turki Alalshikh, Eddie Hearn, and Matchroom Promotions presented 14 boxers who all seemed to be taking this loaded fight card, the promoter proclaimed best ever in the United States, and their personal stakes very seriously. After a ten-plus hour card Saturday night at the BMO in Downtown Los Angeles, there were likely very few who felt that the card lived up to that hype, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
Ultimately, Crawford is now a four-division champion after taking the WBA 154-pound crown from Israil Madrimov on Saturday night by a close, but unanimous decision. ‘Bud threw and landed more punches, especially in the championship rounds, where he swept all three judges’ scorecards, avoiding what could have been a majority draw.
The former champion Madrimov put forth a valiant effort, but one that was marked by deft footwork and oft-timed feints. These feints kept Crawford calculating distance rather than countering viciously, which he had done so often in stopping his last eleven opponents inside the distance. This fight was notably Crawford’s first at 154 pounds, especially significant in the eyes of Hall of Fame analyst Jim Lampley, who conjured this week that this fight was a stepping stone toward a potential pound with Canelo Alvarez, current 168 pound champion, and more notably, boxing’s biggest draw.
“My take on Terence has always been that he didn’t want to be limited by some temperance in his ambitions. He wants to be big. He wants to be number one. He wants to be the center of attention. He has made himself, arguably, the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the sport,” said Lampley.
Although most outside of Madrimov’s inner circle don’t dispute the Crawford victory Saturday, it didn’t fan the flame of a potential clash with Alvarez. Crawford is an excellent fighter, and I’m sure the fight would do great business, but the fighter who has campaigned at a much lower weight for his entire career would likely have trouble hurting a much bigger Alvarez in the way that has increased his profile to pound-for-pound status. Even Crawford’s calls for Canelo were tepid at the post-fight press conference, calling a Canelo fight, “…not so important to me. It’s just another milestone to greatness, I suppose. And financially-wise.”
There aren’t a ton of better options all things considered for two clear name brands who would have to question the risk vs. reward in taking on David Benavidez or a Boots Ennis respectively. The former would likely be a lucrative fight however, but Benavidez’ recent move up to 175 only came after years of being Canelo’s mandatory and not receiving the call or sanctioning body mandate. Canelo is scheduled to fight Edgar Berlanga on September 14th, and it is likely that we will have to wait until after the results of that fight to find out what may be next for Crawford, the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
What else might we remember from Saturday night at BMO?
Jose Rayo Valenzuela’s jubilance, after hearing “and the new” called out after his split decision victory over a wild swinging fan favorite, Isaac Pitbull” Cruz. Rayo boxed as well as he ever had, and likely catapulted himself into a much more lucrative prizefighting career.
The huge broken hand was shown off by Andy Ruiz after hearing the boos of the pro-Mexican crowd once a majority draw was announced in his fight with Jarell Big Baby Miller. Ruiz was outclassing Miller for the first few rounds, but after breaking his hand (in the fourth round according to his post-fight interview), Miller took over and outclassed him the rest of the way.
The other “Big Baby” Jared Anderson was in the most exciting fight of the night, although it ended with him suffering a KO defeat to Martin Bakole, a massive heavyweight from the Congo, who knocked Anderson down three times before the ref stopped it via TKO in the 5th round. Bakole has all the makings of a fan favorite. He’s gigantic, plodding, and charismatic, and if he keeps fighting like he did Saturday, a conversation starter.
