Terence Crawford says he feels strong at 154 ahead of his fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Israel Madrimov on Saturday.
(Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is moving up seven pounds from 147 to 154, looking to knock out the undefeated Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) in his first fight in the division, and could move up again.
Madrimov will have something to say about whether Crawford is moving forward with his career on Saturday night. He plans to welcome the newcomer by beating him and change his mind about using their fight as a starting point for his upcoming fight with Canelo Alvarez at 168.
Crawford says he doesn’t ignore Madrimov, but when they brought up their fight, he revealed that he wants Canelo next. However Crawford wants to spin that, it’s a sign that he looks at Madrimov and sees him as a stepping stone.
Comparison with Jeff Horn
Some believe Madrimov is similar to Jeff Horn, the fighter Crawford knocked out in the ninth round in June 2018. Horn is faster than Madrimov but doesn’t have his power.
Crawford had more speed then, and has slowed down considerably in the past six years. He’s still fast, but not as fast as when he fought Horn six years ago.
Madrimov may have a problem with Crawford if he fails to hurt him with his shots because he cannot keep up with his speed and combine punches. Crawford was stronger than Horn and outmuscled him with his clinical wrestling.
It may be difficult for him to do that against Madrimov because he is much stronger than Horn at that point.
“I feel great, I feel strong, and I feel inspired. I’m ready to get out here and do my thing,” Terence Crawford said of his fight with Israel Madrimov on Saturday night.
Crawford looked close to making weight today and showed no signs of slowing down. It should be interesting to see if he can maintain his pace from 147 in this fight.
“I wasn’t fired up. “Eddie was throwing rocks and saying whatever came to his mind,” said Crawford, talking about Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who upset him when he met on Monday at BMO Stadium with Madrimov present.
“He is a great hero. “He’s tough, he’s hungry, he’s tough, and he’s athletic,” Crawford said of Madrimov. He has a lot of experience in the rookie rankings, but as you can see, he is a champion with only 11 fights, and that tells you a lot about his abilities right now.
If Crawford can handle Madrimov’s power, he should win this fight hands down. If he wants the Canelo fight, a knockout would be his best bet. It is not a good idea for Crawford to play it safe against Madrimov because Canelo will not want to fight someone who will remind him of his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr ten years ago.
“I am worried about only one person, that is Israel. I don’t ignore this guy. It is a strong competitor. It will be difficult come Saturday. “I don’t care about anybody right now or I’m worried about anybody,” Crawford said.
Terence was asked about his thoughts on Errol Spence’s possible retirement. He hasn’t fought in a year since his loss to Crawford, and fans have been speculating that he might hang up the gloves.
“We know he can do a lot of things, but we’re not going to ignore anything, that’s why we prepare the way we prepare and focus on him the way we focus,” said Crawford about Madrimov.
For Madrimov to have a chance to win, he can’t miss his shots like he did in his last few fights. He shoots out wings, most of which are missing, leaving him open to fight. Madrimov escaped this time against Magomed Kurbanov and Raphael Igbokwe because they did not have the skills to make him pay.
“I’ve been sparing the big boys. I’ve never pitted guys my size against each other. So, that’s nothing. No,” Crawford said about whether fighting at super middleweight would be a problem for him.
Crawford has to be comfortable being the smaller guy against Madrimov because he’s facing a slower fighter that won’t give him the same problems with his size as a faster fighter would. If Crawford were to move up to 175 and take on Dmitry Bivol or David Benavidez, he would have problems.
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