Terence Crawford edges Israil Madrimov to capture fourth world title

Terence Crawford considered the (pound-for-pound) best in the sport, moved up to 154 pounds to take on WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov in the main event of a (card of the year) boxing show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) looked to add the WBA 154-pound title to his career collection, which includes being the former boss at lightweight, light welterweight, and welterweight.

Madrimov, an outstanding amateur and an undefeated champion (10-1-1,  7 KO) looked to use his size and power punching to hold off the supremely talented Crawford. 

The stacked card also featured a host of champions including former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) vs. Jarrell Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) and Mexican star Isaac Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) defending his WBA super lightweight strap against upset-minded Jose Venezuela (14-2, 9 KOs).

In the main event, it was challenger Crawford’s supreme counter-punching and boxing IQ up against the naturally bigger and noted power of champion Madrimov. While Crawford had a resume that far outweighed Madrimov’s, there were lots of people who felt Madrimov was a live dog, to say the least, based on his extensive amateur experience and his bigger, stronger frame. 

Could Crawford use his supreme timing and counter-punching skills to hold off Madrimov’s aggression and strength? Could Madrimov turn it into a slug-fest that might allow him to land something?

The main event was a rough back-and-forth affair, with both fighters having success earlier in the fight. Crawford came on strong later in the fight in an effort that was enough to secure the victory and claim the 140-pound title. While Crawford supporters were basking in the glow of tonight’s fight, in truth the fight was close. But, he got the win, and he is now a 4-division champ.

While some may question why he didn’t dominate more against a fighter with only 10 fights, in the end he achieved victory and that is all that matters. Did he do enough to convince people he could handle another jump to 168 pounds? That is another fight for another day. 

After the fight, he knew that he was in for a tough night and showed a lot of respect to Madrimov. 

“Israil was a tough competitor”, said Crawford. “He’s tough, he’s durable and he got me to round 12”, he said. “He’s disciplined, he didnt come in throwing wild shots like I intended him to”, he said. 

After the fight, talk immediately turned to Crawford vs. Saul Alvarez, hopefully for early next year. If Crawford does take the fight he would be again moving up another 14-pounds to 168. 

Regarding that fight, Crawford said, “If the money is right, we got a fight. I’m going to relax and enjoy this win”, he said. 

 Andy Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KO) MD Jarrell Miller (26-1-2, 22 KO).

Ruiz looked like a guy who hadn’t been in the ring in almost 2 years. Always known for his incredible hand speed, Ruiz was still fast but seemed to have lost a slight step in the speed department. And conditioning /ring rust seemed to play a role on the night for Ruiz. Miller pressed and pressed a tiring Ruiz who seemed like a teal-time ad for the effects of inactivity. In the end, Ruiz banked some early rounds and Miller closed fast and strong. Final result, one judge for Miller and 2 had it even for a majority draw. 

Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KO)  Martin Bakole (20-1, 15 KO).

In one of the best heavyweight slug-fests seen in a while, Martin Bakole simply pounded and stopped rising star Jared Anderson. Bakole had Anderson down numerous times and simply seemed too strong for Anderson. While Anderson showed incredible heart and toughness, the power of Bakole was just too much. 

David Morrell (11-0, 9 KO) W UD Radivoje Kalajdzic (29-3, 21 KO) WBA light heavyweight world title ) 118-110, 117-111 x 2

Andy Cruz  (4-0, 2 KO) TKO 7 Antonio Moran (30-7-1, 21 KO) 

Off TV Prelims 

Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KO) TKO 5 Marcos Vazquez (20-1-1, 10 KO) 

Ziyad Almaayouf (5-0-1, 1 KO) MD 6 Michal Bulk (7-7, 2 KO)