Will Terence Crawford possess the same power with his move up to 154 pounds?
The question was central in trying to envision how the action will play out in Saturday night’s intriguing matchup between Crawford and Israil Madrimov for the Uzbekistan boxer’s WBA junior middleweight title at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium.
Crawford, a consensus top-three pound-for-pound talent, will have the talent advantage over Madrimov, and that supremacy in skills is the main reason why Crawford will extend his record to 41-0-0 — as the odds (-700) favor him to do — with a world championship in his fourth weight class.
A 32nd knockout win, though? That will come down to how dominant Crawford can be against Madrimov (10-0-1, seven KOs).
The pick — Terrence Crawford by KO, TKO, Technical Decision or DQ (-125, BetMGM)
Madrimov figures to be the stronger fighter, and his hard job straight into the body can be a problem. He will know if he has a chance to shock the world once Crawford feels his power. If it’s effective, he could stack up rounds and keep Crawford from going forward.
However, this is Bud Crawford we’re talking about — one of the smartest tacticians in the sport.
Crawford will assess the danger that Madrimov presents, using the early rounds to determine the best way to engage. At 5-foot-8, Crawford is nearly as tall as as the 5-8 1/2 Madrimov and has a 6 1/2-inch reach advantage.
Once Crawford starts flowing with confidence, it’s just a matter of time before the stoppage occurs. In the latter half of the fight, I expect to see the same level of masterclass Crawford produced against Errol Spence.
Crawford says he doesn’t look for the knockout. He only goes for it when the opportunity presents itself. He’ll get that chance against Madrimov, and he won’t waste it. It’ll be another statement victory and another step toward a potential mega-fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Boxing record: 13-12, -2.32 units